Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Buenos Aires outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,402 in Asmara.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Asmara $1,402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,192 in Asmara.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Asmara $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,983 in Asmara.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Asmara $2,983

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 20% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Asmara 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$20.83 ERN 313

-10.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$33.92 ERN 509

90.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.04 ERN 90.7

113.25%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$0.77 ERN 11.54

416.88%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.97 ERN 14.60

111.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.02 ERN 15.28

51.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$0.62 ERN 9.30

519.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.64 ERN 24.67

-12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.33 ERN 35.01

-30.04%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$4.34 ERN 65.3

-33.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$2.98 ERN 44.76

257.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$26.73 ERN 401

-62.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$10.11 ERN 152

35.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$12.28 ERN 184

-77.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.32 ERN 19.79

65.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.95 ERN 29.31

-25.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.14 ERN 17.05

74.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.76 ERN 26.40

-29.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.95 ERN 14.26

33.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$2.26 ERN 33.91

-23.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$11.87 ERN 178

-51.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.98 ERN 14.76

113.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.02 ERN 15.27

171.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.14 ERN 2.13

435.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$8.17 ERN 123

232.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.57 ERN 8.62

71.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$9.84 ERN 148

-21.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$2.52 ERN 37.88

-46.03%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

-57.82%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

-49.83%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$25.13 ERN 377

757.82%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$68.7 ERN 1,032

-62.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$202 ERN 3,031

-84.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$26.72 ERN 401

86.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$4.91 ERN 73.8

247.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$1.22 ERN 18.40

754.92%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$24.69 ERN 371

1787.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

249.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$136 ERN 2,039

-10.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$120 ERN 1,800

-18.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$203 ERN 3,056

-42.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$152 ERN 2,276

-7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$246 ERN 3,700

209.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$199 ERN 2,988

153.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$457 ERN 6,867

249.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$432 ERN 6,488

174.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

108.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

-25.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

377.08%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Asmara

$199 14.4% 60.6% $306

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Asmara

$364 * 26.4% 28% $80

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Asmara

$205 * 14.9% 26.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Asmara

$296 21.4% 8.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Asmara

$275 19.9% 28.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 58.7% $42

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Asmara

$12 * 0.8% 68.3% $25

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $246 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $364, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Asmara 11,630 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Asmara differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,402 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $2,103 in Asmara 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $246 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 232% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $24.69 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara 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 Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.