Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Bellville

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,146 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
Learn more

Bellville Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,146

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,146 in Bellville.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Bellville $1,146

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,762 in Bellville.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Bellville $1,762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,378 in Bellville.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Bellville $2,378

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 45% more expensive than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Bellville is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$12.01 R 198

58.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$24.41 R 402

169.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.08 R 100

117.11%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.90 R 31.30

102.63%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.26 R 20.82

57.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.01 R 16.62

58.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.27 R 37.46

73.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.64 R 59.9

26.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.34 R 22.05

11.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.20 R 19.83

110.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.17 R 35.74

-25.81%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.95 R 48.66

-3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.63 R 142

19.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.80 R 112

47.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$9.68 R 159

37.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.92 R 31.67

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.96 R 32.36

12.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.73 R 28.51

-19.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.12 R 35.00

-6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.50 R 24.65

-19.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.48 R 24.42

-14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.30 R 21.40

31.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.17 R 19.31

47.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.53 R 58.2

21.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.95 R 98.0

-4.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.38 R 22.72

57.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.11 R 34.81

30.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.48 R 24.38

-49.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.61 R 10.13

157.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.46 R 24.04

-29.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.07 R 83.6

55.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.51 R 24.88

-5.96%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$34.9K R 574.4K

-19.84%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$31.8K R 523.7K

10.00%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$118 R 1,943

65.49%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$28.41 R 468

-11.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$39.33 R 648

-19.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$31.81 R 524

60.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.55 R 174

58.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.26 R 153

11.66%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$266 R 4,375

74.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,822 R 112.4K

28.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$56.0 R 922

114.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$32.60 R 537

192.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$121 R 1,989

-5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$105 R 1,726

32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$388 R 6,400

94.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$366 R 6,031

41.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$733 R 12.1K

116.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$728 R 12.0K

64.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$884 R 14.6K

206.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$664 R 10.9K

186.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.97

421.88%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Bellville

$366 32% 29.6% $154

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Bellville

$223 19.5% 21.1% $60

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Bellville

$165 14.4% 41.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Bellville

$186 16.2% 26.3% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Bellville

$141 12.3% 33% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Bellville

$50 4.4% 29.7% $21

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Bellville

$14 * 1.2% 62.6% $23

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 $388 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $24.00 in Bellville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $223 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

14:41 2:41 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

112,507

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Bellville 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Bellville

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 Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Buenos Aires. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,718 in Bellville 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 $388 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% 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 $1,146 in Bellville – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,146 in Bellville versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bellville but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Bellville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,146 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Bellville 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 Bellville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.