Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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 Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,044 in Alexandria.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Alexandria $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,704 in Alexandria.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Alexandria $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,364 in Alexandria.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Alexandria $2,364

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 61% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Alexandria is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$15.61 JMD 2,466

19.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

-15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.75 JMD 1,381

47.20%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$5.28 JMD 834

-24.62%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.16 JMD 184

76.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.68 JMD 107

127.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.27 JMD 359

69.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.21 JMD 508

43.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$4.09 JMD 646

-64.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$3.86 JMD 610

-36.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.59 JMD 250

2.52%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.53 JMD 557

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$11.57 JMD 1,826

-7.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.39 JMD 1,009

56.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$10.30 JMD 1,626

33.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$6.22 JMD 983

-55.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$3.93 JMD 621

-44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$7.47 JMD 1,180

-80.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$3.01 JMD 475

-33.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$3.33 JMD 525

-62.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.59 JMD 409

-50.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$3.12 JMD 492

-45.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.47 JMD 232

17.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$9.74 JMD 1,538

-57.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$11.57 JMD 1,827

-49.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.90 JMD 458

-27.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$4.07 JMD 643

-31.94%

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

$1.17 JMD 185

38.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$3.13 JMD 494

-68.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$6.42 JMD 1,013

20.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.42 JMD 224

-4.23%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-37.61%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

4.86%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$174 JMD 27.5K

23.73%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$30.04 JMD 4,744

-14.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$53.0 JMD 8,365

-40.80%

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

$13.14 JMD 2,074

-20.62%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$359 JMD 56.7K

29.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

10.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$23.28 JMD 3,676

424.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$31.50 JMD 4,974

209.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

51.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$102 JMD 16.1K

36.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

9.45

505.82%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Alexandria

$388 37.6% 36.6% $104

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Alexandria

$240 23.2% 14.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Alexandria

$257 24.9% 5.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Alexandria

$105 10.2% 50.8% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5% 62.8% $44

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6% 54.1% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $77.0 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $388 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,927

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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 = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Alexandria 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Alexandria differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,044 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $1,567 in Alexandria 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.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $359 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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 Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.