Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Machakos

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $516 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $516 in Machakos.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Machakos $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $797 in Machakos.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Machakos $797

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $1,078 in Machakos.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Machakos $1,078

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 219% more expensive than in Machakos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Machakos is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$3.15 KES 408

465.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$18.98 KES 2,461

243.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$6.19 KES 803

111.95%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$1.98 KES 257

94.95%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$0.64 KES 83.0

221.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$0.54 KES 69.8

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.11 KES 273

94.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$2.71 KES 352

74.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$0.37 KES 48.53

308.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$0.44 KES 56.9

490.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$0.74 KES 95.4

112.16%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$1.36 KES 177

100.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$10.73 KES 1,391

1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$6.29 KES 815

60.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$4.55 KES 589

190.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$1.58 KES 205

77.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$0.73 KES 95.2

186.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$0.40 KES 52.4

262.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$0.41 KES 53.1

387.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.80 KES 104

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.81 KES 104

48.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$0.68 KES 88.4

148.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.38 KES 49.11

371.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$3.51 KES 455

13.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$11.44 KES 1,483

-51.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.90 KES 247

11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.80 KES 363

-0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$0.79 KES 103

106.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.78 KES 101

24.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$2.84 KES 368

177.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.49 KES 193

-4.70%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$19.2K KES 2.5M

21.77%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$21.5K KES 2.8M

48.84%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$56.1 KES 7,279

255.27%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$7.82 KES 1,014

198.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$11.48 KES 1,488

173.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$38.18 KES 4,950

30.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$7.62 KES 987

41.73%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$45.44 KES 5,892

917.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-28.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$11.34 KES 1,470

955.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$28.69 KES 3,719

229.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$69.4 KES 8,991

67.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$38.50 KES 4,992

257.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$93.9 KES 12.2K

698.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$68.7 KES 8,905

648.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$154 KES 20.0K

916.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$115 KES 15.0K

936.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$383 KES 49.6K

141.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

14.71

289.19%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Machakos: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Machakos

$69 13.3% 86.6% $446

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Machakos

$159 30.8% 44.1% $126

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Machakos

$88 17.1% 67.7% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Machakos

$75 14.6% 70.3% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Machakos

$67 12.9% 68.4% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Machakos

$53 10.4% 25.2% $18

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Machakos

$4.7 * 0.9% 87.4% $32

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 $750 in Buenos Aires and $93.9 in Machakos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 141% 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 $19.00 in Machakos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $159 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇰🇪 Machakos

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

17:43 5:43 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

114,109

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Machakos 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Machakos

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 Machakos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Machakos differ by about 219% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $516 including rent). Machakos is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 141% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $93.9 in Machakos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $45.44 in Machakos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Machakos – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $516 in Machakos versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos 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 Machakos 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 Machakos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.