Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and 'aqrah

For one person, living is cheaper in 'aqrah: $661 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in 'aqrah
Learn more

'aqrah Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

'aqrah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $661 in 'aqrah.

Buenos Aires $1,656
'aqrah $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,015 in 'aqrah.

Buenos Aires $2,697
'aqrah $1,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,369 in 'aqrah.

Buenos Aires $3,737
'aqrah $1,369

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 151% more expensive than in 'aqrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, 'aqrah is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$3.62 IQD 5,467

427.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$21.82 IQD 33.0K

201.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.82 IQD 10.3K

93.55%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.38 IQD 3,602

61.76%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.32 IQD 485

521.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.18 IQD 273

788.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.11 IQD 4,706

26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.61 IQD 3,945

76.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.94 IQD 1,416

59.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.72 IQD 1,086

251.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.46 IQD 2,205

10.27%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.70 IQD 2,573

67.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$3.48 IQD 5,252

195.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.16 IQD 6,291

140.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$13.31 IQD 20.1K

-0.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$0.92 IQD 1,383

213.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.91 IQD 1,375

141.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.77 IQD 1,161

81.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.66 IQD 990

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.54 IQD 809

124.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.64 IQD 965

96.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.51 IQD 776

235.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.50 IQD 756

244.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.57 IQD 2,368

173.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.92 IQD 16.5K

-47.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.33 IQD 2,003

63.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.85 IQD 2,800

49.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.45 IQD 679

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$17.50 IQD 26.4K

55.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.89 IQD 2,859

-16.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.39 IQD 2,099

-25.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.15 IQD 7,788

53.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.48 IQD 727

195.83%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$16.9K IQD 25.5M

65.50%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$19.4K IQD 29.3M

80.36%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$80.2 IQD 121.1K

143.54%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$13.58 IQD 20.5K

85.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$27.25 IQD 41.2K

15.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$37.01 IQD 55.9K

37.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$8.39 IQD 12.7K

23.24%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$142 IQD 213.9K

227.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$2,656 IQD 4.0M

231.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$22.08 IQD 33.4K

442.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$23.85 IQD 36.0K

300.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$47.26 IQD 71.4K

141.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$31.06 IQD 46.9K

348.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$184 IQD 277.8K

311.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$141 IQD 213.2K

268.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$358 IQD 541.4K

343.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$278 IQD 419.4K

331.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$779 IQD 1.2M

248.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$642 IQD 970.8K

195.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.33

1619.22%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for 'aqrah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

'aqrah

$141 21.4% 72.9% $379

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

'aqrah

$160 24.2% 43.6% $123

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

'aqrah

$101 15.3% 64.2% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

'aqrah

$121 18.3% 52% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

'aqrah

$56 8.5% 73.5% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

'aqrah

$54 8.1% 24.9% $18

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

'aqrah

$28 4.3% 23.9% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $184 in 'aqrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $22.00 in 'aqrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $160 per month, with 'aqrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇶 'aqrah

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

06:30 6:30 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

68,100

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.85 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,709 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.85 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.88 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires 'aqrah 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
'aqrah

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 'aqrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

'aqrah wins on cost – living expenses run 151% lower than in Buenos Aires. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making 'aqrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $991 in 'aqrah 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $184 in 'aqrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $661 in 'aqrah – a 151% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in 'aqrah runs roughly 56% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $661 in 'aqrah versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in 'aqrah but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes 'aqrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but 'aqrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $661 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes 'aqrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and 'aqrah 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 'aqrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 151% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.