Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Alges

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,009 in Alges, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Alges $2,009

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,853 in Alges, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Alges $2,853

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $3,697 in Alges, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Alges $3,697

Buenos Aires is about 18% cheaper than Alges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Buenos Aires and Alges sit above the global median – Buenos Aires by 23%, Alges by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$15.36 €13.66

24.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$54.7 €48.68

20.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.41 €8.37

40.28%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.64 €2.35

45.83%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.35 €2.09

-15.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$2.25 €2.00

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.39 €3.01

15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$5.54 €4.93

-16.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.04 €0.93

44.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.96 €1.75

29.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.23 €1.98

-27.80%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.42 €3.04

-16.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.82 €9.63

-4.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.10 €6.31

40.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.95 €13.30

-11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.85 €2.54

1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.37 €1.22

60.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.78 €1.59

-21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.24 €2.00

-11.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.56 €1.39

-22.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.23 €1.98

-43.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.54 €1.37

11.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.78 €0.69

120.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.67 €5.05

-24.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.90 €4.35

16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.16 €1.03

87.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.09 €2.75

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$2.26 €2.01

-66.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$44.01 €39.15

-38.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.56 €4.06

-65.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.99 €0.88

4.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$17.84 €15.87

-55.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.05 €1.83

-30.73%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$33.8K €30.1K

-17.29%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$38.1K €33.9K

-8.25%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$137 €122

42.89%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$24.63 €21.91

2.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$56.3 €50.1

-43.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$44.85 €39.89

13.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$17.11 €15.22

-2.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.20 €6.40

43.61%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$597 €531

-22.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$18.7K €16.6K

-53.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$76.8 €68.3

56.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$33.38 €29.69

186.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$90.7 €80.6

25.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$94.8 €84.3

47.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,240 €1,103

-39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,055 €938

-50.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,047 €1,821

-22.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,559 €1,386

-23.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,991 €2,660

-9.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$2,264 €2,014

-16.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,229 €1,093

-23.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.67

1459.95%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Alges

$1.1K 52.5% 103% $535

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Alges

$253 12.6% 10.8% $31

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Alges

$229 11.4% 18.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Alges

$218 10.8% 13.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Alges

$133 6.6% 36.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Alges

$59 3% 17.3% $12

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Alges

$63 3.1% 69.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $1,240 in Alges. 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 31% higher in Alges, 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 $55.0 in Alges. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $253 – making Alges the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇹 Alges

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

15:18 3:18 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

19,327

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Alges 9,600 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Alges

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 Alges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires, $2,009 in Alges – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $3,013 in Alges. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buenos Aires, 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 $597 in Alges. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenos Aires, where all-in costs run around $1,656, than in Alges at $2,009. In Buenos Aires it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,656 in Buenos Aires to $2,009 in Alges. 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 Buenos Aires. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.