Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,329 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Douala
Learn more

Douala Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,329 in Douala.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Douala $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,133 in Douala.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Douala $2,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,937 in Douala.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Douala $2,937

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 27% more expensive than in Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Douala is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.41 FCFA 2,579

324.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$121 FCFA 70.8K

-46.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.92 FCFA 4,052

86.13%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

89.52%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.60 FCFA 937

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.78 FCFA 458

98.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.21 FCFA 710

217.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.51 FCFA 1,469

83.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.76 FCFA 1,618

-47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.44 FCFA 258

459.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.27 FCFA 1,330

-28.19%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.93 FCFA 1,128

49.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$21.83 FCFA 12.8K

-51.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.91 FCFA 4,629

26.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.23 FCFA 3,643

120.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.78 FCFA 2,798

-42.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.11 FCFA 1,233

3.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.07 FCFA 1,210

-29.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.37 FCFA 804

45.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$3.33 FCFA 1,950

-62.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.19 FCFA 1,280

-42.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.75 FCFA 441

126.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.67 FCFA 391

158.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.61 FCFA 1,526

60.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$8.77 FCFA 5,133

-33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.47 FCFA 858

42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.81 FCFA 1,058

53.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.61 FCFA 358

22.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$17.37 FCFA 10.2K

56.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.58 FCFA 340

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.85 FCFA 497

15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$8.14 FCFA 4,763

-5.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.47 FCFA 862

-7.48%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$30.5K FCFA 17.8M

-8.17%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$15.2K FCFA 8.9M

127.15%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$163 FCFA 95.1K

32.63%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$25.53 FCFA 14.9K

0.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$175 FCFA 102.6K

-82.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$41.22 FCFA 24.1K

20.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$8.38 FCFA 4,904

24.46%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$507 FCFA 296.9K

-8.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,426 FCFA 2.0M

164.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$78.6 FCFA 46.0K

55.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$65.9 FCFA 38.5K

47.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$138 FCFA 80.6K

-15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$148 FCFA 86.4K

-5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$553 FCFA 323.5K

38.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$318 FCFA 186.1K

58.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,346 FCFA 787.5K

18.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$548 FCFA 320.8K

116.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,989 FCFA 1.2M

34.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$971 FCFA 568.1K

91.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$225 FCFA 131.5K

324.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

19.04

200.68%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Douala

$318 23.8% 37% $187

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Douala

$278 20.8% 2.1% $5.9

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Douala

$102 7.6% 63.5% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Douala

$363 27.2% 33.4% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Douala

$193 14.5% 9.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Douala

$58 4.3% 18% $13

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Douala

$25 1.8% 32.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $553 in Douala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 325% 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 $121 in Douala. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $278, with Douala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

04:29 4:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Douala 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Douala differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,329 including rent). Douala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 325% 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 $553 in Douala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $507 in Douala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,329 in Douala versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Douala but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Douala 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 Douala 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 Douala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.