Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Koura

For one person, living is cheaper in Koura: $1,235 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
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Koura
Learn more

Koura Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Koura

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,235 in Koura.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Koura $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,937 in Koura.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Koura $1,937

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,638 in Koura.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Koura $2,638

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 34% more expensive than in Koura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.95 LBP 1.1M

59.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$68.5 LBP 6.1M

-3.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.07 LBP 901.7K

31.08%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.49 LBP 402.1K

-14.25%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.31 LBP 206.9K

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

75.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$5.10 LBP 456.2K

-22.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.74 LBP 424.0K

-2.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.01 LBP 180.3K

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.85 LBP 76.2K

197.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.35 LBP 210.3K

-31.49%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.65 LBP 326.4K

-22.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.91 LBP 976.2K

-5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.48 LBP 937.8K

-4.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.72 LBP 1.3M

-9.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.13 LBP 280.0K

-7.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.69 LBP 151.7K

30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.62 LBP 144.6K

-13.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.48 LBP 132.8K

33.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.19 LBP 106.8K

1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.61 LBP 143.8K

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.21 LBP 108.1K

41.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.72 LBP 64.6K

138.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.92 LBP 261.6K

46.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.17 LBP 999.9K

-48.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.28 LBP 114.8K

69.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.47 LBP 221.0K

11.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.95 LBP 174.5K

-61.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.95 LBP 442.7K

-68.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.28 LBP 203.7K

-54.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$22.62 LBP 2.0M

-65.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.88 LBP 79.0K

61.36%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$54.4K LBP 4.9B

-48.59%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

6.66%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$231 LBP 20.7M

-15.51%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$21.68 LBP 1.9M

16.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$38.07 LBP 3.4M

-17.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$25.26 LBP 2.3M

101.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$9.87 LBP 883.7K

69.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$10.08 LBP 902.5K

2.58%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$687 LBP 61.5M

-32.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$10.5K LBP 942.7M

-16.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$68.1 LBP 6.1M

76.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$48.89 LBP 4.4M

95.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$139 LBP 12.5M

-18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$122 LBP 10.9M

14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$252 LBP 22.5M

200.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$201 LBP 18.0M

158.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$443 LBP 39.7M

258.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$354 LBP 31.6M

238.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,134 LBP 101.5M

139.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$838 LBP 75.0M

126.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$606 LBP 54.3M

54.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

420.45%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Koura: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Koura

$201 16.3% 61.3% $319

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Koura

$276 22.3% 2.7% $7.7

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Koura

$228 18.4% 19.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Koura

$291 23.6% 15.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Koura

$170 13.8% 19.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Koura

$45 3.7% 36.6% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Koura

$24 * 2% 34.7% $13

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 $252 in Koura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 55% 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 $69.0 in Koura. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $276, with Koura cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇧 Koura

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Koura 12,420 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Koura

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 Koura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Koura differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,235 including rent). Koura is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% 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 $252 in Koura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $687 in Koura. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koura – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,235 in Koura versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Koura but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Koura 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 Koura 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 Koura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.