Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $643 in Cairo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Cairo $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,037 in Cairo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Cairo $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,431 in Cairo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Cairo $1,431

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 162% more expensive than in Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Cairo is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.69 E£245

299.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$28.49 E£1,491

126.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.03 E£316

113.60%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$1.81 E£94.8

119.89%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$0.35 E£18.18

485.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.15 E£7.95

933.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$1.45 E£76.0

164.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$2.24 E£117

105.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$0.97 E£50.7

48.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$0.73 E£37.97

236.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$0.77 E£40.25

111.69%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$1.17 E£61.2

147.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$4.32 E£226

146.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.07 E£265

97.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$8.92 E£467

54.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$1.83 E£95.8

50.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$0.75 E£39.08

190.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$0.57 E£29.78

154.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$0.51 E£26.63

290.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$0.38 E£20.06

226.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$0.42 E£21.89

202.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$0.35 E£18.43

385.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.24 E£12.57

620.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$1.99 E£104

110.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$7.48 E£391

-22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.52 E£79.4

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$2.13 E£112

30.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$0.33 E£17.10

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$8.66 E£453

213.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$0.37 E£19.27

337.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$0.20 E£10.65

390.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$1.49 E£77.8

418.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$0.46 E£23.95

195.65%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$32.6K E£1.7M

-14.15%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$28.4K E£1.5M

21.61%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$27.54 E£1,441

682.75%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$8.27 E£433

209.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$14.05 E£735

123.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$28.27 E£1,480

76.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$6.70 E£350

154.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$4.40 E£230

137.05%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$121 E£6,357

283.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,619 E£189.4K

150.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$40.16 E£2,102

204.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$49.61 E£2,596

96.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$115 E£6,034

1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$60.6 E£3,170

130.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$220 E£11.5K

247.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$194 E£10.2K

160.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$514 E£26.9K

210.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$334 E£17.5K

255.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$806 E£42.2K

232.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$513 E£26.9K

262.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$200 E£10.5K

376.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

16.21

253.18%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 61.6% $311

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 50.3% $143

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 67.3% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 81.7% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 44.2% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 47.6% $34

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 69% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $220 in Cairo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 377% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $28.00 in Cairo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $141 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Cairo 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cairo differ by about 162% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $643 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 377% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $220 in Cairo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $121 in Cairo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $643 in Cairo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo 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 Cairo 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 Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 162% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.