Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cerro de Pasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $555 in Cerro de Pasco.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Cerro de Pasco $555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $891 in Cerro de Pasco.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Cerro de Pasco $891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,227 in Cerro de Pasco.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Cerro de Pasco $1,227

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 199% more expensive than in Cerro de Pasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Cerro de Pasco is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$2.83 PEN 9.70

574.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$29.34 PEN 101

124.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.74 PEN 23.16

95.85%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.05 PEN 7.03

87.80%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.76 PEN 2.61

161.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.45 PEN 1.55

255.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.69 PEN 9.22

46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.44 PEN 15.27

3.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.52 PEN 5.23

-1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.35 PEN 8.07

7.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.26 PEN 4.34

27.78%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.47 PEN 8.47

14.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$9.18 PEN 31.53

12.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.04 PEN 20.74

65.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.92 PEN 27.20

67.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.00 PEN 6.86

44.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.76 PEN 2.61

189.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.43 PEN 1.46

225.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.14 PEN 3.91

73.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.70 PEN 2.41

72.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.54 PEN 1.87

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.83 PEN 2.85

106.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.84 PEN 2.88

104.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.78 PEN 19.84

-25.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.19 PEN 24.68

-20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.92 PEN 6.60

13.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.65 PEN 9.11

4.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-60.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.99 PEN 6.84

-48.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.46 PEN 25.62

5.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.67 PEN 5.74

-14.97%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.2K PEN 76.4K

25.62%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$26.2K PEN 89.9K

33.62%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$72.8 PEN 250

168.02%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$16.46 PEN 56.5

52.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$27.53 PEN 94.6

14.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.15 PEN 24.56

44.62%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$176 PEN 606

162.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$12.9K PEN 44.4K

-31.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$53.3 PEN 183

124.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$35.36 PEN 121

170.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$83.2 PEN 286

37.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$77.6 PEN 267

79.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$408 PEN 1,400

290.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

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

$470 PEN 1,616

99.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.94

540.38%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Cerro de Pasco

$203 36.6% 28.4% $80

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17% 66.4% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$117 21.1% 53.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.2% 46.8% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6% 80% $57

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5% 62.3% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Buenos Aires pays 99% 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 $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $203 per month, with Cerro de Pasco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

58,899

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Cerro de Pasco 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cerro de Pasco

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 Cerro de Pasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cerro de Pasco differ by about 199% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $555 including rent). Cerro de Pasco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% 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.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $176 in Cerro de Pasco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $555 in Cerro de Pasco versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cerro de Pasco but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cerro de Pasco 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 Cerro de Pasco 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 Cerro de Pasco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.