Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Iskenderun

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $1,000 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
Learn more

Iskenderun Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,000 in Iskenderun.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Iskenderun $1,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,507 in Iskenderun.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Iskenderun $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,013 in Iskenderun.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Iskenderun $2,013

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 66% more expensive than in Iskenderun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Iskenderun is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.10 ₺302

212.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$30.52 ₺1,511

115.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.42 ₺318

105.61%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.12 ₺154

23.40%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.14 ₺56.3

74.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.26 ₺12.80

515.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.39 ₺118

64.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.70 ₺134

70.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.00 ₺49.26

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.79 ₺39.03

220.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.73 ₺85.8

-6.94%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.81 ₺89.6

56.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.41 ₺367

39.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.04 ₺200

147.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$17.50 ₺867

-24.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.66 ₺82.3

73.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.87 ₺92.7

17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.86 ₺42.59

62.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.03 ₺50.9

92.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.46 ₺22.79

163.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.40 ₺20.03

215.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.87 ₺43.26

96.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.61 ₺30.30

181.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.19 ₺108

95.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.26 ₺508

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.34 ₺116

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.22 ₺159

-14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.75 ₺37.14

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.99 ₺48.87

58.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.49 ₺24.24

110.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$10.25 ₺507

-22.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.30 ₺64.5

9.23%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$43.3K ₺2.1M

-35.38%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$39.2K ₺1.9M

-10.79%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$91.4 ₺4,524

113.64%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$9.46 ₺468

165.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$10.99 ₺544

186.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$57.5 ₺2,848

-11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.00 ₺297

72.33%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$448 ₺22.2K

3.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,099 ₺351.4K

23.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$54.1 ₺2,679

121.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$29.69 ₺1,470

221.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$114 ₺5,641

0.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$108 ₺5,326

29.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$477 ₺23.6K

58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$340 ₺16.8K

52.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$818 ₺40.5K

94.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$553 ₺27.4K

116.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,588 ₺78.6K

70.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,026 ₺50.8K

85.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,117 ₺55.3K

-16.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

63.57%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Iskenderun: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Iskenderun

$340 34% 34.6% $180

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Iskenderun

$207 20.7% 27% $77

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Iskenderun

$128 12.8% 54.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Iskenderun

$112 11.2% 55.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Iskenderun

$137 13.7% 34.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Iskenderun

$70 7% 2.9% $2.1

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Iskenderun

$6.4 * 0.6% 82.6% $31

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 $477 in Iskenderun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskenderun pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $31.00 in Iskenderun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $207 per month, with Iskenderun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

00:28 12:28 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

246,639

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Iskenderun 12,570 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Iskenderun

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 Iskenderun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Iskenderun differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,000 including rent). Iskenderun is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Iskenderun. 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 $477 in Iskenderun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $448 in Iskenderun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Iskenderun – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,000 in Iskenderun versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Iskenderun but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Iskenderun 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 Iskenderun 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 Iskenderun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.