Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $482 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$482

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $482 in Arak.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Arak $482

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $758 in Arak.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Arak $758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,034 in Arak.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Arak $1,034

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 243% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Arak is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 28.9K

$3.71 $3.71

414.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.5K

$12.65 $12.65

420.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$4.09 $4.09

222.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 $0.56

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,821

$1.36 $1.36

183.09%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,010

$0.48 $0.48

314.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,422

$1.73 $1.73

-7.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,940

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 6,979

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,264

$0.55 $0.55

172.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,825

$0.57 $0.57

343.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,437

$1.90 $1.90

-15.26%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,302

$1.22 $1.22

132.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$2.16 $2.16

376.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.1K

$2.56 $2.56

290.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.1K

$10.32 $10.32

28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,351

$0.79 $0.79

264.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,323

$1.02 $1.02

115.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,113

$0.63 $0.63

122.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 2,994

$0.51 $0.51

288.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,829

$0.44 $0.44

175.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,904

$0.41 $0.41

207.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,583

$0.48 $0.48

256.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,595

$0.30 $0.30

473.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,484

$2.54 $2.54

68.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,617

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,277

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,137

$0.10 $0.10

650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.3K

$9.52 $9.52

186.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,367

$0.25 $0.25

528.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,553

$0.12 $0.12

758.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 11.9K

$1.03 $1.03

666.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,153

$0.09 $0.09

1477.78%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

$49.8K $49.8K

-43.87%

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

$35.0K ARS 52.9M

$34.4K $34.4K

1.80%

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

$195 ARS 295.2K

$9.84 $9.84

1883.74%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.0K

$1.49 $1.49

1588.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.7K

$3.75 $3.75

741.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.0K

$9.87 $9.87

415.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.3K

$24.01 $24.01

-30.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.6K

$1.12 $1.12

823.21%

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

$463 ARS 700.9K

$83.5 $83.5

455.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$2,319 $2,319

279.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.2K

$13.43 $13.43

792.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.4K

$8.95 $8.95

966.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 172.6K

$80.9 $80.9

40.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 210.7K

$51.4 $51.4

170.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$295 $295

156.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 786.2K

$211 $211

146.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$806 $806

97.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$359 $359

234.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,354 $1,354

100.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$656 $656

189.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$368 $368

154.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

18.5

209.46%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arak: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Arak

$211 43.7% 59.4% $309

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Arak

$97 20.1% 65.8% $187

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Arak

$67 13.9% 76.2% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Arak

$15 3.1% 94% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Arak

$70 14.4% 67% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Arak

$12 2.5% 83.1% $59

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Arak

$11 2.2% 70.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $295 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 155% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $13.00 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $97.0 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

6 h 30 min ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

526,200

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.87 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,703 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.87 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Arak 13,570 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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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 Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 243% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 155% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $295 in Arak. 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 $482 in Arak – a 243% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 186% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $482 in Arak versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Arak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arak is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Buenos Aires, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Arak 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 Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 243% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.