Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Lourdes

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $1,797 in Lourdes, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,646
/mo nomad
Lourdes
🇫🇷 France
$1,797
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,797 in Lourdes.

  • Buenos Aires $1,646
  • Lourdes $1,797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,796 in Lourdes.

  • Buenos Aires $2,680
  • Lourdes $2,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $3,795 in Lourdes.

  • Buenos Aires $3,714
  • Lourdes $3,795

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 8% less than in Lourdes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 21% above, Lourdes 33% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.81 ARS 27.0K
$17.05 €15.17
4.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.2 ARS 98.9K
$67.7 €60.2
-3.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.12 ARS 19.9K
$13.55 €12.05
-3.17%
Cappuccino
$3.86 ARS 5,863
$3.62 €3.22
6.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ARS 3,133
$3.00 €2.67
-31.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ARS 2,542
$1.88 €1.67
-10.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.10 ARS 6,218
$7.07 €6.29
-42.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 ARS 7,181
$5.64 €5.02
-16.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ARS 2,285
$1.30 €1.15
16.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.60 ARS 3,950
$1.86 €1.65
39.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 ARS 2,380
$2.55 €2.27
-38.43%
Eggs
$2.73 ARS 4,144
$4.04 €3.59
-32.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.86 ARS 16.5K
$19.44 €17.29
-44.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.07 ARS 15.3K
$12.40 €11.03
-18.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.22 ARS 20.1K
$21.74 €19.34
-39.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ARS 4,255
$2.99 €2.66
-6.35%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 ARS 3,170
$2.17 €1.93
-3.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,194
$2.85 €2.54
-49.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.00 ARS 3,040
$3.20 €2.85
-37.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 ARS 1,826
$1.94 €1.72
-38.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ARS 1,821
$2.29 €2.04
-47.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.69 ARS 2,569
$1.37 €1.22
23.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ARS 2,711
$0.69 €0.62
159.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.00 ARS 6,074
$13.88 €12.35
-71.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.53 ARS 8,388
$7.88 €7.01
-29.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ARS 3,219
$2.77 €2.46
-23.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ARS 4,212
$3.28 €2.92
-15.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 ARS 1,049
$1.64 €1.46
-57.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.90 ARS 42.3K
$47.66 €42.39
-41.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.63 ARS 2,471
$5.07 €4.51
-67.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 ARS 1,478
$2.05 €1.82
-52.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.89 ARS 12.0K
$32.73 €29.12
-75.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,156
$2.06 €1.84
-31.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K ARS 35.4M
$33.8K €30.1K
-31.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K ARS 48.5M
$34.8K €31.0K
-8.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$199 ARS 302.7K
$208 €185
-4.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.36 ARS 35.4K
$15.84 €14.09
47.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.44 ARS 47.7K
$31.27 €27.82
0.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.81 ARS 75.6K
$35.27 €31.37
41.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.63 ARS 25.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.80 ARS 16.4K
$13.62 €12.12
-20.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ARS 701.7K
$801 €713
-42.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,790 ARS 13.3M
$10.1K €9,018
-13.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.6K
$90.8 €80.8
31.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$94.6 ARS 143.6K
$41.44 €36.86
128.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ARS 176.4K
$101 €90.1
14.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 ARS 208.6K
$133 €118
3.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$750 ARS 1.1M
$761 €677
-1.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$514 ARS 780.5K
$598 €532
-14.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,567 ARS 2.4M
$1,370 €1,219
14.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,196 ARS 1.8M
$1,135 €1,009
5.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,632 ARS 4.0M
$3,880 €3,452
-32.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,874 ARS 2.8M
$2,944 €2,618
-36.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Lourdes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$924 ARS 1.4M
$2,132 €1,896
-56.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
3.79
1410.55%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lourdes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$514
Lourdes
$598 16.4% $84
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$285
Lourdes
$359 26.2% $75
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$273
Lourdes
$287 5% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$254
Lourdes
$255 0.5% $1.2
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Lourdes
$165 21.8% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Lourdes
$63 12.4% $8.9
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Lourdes
$70 87.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $761 in Lourdes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lourdes pays 131% 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: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $68.0 in Lourdes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $359 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇫🇷 Lourdes
🕒 Local time
19:46 7:46 PM
00:46 12:46 AM
5 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
13,509
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Lourdes 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Lourdes

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 Lourdes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Lourdes?
Buenos Aires and Lourdes differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,797 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 131% lower in Lourdes. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Lourdes?
Rent for a central apartment: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $761 in Lourdes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Lourdes?
Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $801 in Lourdes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Lourdes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,797 in Lourdes, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Lourdes. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Lourdes?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Lourdes safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Lourdes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Lourdes?
Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Lourdes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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