Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $511 in Kabul.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Kabul $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $684 in Kabul.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Kabul $684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $857 in Kabul.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Kabul $857

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 230% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Kabul is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.70 ؋175

593.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$7.89 ؋511

717.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$4.51 ؋292

185.59%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.09 ؋70.5

265.14%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.45 ؋28.95

355.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.17 ؋10.83

811.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.81 ؋52.4

77.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.25 ؋16.23

884.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.86 ؋121

-12.37%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.54 ؋99.7

87.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$4.46 ؋289

138.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.03 ؋261

148.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.71 ؋434

104.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$0.70 ؋45.11

292.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.89 ؋57.4

144.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$0.95 ؋61.5

52.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.55 ؋35.47

261.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.61 ؋39.34

103.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.51 ؋32.74

149.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.30 ؋19.48

466.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.37 ؋23.89

367.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ؋52.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋65.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.42 ؋157

72.73%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.13 ؋8.60

476.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$21.08 ؋1,366

28.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.12 ؋138

-23.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.45 ؋29.02

117.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$2.77 ؋179

178.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.08 ؋69.9

25.93%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$8,341 ؋540.2K

235.82%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$33.8K ؋2.2M

2.25%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$42.09 ؋2,726

412.16%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$13.12 ؋850

95.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$95.3 ؋6,174

-67.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$11.15 ؋722

346.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$4.11 ؋266

315.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$2.34 ؋152

345.73%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$20.64 ؋1,337

2157.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$1,045 ؋67.7K

766.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$10.71 ؋694

1040.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$15.93 ؋1,032

511.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$57.8 ؋3,741

102.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$25.51 ؋1,652

447.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$125 ؋8,092

510.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$109 ؋7,043

364.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$219 ؋14.2K

630.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$115 ؋7,463

928.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$675 ؋43.7K

296.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$363 ؋23.5K

411.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$339 ؋21.9K

181.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Kabul

$109 21.6% 78.5% $396

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Kabul

$102 20.2% 64.2% $182

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Kabul

$51 10.1% 81.9% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Kabul

$151 29.9% 44.8% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Kabul

$49 9.8% 76.9% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Kabul

$16 3.2% 77.6% $55

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Kabul

$26 5.2% 29.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $125 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 182% 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 $8.00 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

7 h 30 min ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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 = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Kabul 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Kabul

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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Kabul differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $511 including rent). Kabul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 182% 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 $125 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $20.64 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 180% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $511 in Kabul versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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 Kabul 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 Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.