Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,154 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Ar-rass
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,154
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,154 in Ar-rass.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Ar-rass $1,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,690 in Ar-rass.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Ar-rass $1,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,226 in Ar-rass.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Ar-rass $2,226

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 44% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Ar-rass is 15% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$6.16 SAR 23.12
209.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$37.47 SAR 141
75.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$7.90 SAR 29.65
67.09%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.89 SAR 7.07
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.29 SAR 8.58
-
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$3.25 SAR 12.18
18.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.91 SAR 3.41
118.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.26 SAR 0.98
515.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.81 SAR 6.81
-17.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$0.39 SAR 1.45
548.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$1.92 SAR 7.19
-16.15%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$3.60 SAR 13.52
-21.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$7.00 SAR 26.28
47.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$8.05 SAR 30.20
24.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$12.79 SAR 47.99
3.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.24 SAR 8.41
28.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.76 SAR 6.60
25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.57 SAR 5.91
-10.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.57 SAR 5.89
26.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.16 SAR 4.37
4.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.36 SAR 5.11
-7.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.28 SAR 4.79
33.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.57 SAR 2.14
201.75%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.26 SAR 12.24
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.99 SAR 7.46
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.26 SAR 8.49
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$7.53 SAR 28.27
-43.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$0.98 SAR 3.69
-23.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
$34.39 SAR 129
-20.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$2.59 SAR 9.72
-39.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$1.87 SAR 7.02
-44.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$11.84 SAR 44.42
-33.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.65 SAR 2.44
118.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$43.1K SAR 161.7K
-35.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$20.9K SAR 78.3K
67.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$110 SAR 414
77.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$23.87 SAR 89.6
5.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$59.0 SAR 221
-46.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$44.88 SAR 168
13.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$13.43 SAR 50.4
-23.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$425 SAR 1,595
9.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$8,688 SAR 32.6K
1.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$42.84 SAR 161
179.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$62.4 SAR 234
52.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$96.1 SAR 360
18.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$87.6 SAR 329
59.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$579 SAR 2,174
30.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$394 SAR 1,480
31.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$388 SAR 1,456
309.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$563 SAR 2,111
113.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$2,625 SAR 9,851
3.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$1,188 SAR 4,460
59.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Ar-rass
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$1,765 SAR 6,622
-46.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.54
933.39%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Ar-rass
$394 24.1% $125
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Ar-rass
$198 30.2% $86
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Ar-rass
$117 58.6% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Ar-rass
$193 23.3% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Ar-rass
$130 38.4% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Ar-rass
$72 0.2% $0.2
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Ar-rass
$50 35.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $579 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays 88% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $37.00 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $198 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇦 Ar-rass
🕒 Local time
12:46 12:46 PM
18:46 6:46 PM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
121,359
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Ar-rass 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Ar-rass?
Buenos Aires and Ar-rass differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,154 including rent). Ar-rass is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Ar-rass. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Ar-rass?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $579 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Ar-rass?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $425 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ar-rass but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Ar-rass the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Ar-rass?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Ar-rass safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Ar-rass are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Ar-rass?
Expats usually find Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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