Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
Learn more

La Merced Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in La Merced

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $565 in La Merced.

Buenos Aires $1,656
La Merced $565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $917 in La Merced.

Buenos Aires $2,697
La Merced $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,269 in La Merced.

Buenos Aires $3,737
La Merced $1,269

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 193% more expensive than in La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, La Merced is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$4.38 PEN 15.04

335.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$34.69 PEN 119

89.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.77 PEN 23.26

94.98%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.16 PEN 10.84

21.84%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.07 PEN 3.67

85.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.64 PEN 2.20

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.60 PEN 8.93

51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.33 PEN 14.87

6.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.63 PEN 5.60

-7.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.98 PEN 6.79

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.28 PEN 4.40

25.78%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.34 PEN 8.04

21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.09 PEN 24.34

45.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.88 PEN 20.21

70.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$8.65 PEN 29.69

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.01 PEN 3.45

185.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.46 PEN 1.58

378.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.28 PEN 0.95

400.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.75 PEN 2.57

164.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.30 PEN 1.05

303.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.42 PEN 1.45

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.61 PEN 2.08

180.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.91 PEN 3.14

89.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.61 PEN 19.25

-23.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.36 PEN 25.26

-22.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.87 PEN 6.43

16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.23 PEN 11.10

-14.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.82 PEN 13.12

-58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.08 PEN 7.14

-50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.40 PEN 25.41

6.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.74 PEN 5.97

-18.39%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

26.33%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

37.21%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$72.8 PEN 250

167.98%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$16.49 PEN 56.6

52.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$27.80 PEN 95.5

13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.34 PEN 25.22

40.87%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$181 PEN 622

155.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

-33.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$52.6 PEN 181

127.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$35.20 PEN 121

171.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$82.0 PEN 282

39.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$79.1 PEN 272

76.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.94

540.38%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

La Merced

$186 32.8% 34.5% $98

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

La Merced

$122 21.5% 56.8% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

La Merced

$117 20.7% 53.5% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

La Merced

$112 19.8% 46.9% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

La Merced

$15 * 2.6% 79.5% $57

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 61.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $35.00 in La Merced for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $186 per month, with La Merced cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires La Merced 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and La Merced differ by about 193% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $565 including rent). La Merced is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $848 in La Merced to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $181 in La Merced. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in La Merced – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $565 in La Merced versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in La Merced but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes La Merced 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 La Merced 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 La Merced gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.