Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Dubai $5,788

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 41% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Dubai 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$13.04 AED 47.89

43.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$81.4 AED 299

-20.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.32 AED 34.25

38.20%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$5.97 AED 21.93

-33.33%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.63 AED 5.98

25.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.81 AED 2.99

91.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$13.65 AED 50.1

-71.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$13.38 AED 49.15

-65.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.81 AED 6.64

-20.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.57 AED 5.78

56.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.49 AED 9.16

-34.54%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.28 AED 12.04

-11.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$12.67 AED 46.53

-15.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.75 AED 35.80

2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$13.18 AED 48.40

4.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.61 AED 9.57

5.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.93 AED 7.09

12.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.92 AED 7.05

-24.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.36 AED 5.00

46.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.17 AED 4.29

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.01 AED 3.71

25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.51 AED 5.56

12.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.62 AED 2.29

179.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.85 AED 21.50

-28.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$16.14 AED 59.3

-64.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.65 AED 9.74

-21.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.95 AED 10.82

-6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.64 AED 6.03

-54.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$73.6 AED 270

-63.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.17 AED 11.66

-48.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.71 AED 2.63

38.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$7.96 AED 29.23

-3.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.99 AED 3.64

37.37%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

2.33%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

53.20%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$250 AED 920

-13.91%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$54.2 AED 199

-52.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$91.8 AED 337

-65.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$98.6 AED 362

-49.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$42.61 AED 156

-59.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$16.03 AED 58.9

-34.93%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$843 AED 3,098

-44.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-50.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$68.0 AED 250

79.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$57.9 AED 213

68.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$101 AED 370

16.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$101 AED 371

38.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$2,380 AED 8,741

-67.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-66.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-63.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-60.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-62.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-55.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-71.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.54

1161.01%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 198% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 3% $8.6

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 10.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 45.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 31.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 84.9% $60

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Dubai

$87 3% 137% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 255% 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 $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $293 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

7 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Dubai 13,640 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Dubai differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $2,854 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 255% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $843 in Dubai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Dubai 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.