Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,530 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,530 in Alton, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Alton $2,530

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $3,777 in Alton, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Alton $3,777

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $5,024 in Alton, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Alton $5,024

Buenos Aires is about 35% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Buenos Aires and Alton sit above the global median – Buenos Aires by 23%, Alton by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$26.36 £19.78

-27.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$105 £78.8

-37.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.66 £8.00

23.83%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$5.55 £4.17

-30.63%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$3.00 £2.25

-33.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$2.10 £1.58

-23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$9.03 £6.77

-56.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$7.83 £5.87

-41.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.88 £1.41

-20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.09 £1.57

21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.37 £1.78

-32.07%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.37 £2.53

-15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$12.69 £9.52

-18.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.83 £8.12

-7.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$17.10 £12.83

-22.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.11 £2.33

-7.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.40 £1.05

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.00 £2.25

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.33 £2.49

-40.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.67 £1.25

-27.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.81 £1.36

-30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.45 £1.09

17.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.87 £1.40

-8.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$23.32 £17.49

-81.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.63 £7.98

-46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.34 £1.76

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.67 £2.01

3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$3.34 £2.51

-77.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$96.8 £72.6

-71.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$5.49 £4.12

-71.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$3.37 £2.53

-69.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$25.82 £19.37

-69.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.12 £1.59

-33.02%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$38.8K £29.1K

-27.97%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$40.6K £30.4K

-13.80%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$366 £275

-46.67%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$17.92 £13.44

40.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$40.71 £30.54

-22.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$45.21 £33.92

12.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$17.61 £13.21

-41.28%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$2,896 £2,173

-84.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$35.1K £26.3K

-74.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$113 £84.6

6.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$54.4 £40.77

75.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$125 £94.1

-9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$97.4 £73.0

43.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,241 £931

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$992 £744

-47.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,118 £1,589

-24.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,668 £1,252

-28.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$5,099 £3,825

-46.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$3,932 £2,950

-51.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.65

1131.18%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Alton

$992 39.2% 90.9% $472

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Alton

$334 13.2% 17.9% $51

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Alton

$391 15.4% 38.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Alton

$425 16.8% 68.6% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Alton

$175 6.9% 16.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Alton

$80 3.2% 12.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Alton

$133 5.2% 258% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $1,241 in Alton. 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 $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $334 – making Buenos Aires the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

17,816

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Alton 11,060 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires, $2,530 in Alton – roughly 53% 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 $3,795 in Alton. 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.

Public transport costs about 255% less in Buenos Aires. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Buenos Aires and $2,896 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenos Aires, where all-in costs run around $1,656, than in Alton at $2,530. In Buenos Aires it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton 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 $1,656 in Buenos Aires to $2,530 in Alton. 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, Alton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.