Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Duitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Duitama: $1,282 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Duitama
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,282
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,282 in Duitama.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Duitama $1,282

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,026 in Duitama.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Duitama $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,770 in Duitama.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Duitama $2,770

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 29% more expensive than in Duitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Duitama is 5% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$7.92 COP 25.1K
141.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$42.97 COP 136.3K
53.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$10.28 COP 32.6K
28.40%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$2.60 COP 8,254
48.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$1.35 COP 4,280
47.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.85 COP 2,681
88.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
$2.02 COP 6,401
94.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
$3.96 COP 12.6K
16.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.66 COP 5,251
-9.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$2.53 COP 8,007
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$1.63 COP 5,175
-1.23%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$3.51 COP 11.1K
-19.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$7.77 COP 24.6K
32.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$7.37 COP 23.4K
35.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$10.00 COP 31.7K
33.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$3.56 COP 11.3K
-19.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.75 COP 5,553
25.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.90 COP 6,040
-26.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.78 COP 5,635
11.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.42 COP 4,516
-14.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.38 COP 4,367
-8.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.34 COP 4,238
27.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$1.18 COP 3,745
45.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$4.42 COP 14.0K
-2.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
$12.62 COP 40.0K
-54.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
$1.39 COP 4,397
56.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
$2.86 COP 9,080
-3.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$1.14 COP 3,612
-34.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$2.41 COP 7,641
-34.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$2.31 COP 7,336
-55.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$9.41 COP 29.8K
-16.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$1.34 COP 4,263
5.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$23.3K COP 74.0M
19.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$34.8K COP 110.4M
0.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$126 COP 399.4K
54.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$16.01 COP 50.8K
57.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$29.98 COP 95.1K
5.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$42.07 COP 133.4K
21.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$8.02 COP 25.4K
28.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$500 COP 1.6M
-7.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$7,438 COP 23.6M
18.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$83.2 COP 263.7K
44.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$48.43 COP 153.6K
97.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$142 COP 448.9K
-19.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$105 COP 333.2K
32.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$591 COP 1.9M
27.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$449 COP 1.4M
15.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$1,053 COP 3.3M
50.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$931 COP 3.0M
28.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$2,232 COP 7.1M
21.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$1,787 COP 5.7M
6.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Duitama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
12.81
346.92%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Duitama: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Duitama
$449 13.6% $71
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Duitama
$262 7.6% $21
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Duitama
$152 46% $130
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Duitama
$172 31.7% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Duitama
$170 19.3% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Duitama
$58 18.9% $13
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Duitama
$19 * 49.9% $18

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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $591 in Duitama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $43.00 in Duitama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $262 per month, with Duitama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇨🇴 Duitama
🕒 Local time
00:59 12:59 AM
22:59 10:59 PM
2 h behind Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
126,670
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Duitama 4,750 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Duitama

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 Duitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Duitama?
Buenos Aires and Duitama differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,282 including rent). Duitama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Buenos Aires compared to Duitama?
You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,923 in Duitama 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Duitama?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $591 in Duitama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Duitama?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $500 in Duitama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Duitama – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,282 in Duitama versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Duitama but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Duitama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Duitama?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Duitama safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Duitama are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Duitama?
Expats usually find Duitama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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