Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,312 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,312

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,312 in London.

Buenos Aires $1,685
London $2,312

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $3,278 in London.

Buenos Aires $2,742
London $3,278

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $4,243 in London.

Buenos Aires $3,799
London $4,243

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 27% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, London 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$21.22 CA$30.24

-11.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$62.6 CA$89.3

2.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$12.36 CA$17.61

4.21%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.65 CA$5.20

9.04%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$2.18 CA$3.10

-5.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$2.06 CA$2.94

-24.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$6.47 CA$9.22

-40.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$6.47 CA$9.23

-28.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.95 CA$2.78

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.61 CA$3.72

-5.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.94 CA$5.62

-58.63%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.74 CA$5.34

-22.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.83 CA$14.02

8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$11.28 CA$16.08

-11.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$15.02 CA$21.40

-8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.24 CA$6.04

-35.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.29 CA$1.84

68.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.85 CA$5.49

-62.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.06 CA$5.79

-50.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$3.17 CA$4.53

-60.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$3.02 CA$4.31

-57.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.58 CA$3.68

-34.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.46 CA$2.09

18.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$11.98 CA$17.08

-65.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$12.50 CA$17.82

-53.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.40 CA$3.43

-12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.87 CA$4.09

-3.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$2.26 CA$3.22

-66.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$77.4 CA$110

-64.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.51 CA$3.58

-35.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.60 CA$2.29

-38.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$21.83 CA$31.11

-64.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.17 CA$1.67

16.24%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$27.8K CA$39.6K

0.86%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$22.7K CA$32.4K

51.79%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$135 CA$193

59.61%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$39.06 CA$55.7

-34.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$56.4 CA$80.3

-44.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$37.00 CA$52.7

34.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$28.27 CA$40.29

-39.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$10.41 CA$14.84

0.19%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$407 CA$579

14.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$20.2K CA$28.8K

-55.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$52.0 CA$74.1

134.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$38.12 CA$54.3

155.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$82.8 CA$118

41.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$90.7 CA$129

54.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,270 CA$1,810

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,148 CA$1,636

-55.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$2,013 CA$2,870

-20.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,703 CA$2,428

-30.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$3,440 CA$4,904

-22.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$3,519 CA$5,015

-47.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$2,882 CA$4,108

-66.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.72

1112.92%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

London

$1.1K 49.4% 127% $642

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

London

$358 15.4% 26.1% $74

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

London

$313 13.5% 12.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

London

$230 9.9% 15.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

London

$119 5.1% 44.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

London

$58 2.5% 18.2% $13

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

London

$97 4.2% 165% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,270 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 202% 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 $63.0 in London. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $358, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇦 London

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

383,822

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires London 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and London differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $2,312 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 202% lower in London. 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $1,270 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $407 in London. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,312 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 London 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.