Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,190 in Barcelos.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Barcelos $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,885 in Barcelos.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Barcelos $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,579 in Barcelos.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Barcelos $2,579

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 39% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Barcelos is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.09 €9.86

72.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$48.16 €42.84

36.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$8.85 €7.87

49.15%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.84 €1.63

109.24%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.93 €1.72

3.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.32 €1.18

21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.37 €3.00

16.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.84 €2.52

62.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.11 €0.99

35.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.85 €1.65

36.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.79 €1.59

-10.06%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.30 €2.94

-13.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$11.93 €10.61

-13.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$8.04 €7.15

24.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.83 €13.19

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.98 €1.76

45.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.37 €1.22

60.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.86 €1.65

-24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.52 €2.25

-21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.72 €1.53

-29.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.84 €1.63

-31.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.54 €1.37

11.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.97 €0.87

77.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.56 €5.84

-34.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.58 €4.08

24.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.19 €1.05

82.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.20 €1.95

25.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$2.29 €2.03

-67.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$22.15 €19.70

23.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.27 €3.80

-63.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.43 €1.27

-27.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$16.25 €14.46

-51.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.15 €1.91

-33.95%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$33.2K €29.5K

-15.79%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$37.8K €33.7K

-7.58%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$111 €98.8

75.78%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$17.73 €15.77

41.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$44.28 €39.39

-28.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$38.52 €34.27

32.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$6.57 €5.84

154.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.12 €8.11

13.38%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$339 €302

36.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,374 €5,670

37.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$72.5 €64.5

65.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$37.75 €33.58

152.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$78.7 €70.0

44.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$105 €93.4

32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$494 €439

53.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$357 €318

45.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$895 €796

77.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$696 €619

72.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,651 €2,358

2.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,510 €1,343

25.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,072 €954

-12.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.7

1447.30%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Barcelos

$357 30% 31.3% $163

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Barcelos

$255 21.4% 10.1% $29

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Barcelos

$173 14.5% 38.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Barcelos

$173 14.6% 31.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Barcelos

$132 11.1% 37.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Barcelos

$57 4.8% 20.7% $15

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 15.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $48.00 in Barcelos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $255 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

116,766

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Barcelos 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Barcelos. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Buenos Aires, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.