Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,138 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Durres
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Durres Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,138 in Durres.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Durres $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,733 in Durres.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Durres $1,733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,329 in Durres.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Durres $2,329

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 46% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Durres is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$10.51 ALL 846

81.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$37.27 ALL 3,001

76.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.18 ALL 820

29.67%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.98 ALL 160

94.44%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.04 ALL 164

-2.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.05 ALL 84.2

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.98 ALL 240

31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.23 ALL 340

8.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.11 ALL 170

-28.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.07 ALL 86.2

136.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.37 ALL 190

-32.07%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.69 ALL 297

-23.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$12.79 ALL 1,030

-19.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.64 ALL 615

30.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.57 ALL 1,173

-8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.15 ALL 93.0

150.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.38 ALL 192

-7.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.54 ALL 124

-9.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.31 ALL 106

51.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.92 ALL 74.0

31.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.94 ALL 76.1

34.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.25 ALL 101

36.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.70 ALL 56.7

145.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.24 ALL 341

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.01 ALL 887

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.50 ALL 121

44.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.06 ALL 166

33.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.48 ALL 38.53

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$19.19 ALL 1,545

42.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.57 ALL 287

-56.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.47 ALL 199

-58.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.18 ALL 176

-34.86%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$16.1K ALL 1.3M

73.94%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$93.6 ALL 7,534

108.64%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$16.62 ALL 1,338

51.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$16.68 ALL 1,343

89.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$40.50 ALL 3,262

25.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$61.3 ALL 4,932

-72.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.48 ALL 602

38.24%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$183 ALL 14.7K

153.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$4,590 ALL 369.6K

91.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$39.06 ALL 3,146

206.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$41.02 ALL 3,303

132.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$89.4 ALL 7,195

27.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$159 ALL 12.8K

-12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$444 ALL 35.8K

70.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$336 ALL 27.0K

54.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$690 ALL 55.6K

130.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$469 ALL 37.8K

155.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,774 ALL 142.9K

52.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,154 ALL 92.9K

64.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$940 ALL 75.7K

-0.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.25

990.48%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Durres: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Durres

$336 29.5% 35.4% $184

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Durres

$261 22.9% 7.9% $22

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Durres

$174 15.3% 38.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Durres

$127 11.2% 49.6% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Durres

$148 13% 29.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Durres

$55 4.9% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Durres

$37 3.3% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $444 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $37.00 in Durres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $261 per month, with Durres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇱 Durres

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

175,110

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Durres 11,590 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Durres

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 Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Durres differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,138 including rent). Durres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Durres. 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $444 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $183 in Durres. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,138 in Durres versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Durres but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Durres 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 Durres 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 Durres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.