Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Francistown

For one person, living is cheaper in Francistown: $311 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Francistown

🇧🇼 Botswana

$311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $311 in Francistown.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Francistown $311

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $513 in Francistown.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Francistown $513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $715 in Francistown.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Francistown $715

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 442% more expensive than in Francistown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Francistown is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.44 P 19.23

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.30 P 17.48

10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.63 P 8.47

290.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.86 P 24.95

55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.09 P 81.7

64.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.41 P 86.0

114.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.08 P 14.45

154.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.45 P 19.38

50.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.49 P 19.92

-2.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.35 P 18.08

47.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.57 P 21.04

-21.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.45 P 19.42

-12.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.94 P 12.60

80.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.82 P 11.01

110.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.66 P 75.8

-26.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.48 P 19.88

41.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.61 P 8.21

22.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$29.68 P 398

67.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$112 P 1,495

317.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$1,762 P 23.6K

414.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$59.6 P 799

104.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$32.35 P 433

201.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$110 P 1,480

5.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$110 P 1,471

27.31%

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

$408 P 5,463

292.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Francistown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Francistown

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Francistown

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Francistown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Francistown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Francistown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Francistown

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Francistown

–

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇧🇼 Francistown

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

14:18 2:18 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

100,079

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 BWP = 7.46 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 13.4 BWP (100 BWP = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Francistown 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Francistown

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 Francistown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Francistown differ by about 442% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $311 including rent). Francistown is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $467 in Francistown 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.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $112 in Francistown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $311 in Francistown – a 442% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $311 in Francistown versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Francistown but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Francistown 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 Francistown 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 Francistown gentler on the wallet – expenses run 442% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.