Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Jeddah

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Jeddah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,360
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,360 in Jeddah.

  • Buenos Aires $1,685
  • Jeddah $1,360

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,168 in Jeddah.

  • Buenos Aires $2,742
  • Jeddah $2,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,975 in Jeddah.

  • Buenos Aires $3,799
  • Jeddah $2,975

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 24% more expensive than in Jeddah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Jeddah 2% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
$6.04 SAR 22.68
210.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 ARS 97.8K
$79.8 SAR 300
-19.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
$8.75 SAR 32.85
47.20%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.43 SAR 9.11
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.63 SAR 9.88
-
Cappuccino
$3.98 ARS 6,029
$3.77 SAR 14.16
5.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,103
$0.97 SAR 3.65
111.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,349
$0.24 SAR 0.90
545.83%
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
Jeddah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ARS 2,181
$1.67 SAR 6.28
-13.77%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 ARS 3,738
$1.33 SAR 4.99
84.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ARS 2,467
$2.37 SAR 8.89
-31.22%
Eggs
$2.89 ARS 4,385
$2.48 SAR 9.31
16.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
$6.36 SAR 23.89
67.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$8.00 SAR 30.02
25.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
$13.31 SAR 49.98
3.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 ARS 4,166
$2.10 SAR 7.90
30.95%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,300
$1.77 SAR 6.63
23.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,205
$1.54 SAR 5.80
-5.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,013
$1.69 SAR 6.36
17.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ARS 1,885
$1.13 SAR 4.26
9.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,921
$1.29 SAR 4.85
-1.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 ARS 2,575
$1.12 SAR 4.22
51.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 ARS 2,617
$0.50 SAR 1.87
246.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$4.23 SAR 15.90
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.84 SAR 6.92
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.58 SAR 9.70
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ARS 6,337
$6.86 SAR 25.77
-39.07%
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
Jeddah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,132
$0.89 SAR 3.35
-15.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
$55.5 SAR 208
-51.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ARS 2,451
$3.11 SAR 11.69
-47.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,481
$1.77 SAR 6.65
-44.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
$14.12 SAR 53.0
-45.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ARS 2,058
$0.59 SAR 2.21
130.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
$47.7K SAR 179.0K
-41.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ARS 52.4M
$21.4K SAR 80.4K
61.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 ARS 326.9K
$90.3 SAR 339
138.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
$39.04 SAR 147
-34.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 ARS 47.6K
$67.9 SAR 255
-53.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.82 ARS 75.6K
$79.6 SAR 299
-37.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
$38.23 SAR 144
-55.38%
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
$12.04 SAR 45.22
-13.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ARS 706.7K
$757 SAR 2,841
-38.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
$16.3K SAR 61.1K
-44.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ARS 185.2K
$73.8 SAR 277
65.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$97.4 ARS 147.8K
$56.0 SAR 210
73.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ARS 177.4K
$101 SAR 380
15.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 211.9K
$94.3 SAR 354
48.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ARS 1.2M
$790 SAR 2,966
-3.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 ARS 766.1K
$535 SAR 2,009
-5.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
$1,418 SAR 5,323
12.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
$817 SAR 3,070
44.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
$1,777 SAR 6,673
50.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
$1,143 SAR 4,291
62.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Jeddah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$954 ARS 1.4M
$1,646 SAR 6,180
-42.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.39
962.15%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$505
Jeddah
$535 5.9% $30
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$284
Jeddah
$201 29.4% $83
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$279
Jeddah
$125 55.3% $154
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$273
Jeddah
$197 27.6% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$214
Jeddah
$146 31.7% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Jeddah
$104 46.7% $33
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Jeddah
$71 93.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $790 in Jeddah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeddah pays 72% 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 $80.0 in Jeddah. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $201, with Jeddah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇦 Jeddah
🕒 Local time
00:23 12:23 AM
06:23 6:23 AM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
3,430,697
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Jeddah 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Jeddah

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 Jeddah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Jeddah?
Buenos Aires and Jeddah differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,360 including rent). Jeddah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Jeddah. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Jeddah?
Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $790 in Jeddah. 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 Jeddah?
Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $757 in Jeddah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,360 in Jeddah versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jeddah but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Jeddah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Jeddah?
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 Jeddah safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Jeddah 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 Jeddah?
Expats usually find Jeddah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% 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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