Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,060 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
Learn more

Howick Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,060 in Howick.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Howick $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,654 in Howick.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Howick $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,248 in Howick.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Howick $2,248

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 56% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Howick is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$7.59 R 125

151.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$39.02 R 643

68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.36 R 88.3

146.27%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.70 R 44.48

42.59%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.11 R 18.34

79.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.83 R 13.71

92.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.36 R 38.83

66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.61 R 42.93

76.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.23 R 20.28

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.97 R 16.06

160.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.48 R 24.32

8.78%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.32 R 38.24

22.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.08 R 133

27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.04 R 83.1

98.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.25 R 119

83.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.94 R 32.00

48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.85 R 30.55

18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.90 R 31.33

-26.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.63 R 26.89

21.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.48 R 24.36

-18.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.45 R 23.88

-13.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.16 R 19.16

47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.19 R 19.66

44.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.68 R 60.7

16.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.72 R 77.8

20.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.45 R 23.93

49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.84 R 30.30

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.47 R 24.20

-48.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.43 R 7.17

265.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.69 R 11.43

49.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.48 R 123

5.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.41 R 23.18

0.71%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.0K R 576.3K

-20.10%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$31.0K R 510.4K

12.89%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$148 R 2,434

32.12%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$14.79 R 244

70.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$39.50 R 651

-20.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$32.28 R 532

57.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.64 R 175

57.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.20 R 119

43.61%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$307 R 5,053

51.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,495 R 123.5K

17.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$53.1 R 875

125.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$30.21 R 498

216.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$97.5 R 1,606

17.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$82.1 R 1,353

69.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$387 R 6,368

95.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$357 R 5,883

45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$737 R 12.1K

115.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$734 R 12.1K

63.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$863 R 14.2K

214.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$664 R 10.9K

186.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.78

385.99%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Howick

$357 33.7% 31.3% $163

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Howick

$192 18.1% 32.3% $92

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Howick

$134 12.6% 52.5% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Howick

$202 19.1% 19.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Howick

$118 11.2% 43.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Howick

$47 4.4% 34.8% $25

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Howick

$9.8 * 0.9% 73.6% $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 $387 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $39.00 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $192 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

11:53 11:53 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

32,453

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Howick 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Howick differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,060 including rent). Howick 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 $1,589 in Howick 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 $387 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $307 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,060 in Howick versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Howick but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Howick 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 Howick 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 Howick gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.