Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Alicante

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,803 in Alicante, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alicante outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,803 in Alicante.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Alicante $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,791 in Alicante.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Alicante $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,779 in Alicante.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Alicante $3,779

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 6% less than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Alicante 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$19.46 €17.36

-3.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$67.2 €60.0

-4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$11.36 €10.14

13.38%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.16 €1.93

84.26%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$2.14 €1.91

-4.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.32 €1.18

17.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$3.29 €2.94

16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.33 €2.98

38.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.15 €1.03

25.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.69 €1.51

45.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.69 €1.51

-3.55%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.22 €2.87

-10.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$17.72 €15.82

-39.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.50 €8.48

5.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$16.16 €14.42

-14.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.62 €2.33

4.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.09 €1.86

4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.83 €1.63

-20.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.69 €2.40

-26.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.84 €1.64

-32.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.02 €1.80

-37.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.25 €1.12

36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.65 €0.58

166.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$6.73 €6.00

-37.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$5.70 €5.09

1.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.20 €1.07

74.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.15 €1.92

28.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.62 €1.44

-53.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$26.35 €23.51

3.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.00 €2.68

-46.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.33 €1.19

-26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$16.98 €15.15

-54.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.75 €1.56

-22.29%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$34.8K €31.1K

-19.59%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$28.9K €25.7K

19.67%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$138 €123

55.81%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$18.71 €16.70

36.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$29.82 €26.61

5.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$41.39 €36.94

20.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$17.06 €15.23

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$9.52 €8.50

9.56%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$709 €633

-34.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$9,531 €8,505

-4.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$83.9 €74.9

45.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$35.58 €31.75

173.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$96.9 €86.5

20.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$106 €94.8

31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,016 €907

-24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$837 €747

-39.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,700 €1,517

-5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,537 €1,372

-22.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$4,254 €3,797

-37.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$2,066 €1,844

-10.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,925 €1,718

-50.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.99

1814.72%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Alicante

$837 46.2% 65.7% $332

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Alicante

$288 15.9% 1.3% $3.6

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Alicante

$253 13.9% 9.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Alicante

$187 10.3% 31.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Alicante

$145 8% 32.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Alicante

$60 3.3% 14.5% $10

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Alicante

$42 2.3% 15.9% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,016 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 102% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $67.0 in Alicante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $288 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

15:02 3:02 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

349,282

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Alicante 10,070 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Alicante

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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Alicante. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Buenos Aires the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 102% lower in Alicante. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $1,016 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $709 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Alicante. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,803 in Alicante, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Alicante. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Buenos Aires delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,685 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Buenos Aires hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Alicante 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.