Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cartago

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenos Aires and in Cartago: $1,656 and $1,713 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

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

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,713 in Cartago.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Cartago $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,362 in Cartago.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Cartago $2,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,011 in Cartago.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Cartago $3,011

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 3% less than in Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Cartago 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 28.9K

$8.64 ₡3,880

120.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.5K

$34.53 ₡15.5K

90.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.92 ₡4,455

33.06%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,821

$4.54 ₡2,039

-15.20%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,010

$2.13 ₡956

-6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,422

$1.36 ₡611

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,940

$2.15 ₡966

82.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 6,979

$4.06 ₡1,822

13.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,264

$2.39 ₡1,074

-37.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,825

$2.37 ₡1,066

6.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,437

$2.47 ₡1,111

-34.82%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,302

$3.57 ₡1,603

-20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.61 ₡3,866

19.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.1K

$10.38 ₡4,661

-3.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.1K

$13.94 ₡6,261

-4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,351

$5.24 ₡2,355

-45.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,323

$1.29 ₡580

70.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,113

$4.49 ₡2,017

-68.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 2,994

$2.91 ₡1,308

-31.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,829

$2.24 ₡1,005

-45.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,904

$2.17 ₡973

-41.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,583

$1.09 ₡488

56.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,595

$2.18 ₡979

-21.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,484

$6.07 ₡2,726

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,617

$15.16 ₡6,807

-62.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,277

$2.89 ₡1,297

-24.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,174

$2.03 ₡913

35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,137

$1.37 ₡613

-45.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.3K

$73.2 ₡32.9K

-62.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,367

$1.33 ₡599

18.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,553

$1.56 ₡703

-33.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 11.9K

$8.95 ₡4,021

-11.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,153

$1.51 ₡678

-5.96%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

$21.7K ₡9.7M

28.84%

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

$35.0K ARS 52.9M

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-0.42%

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

$195 ARS 295.2K

$52.4 ₡23.5K

272.31%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.0K

$35.12 ₡15.8K

-28.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.7K

$59.9 ₡26.9K

-47.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.0K

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-30.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.3K

$77.8 ₡34.9K

-78.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.6K

$7.27 ₡3,267

42.23%

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

$463 ARS 700.9K

$549 ₡246.5K

-15.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,878 ₡3.5M

11.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.2K

$70.1 ₡31.5K

70.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.4K

$56.5 ₡25.4K

69.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 172.6K

$121 ₡54.5K

-5.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 210.7K

$87.7 ₡39.4K

58.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$923 ₡414.7K

-18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 786.2K

$704 ₡316.3K

-26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,869 ₡839.2K

-14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$724 ₡325.2K

65.48%

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

$1,344 ₡603.7K

-30.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.62

564.15%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Cartago

$704 41.1% 35.5% $184

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Cartago

$348 20.3% 22.9% $65

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Cartago

$186 10.9% 33.9% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Cartago

$147 8.6% 41.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Cartago

$151 8.8% 28.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Cartago

$88 5.2% 23.3% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 138% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $923 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 43% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $35.00 in Cartago. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $348, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

01:19 1:19 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

110,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Cartago 5,630 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cartago differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,713 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Cartago. 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 $923 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $549 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Cartago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,713 in Cartago, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Cartago. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Cartago 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Cartago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.