Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,184 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,184 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Al-Ula $1,184

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,757 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Al-Ula $1,757

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,330 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Al-Ula $2,330

Buenos Aires costs about 40% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 23% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.11 SAR 22.91

212.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$36.80 SAR 138

78.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.96 SAR 29.87

65.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.17 SAR 11.89

21.45%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.86 SAR 3.24

131.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.26 SAR 0.98

515.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.27 SAR 4.75

99.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.30 SAR 8.62

-30.00%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.32 SAR 8.72

22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.39 SAR 27.75

39.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$8.07 SAR 30.27

23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$12.67 SAR 47.54

4.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.25 SAR 8.45

28.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.76 SAR 6.60

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.58 SAR 5.94

-11.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.57 SAR 5.89

26.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.23 SAR 4.61

-1.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.28 SAR 4.79

-1.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.22 SAR 4.58

40.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.54 SAR 2.02

218.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.74 SAR 25.28

-36.35%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.09 SAR 4.08

-31.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$36.77 SAR 138

-25.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.61 SAR 9.80

-39.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.85 SAR 6.95

-44.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$13.14 SAR 49.29

-39.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.65 SAR 2.44

118.46%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

-36.52%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

64.17%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$106 SAR 397

84.29%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$33.21 SAR 125

-24.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$65.8 SAR 247

-52.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$82.4 SAR 309

-38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$13.33 SAR 50.0

-22.43%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$425 SAR 1,596

8.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

8.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$42.74 SAR 160

180.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$55.4 SAR 208

72.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$96.2 SAR 361

18.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$87.6 SAR 329

58.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$576 SAR 2,162

31.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$372 SAR 1,397

39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$832 SAR 3,121

91.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$572 SAR 2,147

109.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,323 SAR 8,718

16.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,382 SAR 5,187

37.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.54

933.39%

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-Ula: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Al-Ula

$372 31.5% 28.4% $148

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Al-Ula

$203 17.1% 28.5% $81

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Al-Ula

$115 9.7% 59.1% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Al-Ula

$205 17.3% 18.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Al-Ula

$127 10.7% 39.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Al-Ula

$109 9.2% 52.3% $37

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Al-Ula

$53 4.5% 43.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $576 in Al-Ula. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $37.00 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $203 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

15:27 3:27 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

32,413

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Al-Ula 12,190 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires, $1,184 in Al-Ula – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,776 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Buenos Aires and $425 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 Al-Ula, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Al-Ula 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 $1,184 in Al-Ula to $1,656 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 Al-Ula. 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.