Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Atenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,546 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,546 in Atenas, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Atenas $1,546

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,543 in Atenas, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Atenas $2,543

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $3,540 in Atenas, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Atenas $3,540

Buenos Aires costs about 7% more than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Buenos Aires and Atenas sit above the global median – Buenos Aires by 23%, Atenas by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$9.58 ₡4,298

99.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$56.8 ₡25.5K

15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$11.85 ₡5,314

11.39%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.82 ₡1,711

0.79%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.64 ₡1,186

-24.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.90 ₡852

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.25 ₡1,459

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.38 ₡1,966

5.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.39 ₡1,070

-37.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.12 ₡1,401

-18.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.13 ₡957

-24.41%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.41 ₡1,528

-16.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.71 ₡4,802

-3.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.87 ₡4,426

1.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$10.36 ₡4,646

28.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$4.28 ₡1,921

-32.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.57 ₡704

40.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.56 ₡1,148

-45.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.39 ₡1,071

-17.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$3.70 ₡1,660

-67.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.69 ₡1,205

-53.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.11 ₡500

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$3.09 ₡1,387

-44.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.00 ₡2,690

-28.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$18.30 ₡8,207

-68.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.68 ₡1,200

-19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.69 ₡1,208

2.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$2.23 ₡1,001

-66.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.38 ₡1,067

-34.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.62 ₡725

-36.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$8.83 ₡3,960

-10.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.56 ₡701

-8.97%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

25.26%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$34.6K ₡15.5M

1.02%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$95.7 ₡42.9K

104.03%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$35.36 ₡15.9K

-28.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$51.0 ₡22.8K

-38.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$48.47 ₡21.7K

5.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.78 ₡4,835

55.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.90 ₡3,542

30.89%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$994 ₡445.7K

-53.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,652 ₡3.0M

32.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$71.0 ₡31.8K

68.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$55.1 ₡24.7K

73.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$128 ₡57.2K

-10.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$129 ₡58.0K

7.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$648 ₡290.6K

16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$550 ₡246.8K

-5.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,521 ₡682.3K

4.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,281 ₡574.3K

-6.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,322 ₡592.9K

-29.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.62

564.15%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Atenas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Atenas

$550 35.6% 5.9% $31

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Atenas

$356 23.1% 25.8% $73

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Atenas

$201 13% 28.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 27.8% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Atenas

$172 11.2% 18.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Atenas

$64 4.2% 10.2% $7.3

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Atenas

$19 * 1.3% 47.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $648 in Atenas. 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 41% higher in Atenas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $57.0 in Atenas. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Buenos Aires vs $356 in Atenas – so Buenos Aires wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Atenas 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Atenas

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 Atenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $2,319 in Atenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires and $57.0 in Atenas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Buenos Aires – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atenas, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Atenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Atenas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Atenas. 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.