Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,054 in Cali.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Cali $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,614 in Cali.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Cali $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,174 in Cali.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Cali $2,174

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 60% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$7.26 COP 23.4K

157.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$37.04 COP 119.3K

74.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.05 COP 25.9K

60.00%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$1.54 COP 4,972

158.44%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$1.25 COP 4,027

64.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.84 COP 2,702

84.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$3.16 COP 10.2K

21.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$3.58 COP 11.5K

28.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.55 COP 4,998

-7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$1.87 COP 6,026

31.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.50 COP 4,822

8.67%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$2.77 COP 8,907

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.40 COP 20.6K

66.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.89 COP 22.2K

45.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.92 COP 31.9K

38.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$3.43 COP 11.0K

-19.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.30 COP 4,186

67.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$1.76 COP 5,659

-17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$1.68 COP 5,421

18.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$1.47 COP 4,730

-15.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$1.47 COP 4,722

-13.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.10 COP 3,551

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.93 COP 3,004

86.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$3.63 COP 11.7K

15.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$12.56 COP 40.5K

-53.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.42 COP 4,565

47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$2.40 COP 7,712

15.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$1.05 COP 3,370

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$29.00 COP 93.4K

-6.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$0.83 COP 2,664

95.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.25 COP 4,040

8.80%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$33.7K COP 108.5M

2.46%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$111 COP 358.1K

93.84%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$12.79 COP 41.2K

100.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$29.75 COP 95.8K

5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$28.38 COP 91.4K

75.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$8.24 COP 26.5K

26.58%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$75.8 COP 243.9K

61.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$53.8 COP 173.3K

81.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$122 COP 394.4K

-4.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$109 COP 350.7K

28.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$638 COP 2.1M

19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$291 COP 937.4K

73.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,498 COP 4.8M

6.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$479 COP 1.5M

147.38%

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

$567 COP 1.8M

68.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.58

394.39%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Cali

$291 27.6% 42.4% $214

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Cali

$235 22.3% 17.3% $49

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Cali

$132 12.5% 52.6% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Cali

$154 14.6% 43.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Cali

$162 15.4% 24.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Cali

$45 4.3% 36.5% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cali

$34 * 3.2% 7.2% $2.6

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $638 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 68% 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 $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $235 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Cali 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cali differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,054 including rent). Cali is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $638 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 7% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cali 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 Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.