Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Arar
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,185
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,185 in Arar, rent included.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Arar $1,185

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,758 in Arar, rent included.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Arar $1,758

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,330 in Arar, rent included.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Arar $2,330

Buenos Aires costs about 40% more than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 23% above the global median, while Arar is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$6.20 SAR 23.25
207.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$37.34 SAR 140
76.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$7.78 SAR 29.18
69.67%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.89 SAR 7.11
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.32 SAR 8.72
-
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$3.16 SAR 11.88
21.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.86 SAR 3.24
131.40%
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
Arar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.69 SAR 6.33
-11.24%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$1.31 SAR 4.92
93.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$2.24 SAR 8.41
-28.13%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$2.43 SAR 9.13
16.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$7.61 SAR 28.54
35.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$7.97 SAR 29.91
25.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$12.96 SAR 48.62
2.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.25 SAR 8.46
28.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.67 SAR 6.27
31.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.59 SAR 5.97
-11.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.64 SAR 6.14
20.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.23 SAR 4.62
-1.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.32 SAR 4.97
-4.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.22 SAR 4.58
40.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.55 SAR 2.06
212.73%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.88 SAR 10.82
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.77 SAR 6.65
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.01 SAR 7.55
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$6.50 SAR 24.38
-34.00%
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
Arar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$1.04 SAR 3.91
-27.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
$36.99 SAR 139
-26.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$2.70 SAR 10.13
-41.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$1.85 SAR 6.95
-44.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$13.26 SAR 49.76
-40.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.64 SAR 2.40
121.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$43.8K SAR 164.5K
-36.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$21.3K SAR 80.1K
63.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$102 SAR 384
91.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$32.69 SAR 123
-23.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$67.5 SAR 253
-53.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$81.8 SAR 307
-37.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$13.21 SAR 49.58
-21.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$421 SAR 1,579
10.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$8,110 SAR 30.4K
8.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$41.56 SAR 156
188.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$53.8 SAR 202
77.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$96.2 SAR 361
18.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$86.4 SAR 324
61.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$587 SAR 2,202
28.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$377 SAR 1,416
37.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$826 SAR 3,100
92.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$574 SAR 2,155
108.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$2,369 SAR 8,891
14.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$1,355 SAR 5,084
40.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Arar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
-
-
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 Arar: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Arar
$377 27.4% $142
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Arar
$204 28% $79
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Arar
$115 59.1% $166
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Arar
$202 19.7% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Arar
$125 40.7% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Arar
$108 51.1% $37
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Arar
$53 43.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $587 in Arar. 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 $37.00 in Arar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $204 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇦 Arar
🕒 Local time
04:03 4:03 AM
10:03 10:03 AM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
167,057
💱 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 Arar 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Buenos Aires and in Arar compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires, $1,185 in Arar – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Buenos Aires compared to Arar?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,778 in Arar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Buenos Aires and Arar?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Buenos Aires and in Arar?
Public transport costs about 36% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Arar?
Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Buenos Aires and $421 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arar, where all-in costs run around $1,185, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Arar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Arar?
It depends on your priorities. Buenos Aires has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,185 in Arar to $1,656 in Buenos Aires. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Buenos Aires or Arar safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Buenos Aires and Arar?
If budget matters most, go with Arar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Buenos Aires makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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