Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Al-'amarah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-'amarah: $662 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Al-'amarah
Learn more

Al-'amarah Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Al-'amarah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $662 in Al-'amarah, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Al-'amarah $662

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,031 in Al-'amarah, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Al-'amarah $1,031

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,400 in Al-'amarah, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Al-'amarah $1,400

Buenos Aires costs about 150% more than Al-'amarah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 23% above the global median, while Al-'amarah is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$3.93 IQD 5,936

385.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$21.93 IQD 33.1K

200.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.22 IQD 9,391

112.22%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.08 IQD 3,146

85.10%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.33 IQD 502

503.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.20 IQD 304

700.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.22 IQD 4,863

22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.90 IQD 4,384

58.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.99 IQD 1,501

51.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.67 IQD 1,006

277.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.36 IQD 2,061

18.38%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.57 IQD 2,368

80.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$3.72 IQD 5,616

176.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.21 IQD 6,361

137.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$11.50 IQD 17.4K

15.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$0.93 IQD 1,405

209.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.93 IQD 1,411

136.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.90 IQD 1,362

55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.61 IQD 921

224.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.56 IQD 846

116.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.61 IQD 924

106.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.52 IQD 782

228.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.51 IQD 770

237.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.83 IQD 2,765

134.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$12.08 IQD 18.3K

-52.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.60 IQD 2,412

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.78 IQD 2,683

55.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.45 IQD 680

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$19.17 IQD 29.0K

42.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.81 IQD 2,734

-13.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.13 IQD 1,712

-8.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.76 IQD 8,707

37.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.54 IQD 813

162.96%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

70.04%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$15.1K IQD 22.8M

131.40%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$96.2 IQD 145.4K

102.89%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$13.00 IQD 19.7K

93.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$24.03 IQD 36.3K

31.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$37.10 IQD 56.1K

37.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$8.87 IQD 13.4K

16.57%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$153 IQD 231.6K

202.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$2,868 IQD 4.3M

206.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$22.93 IQD 34.6K

422.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$21.34 IQD 32.2K

347.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$51.9 IQD 78.4K

119.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$34.23 IQD 51.7K

306.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$178 IQD 268.4K

325.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$129 IQD 195.4K

301.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$371 IQD 561.0K

328.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$298 IQD 449.9K

302.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$717 IQD 1.1M

278.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$573 IQD 865.9K

231.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$435 IQD 657.8K

115.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.33

1619.22%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Al-'amarah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Al-'amarah

$129 19.5% 75.1% $391

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Al-'amarah

$159 24% 44% $125

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Al-'amarah

$99 15% 64.8% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Al-'amarah

$133 20.1% 47.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Al-'amarah

$59 8.9% 72.2% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Al-'amarah

$55 8.3% 23.4% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Al-'amarah

$28 4.3% 23.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $178 in Al-'amarah. 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 115% 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 $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $22.00 in Al-'amarah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $159 – making Al-'amarah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇶 Al-'amarah

🕒 Local time

16:09 4:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

511,542

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Al-'amarah 13,250 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Al-'amarah

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 Al-'amarah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $993 in Al-'amarah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 78% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires and $22.00 in Al-'amarah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-'amarah, where all-in costs run around $662, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Al-'amarah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-'amarah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Al-'amarah. 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.