Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $417 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Buenos Aires $1,685
Kolkata (Calcutta) $417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $669 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Buenos Aires $2,742
Kolkata (Calcutta) $669

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $922 in Kolkata (Calcutta).

Buenos Aires $3,799
Kolkata (Calcutta) $922

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 304% more expensive than in Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Kolkata (Calcutta) is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.04 ₹198

818.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$14.78 ₹1,430

336.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$4.26 ₹412

202.35%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.64 ₹159

142.68%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.48 ₹46.58

327.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.12 ₹11.89

1191.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.90 ₹184

102.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.13 ₹303

46.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.72 ₹69.3

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.46 ₹44.25

434.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$0.68 ₹65.5

139.71%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.03 ₹99.3

180.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.31 ₹514

100.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.04 ₹295

228.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.38 ₹230

15.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.79 ₹76.7

175.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.39 ₹134

4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.61 ₹59.2

226.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.30 ₹29.22

313.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.40 ₹38.88

217.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.35 ₹33.52

385.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.26 ₹24.88

565.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$4.92 ₹476

-15.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.34 ₹1,001

-43.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.74 ₹168

20.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.70 ₹261

2.59%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.34 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.14 ₹13.90

435.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$3.19 ₹309

751.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.76 ₹73.5

113.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.32 ₹31.19

206.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$1.52 ₹147

407.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.08 ₹105

25.93%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$15.8K ₹1.5M

77.22%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$22.7K ₹2.2M

52.15%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$52.5 ₹5,076

311.00%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$5.10 ₹494

402.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$7.13 ₹690

339.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$15.73 ₹1,523

216.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$10.52 ₹1,018

62.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$3.33 ₹322

213.21%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$45.81 ₹4,433

917.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,090 ₹202.2K

333.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$26.12 ₹2,528

367.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$25.89 ₹2,506

276.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$35.62 ₹3,448

228.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$27.81 ₹2,691

402.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$151 ₹14.6K

406.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$95.4 ₹9,229

429.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$399 ₹38.6K

301.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$204 ₹19.8K

479.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,119 ₹108.3K

139.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$590 ₹57.1K

214.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$382 ₹36.9K

150.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

9.04

533.30%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$95 22.5% 81.1% $410

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$116 27.4% 59.2% $168

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$67 15.8% 76% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$65 15.3% 76.3% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$52 12.3% 75.8% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$22 5.3% 68.3% $48

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6.1 1.5% 83.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $151 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 150% 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 $15.00 in Kolkata (Calcutta) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $116 per month, with Kolkata (Calcutta) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

4,486,679

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Kolkata (Calcutta) 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Kolkata (Calcutta) differ by about 304% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $417 including rent). Kolkata (Calcutta) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 150% 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 $151 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $45.81 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 145% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $417 in Kolkata (Calcutta) versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kolkata (Calcutta) but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Kolkata (Calcutta) 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 Kolkata (Calcutta) 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 Kolkata (Calcutta) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 304% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.