Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,368 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,368 in Iowa City, IA.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Iowa City, IA $2,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $3,367 in Iowa City, IA.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Iowa City, IA $3,367

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $4,366 in Iowa City, IA.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Iowa City, IA $4,366

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 30% less than in Iowa City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Iowa City, IA 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$14.24 $14.24

34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$68.1 $68.1

-3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$8.74 $8.74

51.03%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$5.78 $5.78

-33.39%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.76 $2.76

-27.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$2.17 $2.17

-26.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$4.90 $4.90

-19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$6.80 $6.80

-32.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.83 $0.83

80.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.76 $2.76

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.02 $2.02

-20.30%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.60 $3.60

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$9.51 $9.51

8.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.32 $10.32

-3.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$20.56 $20.56

-35.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.32 $3.32

-13.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.23 $1.23

78.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.75 $2.75

-49.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.86 $4.86

-59.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$2.03 $2.03

-40.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.37 $2.37

-46.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.70 $1.70

0.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$2.43 $2.43

-29.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$8.79 $8.79

-51.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$13.27 $13.27

-57.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.77 $1.77

22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$4.32 $4.32

-36.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$15.96 $15.96

70.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.97 $3.97

-60.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.99 $1.99

-48.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$43.23 $43.23

-81.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.00 $1.00

42.00%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$36.0K $36.0K

-22.46%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$25.2K $25.2K

38.55%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$266 $266

-26.49%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$53.3 $53.3

-52.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$81.9 $81.9

-61.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$48.68 $48.68

4.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$19.82 $19.82

-15.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$13.74 $13.74

-24.75%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$1,285 $1,285

-63.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$23.7K $23.7K

-62.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$64.3 $64.3

86.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$50.1 $50.1

90.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$101 $101

13.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$113 $113

23.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,179 $1,179

-35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,096 $1,096

-52.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,297 $2,297

-30.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,671 $1,671

-28.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$3,825 $3,825

-29.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,963 $1,963

-3.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$3,701 $3,701

-74.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.45

787.60%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Iowa City, IA

$1.1K 46.3% 111% $576

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Iowa City, IA

$350 14.8% 23.7% $67

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Iowa City, IA

$267 11.3% 5.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Iowa City, IA

$401 16.9% 59.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Iowa City, IA

$148 6.2% 30.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Iowa City, IA

$76 3.2% 6.4% $4.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Iowa City, IA

$30 * 1.3% 19.2% $7.1

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 $1,179 in Iowa City, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iowa City, IA pays 295% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $68.0 in Iowa City, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $350 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

74,828

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Iowa City, IA 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Iowa City, IA

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 Iowa City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Iowa City, IA differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,368 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 295% lower in Iowa City, IA. 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $1,179 in Iowa City, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $1,285 in Iowa City, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Iowa City, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,368 in Iowa City, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Iowa City, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Iowa City, IA 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Iowa City, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.