Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $901 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $901 in Cotonou.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Cotonou $901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,417 in Cotonou.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Cotonou $1,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,933 in Cotonou.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Cotonou $1,933

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 87% more expensive than in Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Cotonou is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.05 F CFA 2,954

270.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$35.47 F CFA 20.8K

81.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.56 F CFA 5,592

34.73%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$5.21 F CFA 3,051

-23.61%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.06 F CFA 619

93.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.89 F CFA 521

74.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$0.84 F CFA 490

357.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.56 F CFA 1,497

79.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$3.07 F CFA 1,793

-53.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.19 F CFA 695

106.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.83 F CFA 1,070

-10.93%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.69 F CFA 1,576

7.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.19 F CFA 5,375

15.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.44 F CFA 3,180

83.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$5.04 F CFA 2,946

172.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.05 F CFA 2,372

-32.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.84 F CFA 1,074

18.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.28 F CFA 750

13.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.73 F CFA 1,595

-27.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.26 F CFA 736

-1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.74 F CFA 1,021

-27.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.44 F CFA 256

286.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.10 F CFA 641

57.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.48 F CFA 2,037

20.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$4.18 F CFA 2,444

38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.23 F CFA 718

69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.91 F CFA 1,116

45.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.29 F CFA 757

-41.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.34 F CFA 782

20.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.38 F CFA 809

-28.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.24 F CFA 727

9.68%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$24.0K F CFA 14.1M

43.60%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$146 F CFA 85.4K

47.67%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$33.86 F CFA 19.8K

-24.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$49.15 F CFA 28.8K

-36.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$49.30 F CFA 28.8K

1.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$3.44 F CFA 2,015

395.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$8.68 F CFA 5,079

20.16%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$131 F CFA 76.5K

256.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,460 F CFA 3.2M

65.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$25.96 F CFA 15.2K

370.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$33.73 F CFA 19.7K

246.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$67.9 F CFA 39.7K

105.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$180 F CFA 105.6K

323.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$165 F CFA 96.6K

206.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$599 F CFA 350.7K

166.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$411 F CFA 240.7K

188.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$258 F CFA 151.0K

269.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

1331.25%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Cotonou

$165 18.3% 67.3% $340

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Cotonou

$221 24.5% 22.2% $63

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Cotonou

$149 16.5% 46.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Cotonou

$229 25.4% 16% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4% 73.2% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Cotonou

$67 7.4% 5.7% $4

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5% 63.4% $23

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 $180 in Cotonou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 270% 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 $35.00 in Cotonou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $221 per month, with Cotonou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

12:18 12:18 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

780,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, 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 = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Cotonou 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cotonou

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 Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cotonou differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $901 including rent). Cotonou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 270% 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 $180 in Cotonou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $131 in Cotonou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cotonou – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $901 in Cotonou versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou 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 Cotonou 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 Cotonou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.