Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
Learn more

Benoni Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,072 in Benoni.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Benoni $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,331 in Benoni.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Benoni $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,589 in Benoni.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Benoni $1,589

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 54% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Benoni is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$10.19 R 168

87.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$37.46 R 617

75.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.86 R 96.5

125.26%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.22 R 36.61

73.42%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.19 R 19.64

67.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.85 R 14.00

88.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.33 R 38.33

68.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.74 R 45.15

68.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.22 R 20.16

22.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.13 R 18.65

123.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.72 R 28.33

-6.40%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.46 R 40.48

15.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.31 R 137

23.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.86 R 80.1

105.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.12 R 117

86.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.73 R 28.55

66.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.63 R 26.81

34.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.80 R 29.58

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.56 R 25.70

26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.12 R 18.39

8.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.22 R 20.10

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.23 R 20.29

39.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.27 R 20.97

35.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.37 R 55.5

27.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.09 R 83.8

11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.51 R 24.94

43.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.95 R 32.14

41.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.29 R 4.72

441.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.89 R 14.67

15.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$14.73 R 243

-46.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.54 R 25.41

-7.79%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.1K R 578.8K

-20.44%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$32.5K R 534.9K

7.70%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$203 R 3,342

-3.78%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$38.42 R 633

-34.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$36.63 R 604

-13.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$18.06 R 297

181.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.10 R 117

45.63%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$246 R 4,051

88.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,577 R 91.9K

57.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$53.5 R 882

123.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$32.40 R 534

194.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$91.9 R 1,515

24.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$84.8 R 1,397

64.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$398 R 6,557

90.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$296 R 4,881

75.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$487 R 8,029

226.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

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

$2,041 R 33.6K

-54.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.91

424.75%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Benoni

$296 27.6% 43% $224

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Benoni

$192 17.9% 32.3% $91

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Benoni

$151 14.1% 46.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Benoni

$278 25.9% 10.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Benoni

$118 11% 44% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Benoni

$32 3% 54.9% $39

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4% 87.2% $32

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 $398 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 118% 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 $37.00 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $192 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

158,777

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Benoni 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Benoni differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,072 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 118% lower in Benoni. 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 $398 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% 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 $1,072 in Benoni – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni 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 Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.