Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $1,752 in Acosta, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
Learn more

Acosta Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Acosta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,752 in Acosta.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Acosta $1,752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,725 in Acosta.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Acosta $2,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,698 in Acosta.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Acosta $3,698

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 5% less than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Acosta 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.88 ₡5,328

60.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$59.0 ₡26.4K

11.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$11.56 ₡5,184

14.19%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.17 ₡1,869

-7.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.54 ₡1,138

-21.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.85 ₡830

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.19 ₡1,432

23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.37 ₡1,960

5.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.09 ₡938

-28.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.47 ₡1,110

2.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.30 ₡1,032

-30.00%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.75 ₡1,680

-24.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.95 ₡4,912

-5.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.91 ₡4,894

-8.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$15.12 ₡6,781

-12.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$5.79 ₡2,595

-50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.78 ₡799

23.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.53 ₡1,584

-60.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.23 ₡1,448

-38.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$3.26 ₡1,464

-62.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$3.44 ₡1,544

-63.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.05 ₡471

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$2.39 ₡1,073

-28.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.94 ₡2,215

-13.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$17.53 ₡7,861

-67.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.27 ₡1,019

-4.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.46 ₡1,104

12.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.15 ₡516

-34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.29 ₡1,026

-31.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.59 ₡715

-35.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$9.52 ₡4,271

-17.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.46 ₡653

-2.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.2K ₡10.0M

25.78%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$30.8K ₡13.8M

13.55%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$195 ARS 296.2K

$93.7 ₡42.0K

108.26%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$34.27 ₡15.4K

-26.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$57.5 ₡25.8K

-45.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-33.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.96 ₡3,571

29.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$463 ARS 703.2K

$845 ₡379.1K

-45.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$18.3K ₡8.2M

-51.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$81.0 ₡36.3K

47.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

72.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$143 ₡64.0K

-19.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$114 ₡51.3K

21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$787 ₡353.0K

-3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$686 ₡307.7K

-24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,977 ₡886.4K

-19.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,274 ₡571.5K

-5.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,943 ₡871.5K

39.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,511 ₡677.5K

-37.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.62

564.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Acosta

$686 39.2% 32% $166

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Acosta

$373 21.3% 31.8% $90

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Acosta

$222 12.7% 21.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Acosta

$186 10.6% 26.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Acosta

$177 10.1% 16.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Acosta

$93 5.3% 29.7% $21

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Acosta

$15 * 0.9% 59.8% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $787 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 61% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $59.0 in Acosta. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $373, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

3,072

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Acosta 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Acosta

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Buenos Aires vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Acosta differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,752 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Acosta. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $787 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Acosta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $1,752 in Acosta – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,752 in Acosta, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Acosta. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Acosta are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Acosta. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.