Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Catamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Catamarca: $1,241 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
Learn more

Catamarca Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $1,241 in Catamarca.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Catamarca $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $2,080 in Catamarca.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Catamarca $2,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,920 in Catamarca.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Catamarca $2,920

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 32% more expensive than in Catamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Catamarca is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$16.82 ARS 25.9K

8.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$63.6 ARS 97.9K

4.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$11.26 ARS 17.3K

15.10%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$3.52 ARS 5,411

5.97%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$2.30 ARS 3,534

-11.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$1.97 ARS 3,038

-13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$4.23 ARS 6,510

-4.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$3.50 ARS 5,391

35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$1.21 ARS 1,859

20.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$2.07 ARS 3,183

22.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$1.96 ARS 3,012

-19.39%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$2.79 ARS 4,294

-3.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$13.21 ARS 20.3K

-15.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$8.42 ARS 12.9K

19.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$10.69 ARS 16.4K

23.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$2.26 ARS 3,471

22.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$1.95 ARS 3,000

12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.38 ARS 2,124

1.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$2.30 ARS 3,542

-13.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$1.09 ARS 1,674

10.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$1.00 ARS 1,541

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$1.32 ARS 2,030

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$3.18 ARS 4,889

32.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$5.58 ARS 8,583

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$1.90 ARS 2,920

8.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$3.37 ARS 5,182

-17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$0.90 ARS 1,384

-17.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$1.73 ARS 2,665

-6.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.33 ARS 2,044

5.26%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$27.4K ARS 42.1M

-15.28%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$34.2K ARS 52.6M

-3.98%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$135 ARS 207.0K

45.84%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$14.59 ARS 22.4K

63.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$25.50 ARS 39.2K

23.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$35.94 ARS 55.3K

33.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

$17.93 ARS 27.6K

-7.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$8.10 ARS 12.5K

30.49%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$216 ARS 331.6K

132.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$4,300 ARS 6.6M

106.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

$122 ARS 187.2K

-0.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$82.1 ARS 126.2K

16.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$120 ARS 185.3K

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$98.7 ARS 151.9K

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$473 ARS 727.0K

54.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$309 ARS 474.9K

62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$1,173 ARS 1.8M

25.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$749 ARS 1.2M

49.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

50.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

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 26, 2026

Last update for Catamarca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Catamarca

$309 24.9% 38.6% $194

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Catamarca

$254 * 20.5% 10.5% $30

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Catamarca

$256 20.6% 6.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Catamarca

$175 14.1% 30.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Catamarca

$190 15.3% 10.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Catamarca

$52 4.2% 24.6% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Catamarca

$5.3 * 0.4% 86.4% $34

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 $731 in Buenos Aires and $473 in Catamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Buenos Aires vs $64 in Catamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $254 per month, with Catamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

160,058

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Catamarca 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Catamarca

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 Catamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Buenos Aires and $1,241 in Catamarca, so Catamarca is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,450 in Buenos Aires and $1,862 in Catamarca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $473 in Catamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $216 in Catamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Catamarca – a meal for two runs $64 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Catamarca is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Catamarca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.