Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Bissau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $837 in Bissau.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Bissau $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,352 in Bissau.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Bissau $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,868 in Bissau.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Bissau $1,868

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 101% more expensive than in Bissau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Bissau is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

251.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

150.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

35.58%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

127.43%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.03 F CFA 600

99.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.83 F CFA 487

86.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$0.71 F CFA 413

440.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.70 F CFA 992

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.00 F CFA 587

146.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

-19.31%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

-45.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

-27.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

-27.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

-1.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

-38.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.06 F CFA 622

105.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

-66.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

1226.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.42 F CFA 829

-12.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.42 F CFA 830

-10.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.29 F CFA 753

34.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

-16.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.28 F CFA 749

63.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$0.85 F CFA 499

225.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.50 F CFA 294

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

6.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.48 F CFA 868

-8.11%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

-11.69%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

19.34%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$105 F CFA 61.5K

104.97%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

-25.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

-30.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

13.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$759 F CFA 444.1K

-38.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

290.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$528 F CFA 309.1K

44.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$171 F CFA 100.1K

195.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$867 F CFA 507.3K

84.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$429 F CFA 250.8K

176.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

-7.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Bissau

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Bissau

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Bissau

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Bissau

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Bissau

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Bissau

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Bissau

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $528 in Bissau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $26.00 in Bissau. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $302, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇬🇼 Bissau

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

3 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

395,954 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Bissau 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Bissau

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 Bissau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Bissau differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $837 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Bissau. 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $528 in Bissau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $759 in Bissau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau 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 Bissau 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 Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.