Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and the Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenos Aires and in the Canary Islands: $1,656 and $1,650 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Canary Islands $1,650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,373 in the Canary Islands.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Canary Islands $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,095 in the Canary Islands.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Canary Islands $3,095

Monthly costs are close between Buenos Aires and the Canary Islands; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Canary Islands 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$20.32 €18.07

-6.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$61.1 €54.3

7.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.42 €8.38

40.13%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.05 €1.83

87.80%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.86 €1.65

6.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.10 €0.98

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.85 €2.53

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.42 €3.04

34.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.36 €1.21

10.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.39 €2.13

5.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.58 €1.40

1.90%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.18 €1.94

30.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$19.31 €17.18

-46.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.93 €8.83

0.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$17.23 €15.33

-22.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.73 €2.43

5.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.25 €2.00

-2.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.16 €1.92

-35.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.51 €2.23

-21.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$2.14 €1.91

-43.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.02 €1.80

-37.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.70 €1.51

0.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.93 €0.83

84.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.66 €4.14

-7.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.86 €6.99

-27.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.70 €1.51

27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.75 €1.55

57.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.86 €0.76

-12.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.24 €3.78

-62.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.69 €1.50

-39.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$16.59 €14.75

-52.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.70 €1.51

-16.47%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$24.9K €22.2K

12.16%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$29.0K €25.8K

20.73%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$126 €112

54.82%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$20.91 €18.60

20.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$35.49 €31.57

-11.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$47.49 €42.25

7.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$24.07 €21.41

-30.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.85 €8.76

4.97%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$400 €355

15.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,096 €4,533

72.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$68.3 €60.7

75.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$38.65 €34.38

147.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$89.6 €79.7

27.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$114 €101

22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,111 €988

-31.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$680 €605

-23.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$825 €734

45.18%

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

$1,369 €1,218

-31.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.33

1619.22%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 30.9% $160

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 11.7% $33

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 11.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 27.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 33.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 6.2% $4.4

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 56.4% $21

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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $61.0 in the Canary Islands. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $316, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

12,050

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Canary Islands 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in the Canary Islands. 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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $400 in the Canary Islands. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands 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 Canary Islands are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Canary Islands wins on affordability, Buenos Aires on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.