Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Jimma

For one person, living is cheaper in Jimma: $1,057 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Jimma

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,057 in Jimma.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Jimma $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,424 in Jimma.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Jimma $1,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,792 in Jimma.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Jimma $1,792

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 59% more expensive than in Jimma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Jimma is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.65 ETB 747

302.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.17 ETB 188

240.17%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.59 ETB 95.2

247.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.44 ETB 70.0

252.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.81 ETB 452

36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.43 ETB 230

221.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.15 ETB 185

25.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.36 ETB 58.1

583.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.12 ETB 180

45.54%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$4.02 ETB 646

-28.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$11.49 ETB 1,847

-12.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$11.42 ETB 1,835

20.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.30 ETB 370

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.12 ETB 180

94.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.45 ETB 555

-57.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.58 ETB 93.8

243.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.55 ETB 87.7

125.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$3.35 ETB 538

-62.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.58 ETB 93.7

198.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$6.63 ETB 1,065

-12.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.16 ETB 187

80.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.45 ETB 234

91.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.22 ETB 35.27

240.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$13.38 ETB 2,150

102.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$1.72 ETB 276

348.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.74 ETB 279

-21.84%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$51.2K ETB 8.2M

-45.34%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$58.0K ETB 9.3M

-40.42%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$63.4 ETB 10.2K

239.80%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$36.28 ETB 5,829

-29.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$313 ETB 50.3K

-89.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$34.06 ETB 5,474

46.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$92.7 ETB 14.9K

5.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$139 ETB 22.3K

-15.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$115 ETB 18.5K

21.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$208 ETB 33.4K

267.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$160 ETB 25.7K

215.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$415 ETB 66.7K

285.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$310 ETB 49.9K

281.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,229 ETB 358.2K

20.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,117 ETB 179.4K

66.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$227 ETB 36.5K

320.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

536.11%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Jimma: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Jimma

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Jimma

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Jimma

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Jimma

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Jimma

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Jimma

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Jimma

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $208 in Jimma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 320% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇹 Jimma

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

207,573

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, 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 = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Jimma 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Jimma

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 Jimma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Jimma differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,057 including rent). Jimma is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 320% 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 $208 in Jimma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jimma runs roughly 103% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $1,057 in Jimma – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,057 in Jimma versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jimma but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Jimma 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 Jimma 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 Jimma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.