Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cayo Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
Learn more

Cayo Coco Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Cayo Coco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,224 in Cayo Coco.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Cayo Coco $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,695 in Cayo Coco.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Cayo Coco $1,695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,166 in Cayo Coco.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Cayo Coco $2,166

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 38% more expensive than in Cayo Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Cayo Coco is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.05 CUP 121

270.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$15.06 CUP 361

328.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.07 CUP 170

82.18%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$0.98 CUP 23.43

306.12%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.95 CUP 46.88

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.03 CUP 24.67

50.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.05 CUP 49.15

87.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.08 CUP 73.8

49.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.94 CUP 70.6

-51.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.01 CUP 24.27

143.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.95 CUP 46.77

-16.41%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.58 CUP 85.9

-19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.12 CUP 147

74.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.86 CUP 117

105.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.94 CUP 239

38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.91 CUP 118

-43.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.01 CUP 24.28

115.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.01 CUP 24.28

43.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.99 CUP 23.72

101.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.01 CUP 24.26

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$3.05 CUP 73.2

-58.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.03 CUP 24.61

65.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.99 CUP 23.70

74.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.96 CUP 71.0

41.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.06 CUP 241

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.04 CUP 48.93

2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.05 CUP 49.27

35.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$19.65 CUP 472

38.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.02 CUP 24.52

58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.02 CUP 24.57

-3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$19.61 CUP 471

-60.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.97 CUP 23.38

40.21%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$68.9K CUP 1.7M

-59.35%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$79.5K CUP 1.9M

-56.54%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$39.37 CUP 945

447.55%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$40.66 CUP 976

-37.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$216 CUP 5,191

-85.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$39.22 CUP 941

27.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$9.85 CUP 236

73.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$0.98 CUP 23.44

964.29%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$89.9 CUP 2,158

418.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$14.8K CUP 355.5K

-38.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$40.14 CUP 963

204.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$30.02 CUP 720

224.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$74.7 CUP 1,793

56.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$80.7 CUP 1,937

73.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$403 CUP 9,664

89.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$426 CUP 10.2K

18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,030 CUP 24.7K

55.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$622 CUP 14.9K

90.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$302 CUP 7,243

787.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$356 CUP 8,541

422.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$20.21 CUP 485

4622.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

472.50%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Cayo Coco

$426 34.8% 15.6% $79

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Cayo Coco

$233 19% 17.9% $51

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Cayo Coco

$102 8.3% 63.6% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Cayo Coco

$296 24.2% 8.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Cayo Coco

$102 8.3% 52.6% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Cayo Coco

$41 3.4% 41.8% $30

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.1% 29.6% $11

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 $403 in Cayo Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 4623% 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 $15.00 in Cayo Coco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $233 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.92 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Cayo Coco 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cayo Coco

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 Cayo Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cayo Coco differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,224 including rent). Cayo Coco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4623% 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 $403 in Cayo Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $89.9 in Cayo Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cayo Coco but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cayo Coco 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 Cayo Coco 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 Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.