Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $613 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
Learn more

Islamabad Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $613 in Islamabad.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Islamabad $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $951 in Islamabad.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Islamabad $951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,289 in Islamabad.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Islamabad $1,289

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 175% more expensive than in Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Islamabad is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$3.55 PKR 983

427.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$23.32 PKR 6,453

176.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.50 PKR 1,522

134.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 PKR 971

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 PKR 1,950

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$2.72 PKR 753

46.32%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$0.35 PKR 97.4

485.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.23 PKR 63.8

573.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$0.99 PKR 273

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$0.73 PKR 201

236.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.24 PKR 342

31.45%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$1.31 PKR 363

120.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.12 PKR 1,695

74.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.23 PKR 893

209.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$5.44 PKR 1,506

152.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$1.35 PKR 374

103.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$0.86 PKR 239

153.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$1.08 PKR 298

34.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$0.55 PKR 153

261.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$0.28 PKR 78.3

342.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$0.36 PKR 98.6

252.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$0.30 PKR 83.5

466.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.42 PKR 115

311.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.98 PKR 549

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 PKR 347

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 PKR 715

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$2.32 PKR 642

80.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$0.20 PKR 54.5

275.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$21.45 PKR 5,936

26.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$1.23 PKR 339

31.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$0.75 PKR 209

30.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$1.64 PKR 454

370.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.39 PKR 385

-2.16%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$53.8K PKR 14.9M

-47.95%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$24.0K PKR 6.6M

43.93%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$103 PKR 28.5K

109.58%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$5.76 PKR 1,594

344.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$16.49 PKR 4,564

90.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$29.77 PKR 8,240

67.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$8.62 PKR 2,386

97.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$4.45 PKR 1,233

134.38%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$74.5 PKR 20.6K

525.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,023 PKR 1.4M

80.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$24.55 PKR 6,793

397.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$34.19 PKR 9,461

185.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$96.0 PKR 26.6K

21.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$40.93 PKR 11.3K

241.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$272 PKR 75.2K

180.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$137 PKR 38.0K

267.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$572 PKR 158.4K

179.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$275 PKR 76.0K

331.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,677 PKR 464.1K

59.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$820 PKR 226.9K

126.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$379 PKR 104.8K

151.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

13.08

337.69%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Islamabad

$137 22.9% 72.8% $368

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Islamabad

$105 17.5% 63.1% $179

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Islamabad

$80 13.3% 71.4% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Islamabad

$125 20.8% 54.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Islamabad

$88 14.6% 58.9% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Islamabad

$39 6.4% 45.3% $32

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 25.7% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $272 in Islamabad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 152% 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 $23.00 in Islamabad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $105 per month, with Islamabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

8 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Islamabad 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Islamabad differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $613 including rent). Islamabad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 152% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $272 in Islamabad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $74.5 in Islamabad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 171% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $613 in Islamabad versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islamabad but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Islamabad 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 Islamabad 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 Islamabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 175% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.