Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Los Alamos, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Los Alamos, NM

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 Los Alamos, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Los Alamos, NM $1,065

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,652 in Los Alamos, NM.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Los Alamos, NM $1,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,240 in Los Alamos, NM.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Los Alamos, NM $2,240

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 56% more expensive than in Los Alamos, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Los Alamos, NM is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$17.10 $17.10

11.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$40.29 $40.29

63.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.04 $10.04

31.47%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.95 $4.95

-22.22%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.46 $2.46

-19.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.48 $1.48

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$5.94 $5.94

-33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$7.17 $7.17

-35.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.90 $0.90

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.26 $2.26

11.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$4.41 $4.41

-63.49%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$4.03 $4.03

-29.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$11.61 $11.61

-11.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.55 $9.55

4.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$17.69 $17.69

-24.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$4.80 $4.80

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.42 $1.42

54.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.85 $2.85

-50.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.52 $4.52

-56.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.09 $1.09

11.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$3.27 $3.27

-61.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.97 $1.97

-13.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.49 $0.49

251.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$10.54 $10.54

-59.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$13.91 $13.91

-59.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.38 $2.38

-8.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.54 $3.54

-22.03%

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

$3.51 $3.51

-55.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.97 $1.97

-47.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$31.94 $31.94

-75.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.93 $0.93

52.69%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$30.7K $30.7K

-9.04%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.5K $24.5K

42.67%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$158 $158

23.85%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$40.32 $40.32

-37.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$72.6 $72.6

-56.55%

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

$13.21 $13.21

-21.73%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$1,490 $1,490

-68.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$25.4K $25.4K

-65.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$20.08 $20.08

496.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$43.91 $43.91

117.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$105 $105

8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$120 $120

15.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,078 $1,078

-29.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,930 $1,930

-17.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$3,277 $3,277

-17.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$3,380 $3,380

-43.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$8,229 $8,229

-88.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.57

771.39%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Los Alamos, NM

$338 31.7% 19.3% $55

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Los Alamos, NM

$286 26.9% 1.6% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Los Alamos, NM

$271 25.4% 7.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Los Alamos, NM

$130 12.3% 38.2% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5% 63.1% $45

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3% 63.8% $24

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 $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Alamos, NM pays 778% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $338, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

13,179

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Los Alamos, NM 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Los Alamos, NM

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 Los Alamos, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Los Alamos, NM differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,065 including rent). Los Alamos, NM is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 778% lower in Los Alamos, NM. 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $1,490 in Los Alamos, NM. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Alamos, NM but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Los Alamos, NM 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 Los Alamos, NM 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 Los Alamos, NM gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.