Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Harare

For one person, living is cheaper in Harare: $1,025 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Harare
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Harare Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Harare

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$1,025

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,025 in Harare.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Harare $1,025

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,682 in Harare.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Harare $1,682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,339 in Harare.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Harare $2,339

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 64% more expensive than in Harare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Harare is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$10.12 ZWL 270

85.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$45.29 ZWL 1,210

42.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.60 ZWL 150

130.00%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$3.01 ZWL 80.4

32.23%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$0.97 ZWL 26.04

111.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.45 ZWL 12.07

244.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$1.22 ZWL 32.56

214.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$1.95 ZWL 52.2

135.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.47 ZWL 39.29

-2.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$1.02 ZWL 27.29

141.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.71 ZWL 45.80

-4.68%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$11.40 ZWL 304

-6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.53 ZWL 148

80.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.42 ZWL 171

114.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$3.07 ZWL 82.1

-10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.70 ZWL 45.29

28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$2.08 ZWL 55.4

-30.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$1.51 ZWL 40.45

31.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$1.75 ZWL 46.67

-29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$1.78 ZWL 47.51

-28.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.22 ZWL 32.72

39.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.94 ZWL 25.02

84.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$1.95 ZWL 52.1

114.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$8.37 ZWL 224

-30.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.38 ZWL 36.81

51.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$1.98 ZWL 52.8

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$1.01 ZWL 27.10

-25.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$59.1 ZWL 1,578

-54.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$4.12 ZWL 110

-60.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$2.05 ZWL 54.8

-52.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$5.06 ZWL 135

52.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.84 ZWL 49.04

-26.09%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$21.6K ZWL 576.3K

29.82%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$27.6K ZWL 736.2K

25.28%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$52.2 ZWL 1,394

313.13%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$21.85 ZWL 583

17.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$68.0 ZWL 1,817

-53.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$48.13 ZWL 1,286

3.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$22.78 ZWL 609

-25.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$9.88 ZWL 264

5.57%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$428 ZWL 11.4K

8.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$8,427 ZWL 225.1K

7.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$23.65 ZWL 632

416.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$21.26 ZWL 568

358.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$38.85 ZWL 1,038

201.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$39.60 ZWL 1,058

252.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$389 ZWL 10.4K

96.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$316 ZWL 8,435

59.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$838 ZWL 22.4K

90.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$755 ZWL 20.2K

56.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$913 ZWL 24.4K

193.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$388 ZWL 10.4K

379.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$421 ZWL 11.3K

126.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

13.69

318.19%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Harare: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Harare

$316 30.9% 37.5% $189

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Harare

$215 21% 24.4% $69

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Harare

$150 14.6% 46.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Harare

$142 13.9% 47.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Harare

$56 5.4% 74.1% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Harare

$68 6.6% 3.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Harare

$78 7.6% 112% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $389 in Harare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 127% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $45.00 in Harare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $215 per month, with Harare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇼 Harare

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,606,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.74 USD

100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 26.71 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.74 USD). 1 EUR = 29.93 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Harare 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Harare

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 Harare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Harare differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,025 including rent). Harare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 127% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $389 in Harare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $428 in Harare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,025 in Harare versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Harare but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Harare 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 Harare 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 Harare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.