Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,046 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
Learn more

Arzamas Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,046 in Arzamas.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Arzamas $1,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,613 in Arzamas.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Arzamas $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,180 in Arzamas.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Arzamas $2,180

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 58% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$10.13 ₽846

88.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$34.19 ₽2,853

92.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.83 ₽570

93.27%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.74 ₽229

40.51%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.06 ₽88.3

87.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.52 ₽43.61

207.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.85 ₽154

112.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.82 ₽235

63.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.10 ₽91.8

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.65 ₽54.1

289.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.33 ₽111

21.05%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.77 ₽147

60.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$9.77 ₽815

5.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.87 ₽490

70.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$12.33 ₽1,029

7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.71 ₽143

68.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.66 ₽139

32.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.79 ₽149

-21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.94 ₽246

-32.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.67 ₽56.2

80.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.52 ₽43.63

142.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.46 ₽122

17.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.70 ₽58.6

145.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.38 ₽282

26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$6.60 ₽551

-13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.09 ₽90.8

99.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.03 ₽170

35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.55 ₽46.05

36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.21 ₽184

-28.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.34 ₽28.04

202.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$6.49 ₽542

21.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.84 ₽70.4

69.05%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.8K ₽3.0M

-21.86%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$27.7K ₽2.3M

26.07%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$134 ₽11.2K

45.80%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$6.62 ₽553

280.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$8.25 ₽689

282.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$32.02 ₽2,672

59.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$20.36 ₽1,699

-17.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.66 ₽556

55.26%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$381 ₽31.8K

21.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,116 ₽510.4K

43.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$85.8 ₽7,161

39.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$51.7 ₽4,318

84.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$123 ₽10.3K

-7.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$108 ₽9,050

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$302 ₽25.2K

150.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$318 ₽26.6K

63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$474 ₽39.5K

235.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$562 ₽46.9K

113.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,064 ₽172.3K

31.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,375 ₽114.8K

38.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

21.45

166.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Arzamas

$318 30.4% 38.8% $202

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Arzamas

$206 19.7% 27.3% $77

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Arzamas

$156 14.9% 44.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Arzamas

$149 14.2% 40.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Arzamas

$166 15.9% 21.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Arzamas

$45 4.3% 36.7% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Arzamas

$6.1 * 0.6% 83.5% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $302 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $34.00 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $206 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

103,396

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Arzamas 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Arzamas differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,046 including rent). Arzamas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,569 in Arzamas 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 $302 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $1,046 in Arzamas – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,046 in Arzamas versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Arzamas but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Arzamas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Arzamas 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 Arzamas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.