Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Foca

For one person, living is cheaper in Foca: $952 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Foca
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Foca Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Foca

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $952 in Foca.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Foca $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,369 in Foca.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Foca $1,369

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,786 in Foca.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Foca $1,786

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 74% more expensive than in Foca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Foca is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$5.40 BAM 9.39

253.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$21.90 BAM 38.08

200.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$4.68 BAM 8.14

182.05%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.53 BAM 2.66

151.63%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.36 BAM 2.37

46.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.78 BAM 1.36

105.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.75 BAM 3.04

124.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.26 BAM 3.92

103.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.16 BAM 2.03

29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.11 BAM 1.94

127.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.62 BAM 2.82

-0.62%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.11 BAM 3.67

34.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.89 BAM 11.99

49.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.45 BAM 11.22

55.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$10.11 BAM 17.59

31.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$0.88 BAM 1.54

227.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.74 BAM 3.02

26.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.24 BAM 3.90

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.73 BAM 3.01

14.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.02 BAM 1.77

18.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.34 BAM 2.34

-5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.17 BAM 2.03

46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.86 BAM 1.50

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.43 BAM 5.96

25.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.93 BAM 13.79

-28.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.82 BAM 1.43

164.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.11 BAM 1.93

148.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.28 BAM 2.22

-41.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.66 BAM 2.89

-5.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.59 BAM 1.03

74.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$17.47 BAM 30.37

-54.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.48 BAM 2.57

-4.05%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$30.3K BAM 52.6K

-7.67%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$21.2K BAM 36.8K

65.02%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$157 BAM 274

24.08%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$16.59 BAM 28.85

51.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$33.72 BAM 58.6

-6.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$29.19 BAM 50.8

74.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$5.76 BAM 10.02

79.51%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$289 BAM 503

60.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$3,628 BAM 6,308

142.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$84.9 BAM 148

41.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$36.14 BAM 62.9

164.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$68.8 BAM 120

65.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$142 BAM 246

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$155 BAM 269

389.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$251 BAM 437

106.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$515 BAM 896

208.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$368 BAM 641

225.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,431 BAM 4,228

11.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,663 BAM 2,892

14.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.44

1189.41%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Foca: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Foca

$251 26.4% 51.7% $269

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Foca

$196 20.6% 30.7% $87

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Foca

$97 10.2% 65.4% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Foca

$208 21.8% 17.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Foca

$149 15.7% 29.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Foca

$41 4.3% 43.1% $31

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Foca

$9.7 * 1% 73.7% $27

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 $155 in Foca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $22.00 in Foca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $196 per month, with Foca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇧🇦 Foca

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

12,334

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Foca 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Foca

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 Foca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Foca differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $952 including rent). Foca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,428 in Foca 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $155 in Foca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $289 in Foca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Foca – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $952 in Foca versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foca but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Foca 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 Foca 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 Foca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.