Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Luqa

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $1,773 in Luqa, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Luqa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
Learn more

Luqa Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,773 in Luqa.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Luqa $1,773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,738 in Luqa.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Luqa $2,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,703 in Luqa.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Luqa $3,703

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 7% less than in Luqa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Luqa 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$19.40 €17.26

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$85.5 €76.1

-23.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.99 €9.77

20.11%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.74 €2.44

40.51%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$3.09 €2.75

-35.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$2.25 €2.00

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$4.43 €3.94

-11.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.29 €3.82

7.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.19 €1.06

26.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.15 €1.02

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$3.54 €3.15

-54.52%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.97 €3.53

-28.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.42 €7.49

22.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.15 €9.03

-1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$15.66 €13.93

-15.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.82 €2.51

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.03 €1.81

8.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.04 €2.70

-53.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.41 €3.03

-41.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.78 €1.58

-32.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.97 €1.75

-36.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.30 €2.04

-25.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.88 €0.78

95.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.91 €6.15

-37.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.88 €7.01

-27.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.53 €1.36

41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.21 €1.97

24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$2.22 €1.97

-66.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$14.31 €12.73

90.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$5.44 €4.84

-71.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.17 €1.93

-52.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$26.71 €23.76

-70.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.49 €1.32

-4.70%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$24.7K €22.0K

13.14%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$39.2K €34.9K

-10.82%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$101 €89.8

93.34%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$25.06 €22.29

0.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$33.93 €30.18

-7.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$54.5 €48.47

-6.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$56.0 €49.76

-70.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.84 €8.75

5.08%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$371 €330

24.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$11.1K €9,912

-21.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$86.0 €76.5

39.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$40.53 €36.05

135.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$82.1 €73.0

38.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$78.7 €70.0

77.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$801 €712

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$808 €719

-35.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,313 €1,168

21.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,284 €1,142

-6.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,858 €2,542

-5.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$3,139 €2,792

-39.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,418 €1,261

-33.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.9

1874.14%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Luqa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Luqa

$808 45.6% 55.4% $288

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Luqa

$289 16.3% 1.9% $5.5

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Luqa

$273 15.4% 3% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Luqa

$160 9% 36.5% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Luqa

$129 7.3% 38.7% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Luqa

$74 4.2% 3.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Luqa

$40 2.2% 6.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $801 in Luqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luqa pays 51% 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 $85.0 in Luqa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $289 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇹 Luqa

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

5,900

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Luqa 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Luqa

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 Luqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Luqa differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,773 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Luqa. 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 $801 in Luqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $371 in Luqa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Luqa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,773 in Luqa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Luqa. 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 Luqa 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 7% less than in Luqa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.