Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ibb

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $897 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Ibb
🇾🇪 Yemen
$897
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $897 in Ibb.

  • Buenos Aires $1,685
  • Ibb $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,452 in Ibb.

  • Buenos Aires $2,742
  • Ibb $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,008 in Ibb.

  • Buenos Aires $3,799
  • Ibb $2,008

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 88% more expensive than in Ibb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Ibb is 33% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
$6.26 YER 1,475
199.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 ARS 97.8K
$19.41 YER 4,576
232.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
$8.87 YER 2,092
45.21%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.05 YER 484
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.57 YER 605
-
Cappuccino
$3.98 ARS 6,029
$3.75 YER 885
6.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,103
$1.18 YER 277
73.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,349
$0.48 YER 113
222.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ARS 5,830
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 ARS 6,970
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ARS 2,181
$2.01 YER 473
-28.36%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 ARS 3,738
$1.02 YER 240
141.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ARS 2,467
$2.08 YER 492
-21.63%
Eggs
$2.89 ARS 4,385
$3.60 YER 850
-19.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
$14.13 YER 3,332
-24.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$8.44 YER 1,990
18.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
$18.96 YER 4,470
-27.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 ARS 4,166
$3.45 YER 814
-20.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,300
$1.05 YER 246
107.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,205
$2.16 YER 509
-32.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,013
$1.73 YER 407
15.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ARS 1,885
$1.47 YER 346
-15.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,921
$1.37 YER 322
-7.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 ARS 2,575
$0.87 YER 205
95.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 ARS 2,617
$0.68 YER 160
154.41%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.52 YER 594
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.80 YER 424
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.58 YER 609
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ARS 6,337
$3.89 YER 918
7.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 ARS 8,790
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 ARS 3,163
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ARS 4,198
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,132
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ARS 2,451
$2.13 YER 503
-23.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,481
$2.56 YER 604
-61.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
$7.20 YER 1,698
7.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ARS 2,058
$2.07 YER 487
-34.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
$16.8K YER 4.0M
66.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ARS 52.4M
$34.5K YER 8.1M
0.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 ARS 326.9K
$62.5 YER 14.7K
244.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
$16.18 YER 3,816
58.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 ARS 47.6K
$29.80 YER 7,026
5.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.82 ARS 75.6K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
$6.10 YER 1,439
70.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ARS 706.7K
$25.06 YER 5,908
1759.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
$2,150 YER 507.0K
321.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ARS 185.2K
$29.77 YER 7,021
310.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$97.4 ARS 147.8K
$121 YER 28.5K
-19.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ARS 177.4K
$47.55 YER 11.2K
145.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 211.9K
$40.23 YER 9,486
247.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ARS 1.2M
$315 YER 74.4K
142.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 ARS 766.1K
$251 YER 59.2K
101.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
$755 YER 177.9K
111.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
$635 YER 149.7K
86.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Ibb
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$954 ARS 1.4M
$365 YER 86.1K
161.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
11.25
408.89%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ibb: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$505
Ibb
$251 50.3% $254
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$284
Ibb
$254 10.6% $30
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$279
Ibb
$128 54% $151
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$273
Ibb
$108 60.2% $164
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$214
Ibb
$107 49.9% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Ibb
$12 * 82.7% $58
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Ibb
$15 * 59.2% $22

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $315 in Ibb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 161% 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 $19.00 in Ibb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $254 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇾🇪 Ibb
🕒 Local time
04:29 4:29 AM
10:29 10:29 AM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
208,844
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Ibb 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Ibb

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 Ibb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Ibb?
Buenos Aires and Ibb differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $897 including rent). Ibb is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buenos Aires or Ibb?
Average pay runs 161% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Ibb?
Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $315 in Ibb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Ibb?
Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $25.06 in Ibb. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Ibb – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $897 in Ibb versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Ibb?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Ibb safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Ibb are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Ibb?
Expats usually find Ibb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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