Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Kostroma

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostroma: $1,228 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,228 in Kostroma.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Kostroma $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,964 in Kostroma.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Kostroma $1,964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,700 in Kostroma.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Kostroma $2,700

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 35% more expensive than in Kostroma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Kostroma is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.72 ₽978

62.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$59.2 ₽4,940

11.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.31 ₽610

80.57%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.69 ₽308

4.34%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.58 ₽132

25.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.89 ₽74.0

79.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.75 ₽146

124.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$5.39 ₽449

-14.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.28 ₽107

17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.01 ₽84.0

150.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.66 ₽139

-3.01%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.96 ₽163

44.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$14.64 ₽1,222

-29.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.55 ₽547

52.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.95 ₽1,248

-11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.07 ₽173

39.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.76 ₽147

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.03 ₽169

-31.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.08 ₽341

-51.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.93 ₽77.3

30.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.75 ₽62.4

68.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.63 ₽136

4.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.92 ₽76.7

86.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.54 ₽296

21.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.92 ₽995

-52.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.20 ₽100

80.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.65 ₽221

4.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.49 ₽40.96

53.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.46 ₽289

-54.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.35 ₽29.46

194.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$11.76 ₽982

-32.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.83 ₽69.2

71.08%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$39.5K ₽3.3M

-29.20%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$39.1K ₽3.3M

-10.60%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$188 ₽15.7K

3.91%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$9.10 ₽759

176.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$9.89 ₽825

218.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$38.56 ₽3,218

32.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$24.29 ₽2,027

-31.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.55 ₽797

8.27%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$350 ₽29.2K

32.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,197 ₽517.2K

41.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$111 ₽9,247

8.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$66.2 ₽5,521

44.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$147 ₽12.2K

-22.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$180 ₽15.0K

-22.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$515 ₽42.9K

46.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$275 ₽23.0K

88.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$811 ₽67.7K

96.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$532 ₽44.4K

125.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,209 ₽184.4K

22.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,486 ₽124.0K

27.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$737 ₽61.5K

27.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

19.56

192.69%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kostroma: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Kostroma

$275 22.4% 47.1% $245

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Kostroma

$265 21.6% 6.4% $18

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Kostroma

$189 15.4% 32.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Kostroma

$207 16.8% 17.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Kostroma

$227 18.5% 7.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Kostroma

$58 4.7% 19.5% $14

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Kostroma

$7.2 * 0.6% 80.6% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $515 in Kostroma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 27% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $59.0 in Kostroma for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $265 per month, with Kostroma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

277,393

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Kostroma 13,730 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Kostroma

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 Kostroma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Kostroma differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,228 including rent). Kostroma is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 27% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $515 in Kostroma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $350 in Kostroma. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kostroma – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,228 in Kostroma versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kostroma but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Kostroma 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 Kostroma 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 Kostroma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.