Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Higuey

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $912 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
Learn more

Higuey Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $912 in Higuey.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Higuey $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $1,495 in Higuey.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Higuey $1,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,078 in Higuey.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Higuey $2,078

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 79% more expensive than in Higuey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Higuey is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$9.75 DOP 597

87.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$50.0 DOP 3,064

32.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$7.46 DOP 457

73.73%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$1.99 DOP 122

87.44%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$1.04 DOP 63.9

95.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$0.51 DOP 31.17

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$2.51 DOP 154

61.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$3.17 DOP 194

49.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$1.19 DOP 73.1

22.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$1.57 DOP 96.2

61.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$1.35 DOP 82.8

17.04%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$1.95 DOP 119

37.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$7.30 DOP 447

52.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$5.29 DOP 324

90.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$6.56 DOP 402

100.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$3.00 DOP 183

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$0.70 DOP 43.08

214.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.46 DOP 89.1

-4.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$1.29 DOP 79.0

54.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$1.16 DOP 71.0

3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$1.11 DOP 68.2

3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

$0.59 DOP 36.00

176.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$0.47 DOP 28.95

282.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$5.38 DOP 330

-21.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$10.11 DOP 619

-45.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$2.42 DOP 148

-14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$2.87 DOP 176

-3.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$0.81 DOP 49.35

-8.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

$49.72 DOP 3,045

-40.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$3.32 DOP 203

-51.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

$2.26 DOP 139

-57.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

$5.84 DOP 358

39.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.36 DOP 83.5

2.94%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$24.8K DOP 1.5M

-6.42%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$30.7K DOP 1.9M

6.97%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$90.5 DOP 5,540

116.93%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$16.40 DOP 1,004

45.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$32.65 DOP 2,000

-3.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$24.74 DOP 1,515

94.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

$65.4 DOP 4,003

-74.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$7.38 DOP 452

43.22%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$98.6 DOP 6,039

407.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$2,173 DOP 133.1K

308.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

$44.71 DOP 2,738

171.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$45.17 DOP 2,766

111.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$86.2 DOP 5,279

34.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$79.6 DOP 4,873

74.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$289 DOP 17.7K

152.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$209 DOP 12.8K

140.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$566 DOP 34.6K

161.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$401 DOP 24.6K

178.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

$1,809 DOP 110.8K

49.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$1,240 DOP 75.9K

56.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

$434 DOP 26.6K

112.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.5

397.83%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Last update for Higuey: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Higuey

$209 22.9% 58.4% $294

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Higuey

$192 21.1% 32.3% $92

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Higuey

$149 16.4% 45.5% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Higuey

$140 15.3% 44.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Higuey

$115 12.6% 45.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Higuey

$40 4.3% 42.9% $30

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Higuey

$68 7.4% 72% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Buenos Aires and $289 in Higuey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Buenos Aires vs $50 in Higuey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $192 per month, with Higuey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇩🇴 Higuey

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

123,787

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Higuey 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Higuey

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 Higuey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Buenos Aires and $912 in Higuey, so Higuey is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Buenos Aires is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $289 in Higuey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $99 in Higuey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Higuey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Buenos Aires, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Higuey are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Higuey wins on affordability, Buenos Aires on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.