Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Derna

For one person, living is cheaper in Derna: $171 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Derna

🇱🇾 Libya

$171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $171 in Derna.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Derna $171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $337 in Derna.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Derna $337

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $503 in Derna.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Derna $503

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 888% more expensive than in Derna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Derna is 87% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.01 LYD 25.66

367.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$7.85 LYD 50.2

721.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$3.20 LYD 20.46

302.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 LYD 3.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 LYD 4.15

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$0.45 LYD 2.88

784.44%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.29 LYD 1.89

606.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.72 LYD 4.63

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.29 LYD 14.68

-28.82%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$0.93 LYD 5.95

210.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.15 LYD 20.18

217.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.75 LYD 4.82

190.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$0.96 LYD 6.14

51.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.80 LYD 5.15

102.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$14.23 LYD 91.1

120.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$31.11 LYD 199

292.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$39.65 LYD 254

145.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$38.36 LYD 245

204.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$39.17 LYD 251

256.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$159 LYD 1,017

906.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$95.5 LYD 611

1140.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$196 LYD 1,255

1265.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$78.0 LYD 499

2283.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$169 LYD 1,080

465.62%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Derna: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Derna

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Derna

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Derna

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Derna

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Derna

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Derna

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Derna

–

Cost Breakdown

Buenos Aires pays 466% 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 $8.00 in Derna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $44.00 per month, with Derna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇾 Derna

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

50,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, 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).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.18 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Derna 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Derna

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 Derna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Derna differ by about 888% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $171 including rent). Derna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 466% 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Derna – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $171 in Derna – a 888% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $171 in Derna versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Derna but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Derna 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 Derna 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 Derna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 888% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.