Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $835 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
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Gostivar Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $835 in Gostivar.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Gostivar $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,262 in Gostivar.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Gostivar $1,262

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,689 in Gostivar.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Gostivar $1,689

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 98% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Gostivar is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.25 MKD 341

205.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$26.92 MKD 1,468

144.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.81 MKD 317

127.19%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.39 MKD 75.9

176.98%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.32 MKD 72.2

50.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.07 MKD 58.1

49.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.31 MKD 71.5

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.77 MKD 96.3

160.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.29 MKD 70.2

16.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.75 MKD 40.84

237.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.42 MKD 77.3

13.38%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.46 MKD 134

15.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.49 MKD 354

58.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.59 MKD 305

78.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.35 MKD 783

-7.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.43 MKD 78.1

101.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.39 MKD 75.8

58.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.35 MKD 73.8

3.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.78 MKD 97.1

11.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.83 MKD 45.18

45.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.70 MKD 38.06

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.64 MKD 34.74

167.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.57 MKD 30.92

201.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.76 MKD 150

55.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.63 MKD 253

23.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.88 MKD 47.86

146.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.41 MKD 77.1

95.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.74 MKD 40.29

1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$21.14 MKD 1,153

29.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.75 MKD 40.97

109.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.34 MKD 18.33

202.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.75 MKD 423

1.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.44 MKD 78.4

-1.39%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$31.9K MKD 1.7M

-12.26%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$27.1K MKD 1.5M

29.08%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$129 MKD 7,046

51.13%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$10.75 MKD 586

134.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$18.87 MKD 1,029

67.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$21.76 MKD 1,187

134.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$18.73 MKD 1,022

-10.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.10 MKD 387

45.63%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$362 MKD 19.7K

28.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,736 MKD 312.9K

53.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$36.91 MKD 2,014

224.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$36.52 MKD 1,992

161.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$102 MKD 5,589

11.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$115 MKD 6,252

21.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$275 MKD 15.0K

175.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$194 MKD 10.6K

168.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$504 MKD 27.5K

215.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$298 MKD 16.3K

301.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,525 MKD 83.2K

77.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,133 MKD 61.8K

67.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$863 MKD 47.1K

8.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.23

1253.43%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Gostivar

$194 23.2% 62.7% $326

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Gostivar

$186 22.3% 34.4% $97

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Gostivar

$104 12.4% 63.2% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Gostivar

$159 19% 37% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Gostivar

$131 15.7% 38% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 49.8% $36

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Gostivar

$27 3.2% 28.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $275 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 9% 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 $27.00 in Gostivar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $186 per month, with Gostivar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

36,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Gostivar 11,720 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Gostivar

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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Gostivar differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $835 including rent). Gostivar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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 $275 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $362 in Gostivar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $835 in Gostivar versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gostivar but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Gostivar 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 Gostivar 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 Gostivar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.