Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Chilanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chilanga: $592 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Chilanga
Learn more

Chilanga Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Chilanga

🇿🇲 Zambia

$592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $592 in Chilanga.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Chilanga $592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $941 in Chilanga.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Chilanga $941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,290 in Chilanga.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Chilanga $1,290

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 180% more expensive than in Chilanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Chilanga is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$5.68 ZMW 113

236.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$30.64 ZMW 610

114.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.00 ZMW 99.5

164.00%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.86 ZMW 56.9

34.62%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.80 ZMW 15.85

148.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.46 ZMW 9.21

247.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.24 ZMW 24.63

216.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.22 ZMW 44.19

107.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.72 ZMW 34.30

-12.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.23 ZMW 24.46

105.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.14 ZMW 42.58

-24.77%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.01 ZMW 39.92

41.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.58 ZMW 211

-2.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.27 ZMW 125

59.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.61 ZMW 132

101.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.43 ZMW 68.3

-16.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.38 ZMW 47.42

-7.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.72 ZMW 74.0

-62.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.54 ZMW 30.59

28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$2.64 ZMW 52.5

-54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.80 ZMW 35.83

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.11 ZMW 22.01

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.76 ZMW 15.11

126.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.09 ZMW 61.4

38.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.33 ZMW 205

-44.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.43 ZMW 28.40

51.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.37 ZMW 47.15

16.46%

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

$2.60 ZMW 51.8

-39.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.53 ZMW 30.51

-32.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.22 ZMW 104

51.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.50 ZMW 29.91

-5.33%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$7,599 ZMW 151.1K

267.81%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$27.6K ZMW 549.7K

26.53%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$82.5 ZMW 1,640

136.72%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$10.31 ZMW 205

144.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$54.4 ZMW 1,082

-42.03%

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

$6.23 ZMW 124

65.97%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$140 ZMW 2,786

230.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$16.6K ZMW 330.0K

-47.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$23.42 ZMW 466

411.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$15.73 ZMW 313

506.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$44.76 ZMW 890

154.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

91.08%

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

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

97.41%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chilanga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Chilanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Chilanga

$241 40.7% 15% $43

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Chilanga

$110 18.7% 60.8% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Chilanga

$147 24.9% 41.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Chilanga

$71 11.9% 66.5% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Chilanga

$12 * 2.1% 82.6% $59

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Chilanga

$10 * 1.7% 72.2% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $31.00 in Chilanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $241 per month, with Chilanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇲 Chilanga

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

107,051

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Chilanga 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Chilanga

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 Chilanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Chilanga differ by about 180% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $592 including rent). Chilanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $887 in Chilanga 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.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $140 in Chilanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chilanga – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $592 in Chilanga versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chilanga but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Chilanga 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 Chilanga 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 Chilanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.