Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,102 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,102 in Astana, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Astana $1,102

A couple spends around $2,742 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,788 in Astana, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Astana $1,788

A family of three spends $3,799 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,474 in Astana, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Astana $2,474

Buenos Aires costs about 53% more than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 26% above the global median, while Astana is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$10.89 ₸4,936

71.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$37.77 ₸17.1K

70.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.71 ₸3,494

67.06%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.50 ₸1,133

59.20%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.11 ₸503

84.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.67 ₸302

131.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.29 ₸586

197.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.23 ₸1,012

106.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.25 ₸567

15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.59 ₸268

316.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.62 ₸734

0.62%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.22 ₸1,007

30.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$11.83 ₸5,363

-9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.67 ₸2,570

76.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$10.25 ₸4,648

34.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.80 ₸816

52.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.33 ₸1,056

-6.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.28 ₸1,035

-36.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.21 ₸1,003

-9.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.66 ₸298

87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.42 ₸192

202.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.46 ₸662

16.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.92 ₸418

88.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.25 ₸1,020

85.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.74 ₸4,868

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.32 ₸601

58.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.37 ₸1,076

16.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.23 ₸104

226.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$16.27 ₸7,376

66.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.15 ₸973

-24.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.11 ₸502

-11.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$6.41 ₸2,904

20.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.62 ₸280

119.35%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$24.1K ₸10.9M

16.08%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$30.2K ₸13.7M

14.53%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$65.7 ₸29.8K

228.11%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$9.81 ₸4,447

161.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$17.72 ₸8,036

76.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$56.6 ₸25.7K

-11.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$20.12 ₸9,123

-15.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.46 ₸2,927

61.46%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$365 ₸165.3K

27.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$11.6K ₸5.3M

-21.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$63.6 ₸28.8K

92.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$46.04 ₸20.9K

111.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$117 ₸53.1K

-0.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$125 ₸56.7K

11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$561 ₸254.2K

36.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$379 ₸171.9K

33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,103 ₸500.3K

44.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$767 ₸347.9K

54.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,553 ₸704.3K

72.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,117 ₸506.6K

66.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$876 ₸397.4K

8.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

15.5

269.35%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Astana: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Astana

$379 34.2% 25% $126

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Astana

$224 20.2% 21.1% $60

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Astana

$158 14.3% 43.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Astana

$93 8.4% 65.8% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Astana

$158 14.3% 26.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Astana

$70 6.3% 1.7% $1.2

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Astana

$25 2.3% 32.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Buenos Aires versus $561 in Astana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Buenos Aires, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Buenos Aires versus $38.00 in Astana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $224 – making Astana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

9 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

814,400 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 453 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 509 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Astana 15,640 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Astana

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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires, $1,102 in Astana – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,528 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,653 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Astana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $466 per month in Buenos Aires and $365 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Buenos Aires, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Astana, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Buenos Aires at $1,685. In Astana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Buenos Aires has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,102 in Astana to $1,685 in Buenos Aires. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Astana. 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.