Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Buenos Aires outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Elgin, IL

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,035 in Elgin, IL.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Elgin, IL $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,614 in Elgin, IL.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Elgin, IL $2,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $4,192 in Elgin, IL.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Elgin, IL $4,192

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 63% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Elgin, IL is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$19.93 $19.93

-6.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$59.5 $59.5

8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$10.07 $10.07

27.90%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.90 $3.90

2.05%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$3.03 $3.03

-32.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$2.05 $2.05

-24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$5.96 $5.96

-35.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$4.92 $4.92

-6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.89 $0.89

61.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$3.54 $3.54

-30.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$4.34 $4.34

-62.44%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.73 $3.73

-22.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$11.35 $11.35

-6.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$13.45 $13.45

-25.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$11.71 $11.71

17.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.49 $4.49

-38.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.27 $1.27

71.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.57 $2.57

-43.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.22 $4.22

-52.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.99 $1.99

-37.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.08 $2.08

-38.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.84 $1.84

-7.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$2.37 $2.37

-27.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$10.79 $10.79

-61.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$15.56 $15.56

-62.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.62 $2.62

-20.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$3.49 $3.49

-20.63%

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

$4.06 $4.06

-60.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.02 $2.02

-51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$28.28 $28.28

-72.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.04 $1.04

30.77%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$36.5K $36.5K

-23.32%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$24.9K $24.9K

38.50%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$99.4 $99.4

116.96%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$52.2 $52.2

-50.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$49.61 $49.61

-36.79%

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

$14.76 $14.76

-29.34%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$1,690 $1,690

-72.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$23.2K $23.2K

-60.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$39.27 $39.27

210.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$50.2 $50.2

94.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$100 $100

16.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$122 $122

14.23%

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

$2,175 $2,175

-26.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,811 $1,811

-34.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,192 $2,192

22.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$2,211 $2,211

-15.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$3,971 $3,971

-75.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.69

755.75%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3% 30.7% $87

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1% 6.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1% 26.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3% 34.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8% 58.2% $41

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 61.3% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 316% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $59.0 in Elgin, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $371, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

112,603

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Elgin, IL 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Elgin, IL

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 Elgin, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Elgin, IL differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,035 including rent). Elgin, IL is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 316% lower in Elgin, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $1,690 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL 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 Elgin, IL 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 Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.