Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Elista

For one person, living is cheaper in Elista: $887 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Elista
Learn more

Elista Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Elista

🇷🇺 Russia

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $887 in Elista.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Elista $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,466 in Elista.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Elista $1,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,045 in Elista.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Elista $2,045

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 87% more expensive than in Elista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Elista is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.61 ₽552

188.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$47.59 ₽3,972

38.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.40 ₽534

106.25%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.71 ₽226

42.07%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.94 ₽78.2

111.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.62 ₽51.9

158.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.14 ₽95.4

244.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.81 ₽151

154.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.03 ₽85.8

45.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.56 ₽46.39

351.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.07 ₽89.5

50.47%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.42 ₽119

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.19 ₽600

43.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.56 ₽380

119.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$11.15 ₽931

19.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.19 ₽99.4

142.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.45 ₽121

51.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.39 ₽116

0.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.55 ₽213

-22.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.75 ₽62.3

61.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.46 ₽38.79

173.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.35 ₽29.04

388.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.64 ₽53.8

168.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.75 ₽229

56.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$8.89 ₽742

-35.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.05 ₽87.2

106.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.86 ₽156

48.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.52 ₽43.40

44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.13 ₽178

-26.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.36 ₽30.36

186.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$3.60 ₽300

119.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.87 ₽72.3

63.22%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$25.9K ₽2.2M

8.04%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$30.4K ₽2.5M

14.96%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$84.4 ₽7,042

131.36%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$5.97 ₽498

321.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$7.91 ₽660

298.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$34.99 ₽2,921

45.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$24.25 ₽2,024

-31.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$4.14 ₽345

149.76%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$369 ₽30.8K

25.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,636 ₽553.8K

32.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$81.3 ₽6,786

47.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$52.4 ₽4,374

82.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$54.2 ₽4,522

110.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$101 ₽8,468

37.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$476 ₽39.7K

59.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$313 ₽26.1K

66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$830 ₽69.3K

91.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$642 ₽53.6K

86.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,917 ₽160.0K

41.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,588 ₽132.5K

19.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$363 ₽30.3K

158.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

21.33

168.40%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Elista: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Elista

$313 35.3% 39.8% $207

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Elista

$176 19.8% 38% $108

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Elista

$120 13.6% 57.4% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Elista

$98 11.1% 61% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Elista

$130 14.7% 38.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Elista

$43 4.9% 39.6% $28

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Elista

$6 * 0.7% 83.7% $31

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 $476 in Elista. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 159% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $48.00 in Elista for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $176 per month, with Elista cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Elista

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

15:18 3:18 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

103,219

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Elista 13,610 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Elista

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 Elista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Elista differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $887 including rent). Elista is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 159% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $476 in Elista. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $369 in Elista. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elista – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $887 in Elista versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elista but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Elista 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 Elista 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 Elista gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.