Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,021 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Adama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,021 in Adama, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Adama $1,021

A couple spends around $2,742 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,672 in Adama, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Adama $1,672

A family of three spends $3,799 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,323 in Adama, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Adama $2,323

Buenos Aires costs about 65% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 26% above the global median, while Adama is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.99 ETB 480

526.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$42.94 ETB 6,900

50.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$4.91 ETB 789

162.32%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$0.91 ETB 146

337.36%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.59 ETB 94.0

247.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.31 ETB 50.1

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$0.77 ETB 124

398.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.27 ETB 364

102.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.81 ETB 131

77.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.21 ETB 195

103.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.15 ETB 345

-24.19%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.81 ETB 291

59.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$7.25 ETB 1,165

46.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.12 ETB 1,626

-1.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$8.96 ETB 1,440

53.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$5.33 ETB 857

-48.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.63 ETB 101

246.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.12 ETB 340

-31.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.65 ETB 105

206.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.47 ETB 75.4

163.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.04 ETB 167

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.66 ETB 106

157.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.57 ETB 91.7

203.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$8.21 ETB 1,320

-49.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$5.74 ETB 922

1.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.71 ETB 115

194.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.22 ETB 197

127.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.30 ETB 209

24.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.27 ETB 43.11

262.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$1.94 ETB 312

297.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.89 ETB 143

52.81%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

-48.81%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

-37.67%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$204 ETB 32.7K

5.78%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$7.21 ETB 1,159

255.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$211 ETB 33.8K

-85.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$3.86 ETB 620

170.21%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$136 ETB 21.9K

241.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-69.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$33.62 ETB 5,401

263.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

39.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

50.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

70.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$350 ETB 56.2K

118.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$199 ETB 32.0K

153.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$985 ETB 158.3K

62.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$811 ETB 130.3K

46.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$101 ETB 16.3K

841.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

18.5

209.46%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Adama

$199 19.5% 60.6% $306

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Adama

$208 20.4% 26.8% $76

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Adama

$62 6% 77.9% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Adama

$422 41.4% 54.7% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Adama

$118 11.6% 44.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8% 89.1% $63

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 92.8% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Buenos Aires versus $350 in Adama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 841% higher in Buenos Aires, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Buenos Aires versus $43.00 in Adama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $208 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

228,623

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Adama 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires, $1,021 in Adama – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,528 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,531 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Buenos Aires and $43.00 in Adama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Buenos Aires, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Adama, where all-in costs run around $1,021, than in Buenos Aires at $1,685. In Adama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Buenos Aires has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Adama to $1,685 in Buenos Aires. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Adama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Buenos Aires makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.