Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Al-hawiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawiyah: $1,081 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Al-hawiyah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,081
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Al-hawiyah $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,603 in Al-hawiyah.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Al-hawiyah $1,603

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,125 in Al-hawiyah.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Al-hawiyah $2,125

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 53% more expensive than in Al-hawiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Al-hawiyah is 20% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$4.44 SAR 16.67
329.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$26.52 SAR 99.5
148.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$6.91 SAR 25.93
91.03%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.58 SAR 5.91
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.50 SAR 5.64
-
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$2.63 SAR 9.88
46.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.70 SAR 2.63
184.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.25 SAR 0.94
540.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.83 SAR 6.85
-18.03%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$0.96 SAR 3.60
163.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$2.20 SAR 8.25
-26.82%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$2.68 SAR 10.04
5.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$5.85 SAR 21.94
76.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$11.70 SAR 43.90
-14.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$13.12 SAR 49.22
1.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.04 SAR 7.64
41.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.58 SAR 5.92
39.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.83 SAR 6.88
-23.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.49 SAR 5.60
32.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.30 SAR 4.87
-6.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.50 SAR 5.63
-16.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.09 SAR 4.09
56.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.74 SAR 2.77
132.43%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.99 SAR 11.21
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.10 SAR 7.87
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.57 SAR 5.88
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$8.00 SAR 30.02
-46.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$1.10 SAR 4.13
-31.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
$36.82 SAR 138
-25.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$2.44 SAR 9.15
-35.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$2.69 SAR 10.10
-61.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$13.24 SAR 49.67
-40.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.59 SAR 2.23
140.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$43.9K SAR 164.7K
-36.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$21.5K SAR 80.8K
62.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$67.1 SAR 252
190.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$35.32 SAR 133
-28.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$62.5 SAR 235
-49.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$80.6 SAR 302
-36.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$15.09 SAR 56.6
-31.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$423 SAR 1,586
9.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$7,864 SAR 29.5K
11.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$13.09 SAR 49.11
815.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$55.8 SAR 209
71.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$40.45 SAR 152
182.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$52.5 SAR 197
165.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$576 SAR 2,162
31.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$366 SAR 1,375
41.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$826 SAR 3,098
92.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$577 SAR 2,166
107.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$2,404 SAR 9,023
12.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$1,375 SAR 5,158
38.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Al-hawiyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.25
990.48%

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-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Al-hawiyah
$366 29.5% $153
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Al-hawiyah
$217 23.3% $66
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Al-hawiyah
$92 67.5% $190
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Al-hawiyah
$165 34.5% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Al-hawiyah
$73 65.5% $138
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Al-hawiyah
$111 54.7% $39
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Al-hawiyah
$57 54.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $27.00 in Al-hawiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $217 per month, with Al-hawiyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah
🕒 Local time
22:32 10:32 PM
04:32 4:32 AM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
148,151
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Al-hawiyah 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Al-hawiyah

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-hawiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Al-hawiyah?
Buenos Aires and Al-hawiyah differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,081 including rent). Al-hawiyah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Buenos Aires compared to Al-hawiyah?
You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,621 in Al-hawiyah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Al-hawiyah?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $576 in Al-hawiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Al-hawiyah – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Buenos Aires or Al-hawiyah?
All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Al-hawiyah but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Al-hawiyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Al-hawiyah?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Al-hawiyah safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Al-hawiyah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Al-hawiyah?
Expats usually find Al-hawiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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