Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ilopango

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenos Aires and in Ilopango: $1,685 and $1,625 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
Learn more

Ilopango Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,625 in Ilopango.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Ilopango $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,858 in Ilopango.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Ilopango $1,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,090 in Ilopango.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Ilopango $2,090

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 4% more expensive than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Ilopango 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$3.16 $3.16

492.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$44.12 $44.12

46.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.04 $5.04

155.56%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.94 $2.94

35.37%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.93 $0.93

120.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.97 $0.97

59.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$0.91 $0.91

321.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.75 $1.75

162.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$3.28 $3.28

-56.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.44 $1.44

70.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.07 $3.07

-46.91%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.92 $2.92

-1.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.02 $5.02

112.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.86 $5.86

70.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.86 $9.86

39.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.92 $2.92

-5.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.02 $2.02

7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.03 $2.03

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.95 $1.95

2.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.02 $2.02

-38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.97 $1.97

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.93 $0.93

82.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.97 $0.97

78.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.95 $3.95

5.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$12.18 $12.18

-52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.98 $0.98

113.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.06 $2.06

34.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.88 $0.88

-14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$35.67 $35.67

-23.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$7.16 $7.16

-77.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.16 $2.16

-54.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$4.71 $4.71

63.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.67 $0.67

102.99%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$19.9K $19.9K

40.46%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$26.1K $26.1K

32.45%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$34.38 $34.38

527.02%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$9.97 $9.97

156.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$39.70 $39.70

-21.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$39.80 $39.80

25.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$10.04 $10.04

69.92%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$4.97 $4.97

109.86%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$104 $104

346.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$1,904 $1,904

375.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$20.18 $20.18

505.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$29.95 $29.95

225.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$75.4 $75.4

55.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$58.9 $58.9

137.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$677 $677

12.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,038 $1,038

-51.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$585 $585

173.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$640 $640

85.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,747 $1,747

53.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$949 $949

95.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$976 $976

-2.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

854.17%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Ilopango

$1K 62.9% 106% $533

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Ilopango

$248 15% 12.6% $36

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Ilopango

$91 5.5% 67.2% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Ilopango

$84 5.1% 69.2% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Ilopango

$83 5% 61.3% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Ilopango

$50 3% 29.6% $21

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 56% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $677 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilopango pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $44.00 in Ilopango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $248 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

38,890

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Ilopango 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Ilopango

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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Ilopango differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,625 including rent). Ilopango is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Ilopango. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $677 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $104 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,625 in Ilopango versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ilopango but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Ilopango 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 Ilopango 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 Ilopango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.