Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Kimberley

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,138 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,138 in Kimberley.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Kimberley $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,907 in Kimberley.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Kimberley $1,907

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,676 in Kimberley.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Kimberley $2,676

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 45% more expensive than in Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Kimberley is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$12.12 R 200

46.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$36.35 R 599

79.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$6.22 R 103

110.93%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.99 R 49.32

29.10%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.29 R 21.17

59.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.30 R 21.49

29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.79 R 45.92

46.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$2.67 R 44.00

77.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.55 R 25.50

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$1.16 R 19.03

124.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$2.94 R 48.49

-46.60%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.91 R 48.01

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$6.52 R 107

66.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$5.89 R 97.0

70.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$8.33 R 137

58.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$2.35 R 38.64

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$2.44 R 40.25

-14.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.78 R 29.25

-18.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$3.34 R 55.0

-40.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.52 R 24.99

-21.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.41 R 23.18

-14.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.39 R 22.85

21.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.90 R 14.76

98.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$3.28 R 54.0

21.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$6.56 R 108

-15.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$2.30 R 37.83

-7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.87 R 47.29

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$1.53 R 25.15

-54.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$33.18 R 547

-15.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$0.58 R 9.55

181.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.82 R 13.51

18.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$13.15 R 217

-40.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.45 R 23.81

-2.07%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$37.5K R 617.3K

-37.72%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$38.3K R 630.5K

-16.54%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$108 R 1,772

85.43%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$35.15 R 579

-33.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$42.40 R 699

-25.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$22.40 R 369

122.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$10.56 R 174

57.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$7.16 R 118

50.84%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$242 R 3,981

91.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$6,107 R 100.6K

43.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$54.5 R 897

119.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$30.14 R 497

213.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$101 R 1,669

14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$90.8 R 1,495

51.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$263 R 4,329

185.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$338 R 5,574

52.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$645 R 10.6K

143.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$928 R 15.3K

28.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$806 R 13.3K

226.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$619 R 10.2K

202.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$949 R 15.6K

-2.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.94

423.31%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kimberley: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Kimberley

$338 29.7% 34.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Kimberley

$229 20.1% 19.7% $56

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Kimberley

$181 15.9% 33.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Kimberley

$185 16.3% 27.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Kimberley

$124 10.9% 40.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Kimberley

$37 3.2% 48.6% $35

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Kimberley

$44 3.9% 18.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $263 in Kimberley. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kimberley pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $36.00 in Kimberley for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $229 per month, with Kimberley cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

12:46 12:46 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

225,160

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Kimberley 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Kimberley differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,138 including rent). Kimberley is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Kimberley. 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $263 in Kimberley. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $242 in Kimberley. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,138 in Kimberley versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kimberley but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Kimberley 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 Kimberley 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 Kimberley gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.