Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
Learn more

Malmo Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,046 in Malmo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Malmo $2,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $3,083 in Malmo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Malmo $3,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $4,121 in Malmo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Malmo $4,121

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 18% less than in Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Malmo 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$14.90 SEK 149

25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$74.0 SEK 740

-12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$12.18 SEK 122

5.75%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-17.60%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-38.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-54.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-49.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.73 SEK 17.26

-16.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.87 SEK 28.67

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-50.90%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-29.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$12.74 SEK 127

-16.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$11.86 SEK 119

-15.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$21.61 SEK 216

-36.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.99 SEK 29.93

-8.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-15.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.96 SEK 29.61

-51.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.15 SEK 41.43

-52.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.66 SEK 16.62

-25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.53 SEK 15.29

-16.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-31.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.23 SEK 12.24

40.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-45.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$11.53 SEK 115

-49.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.01 SEK 20.05

3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.34 SEK 23.43

18.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-76.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$63.5 SEK 635

-57.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-73.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-59.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$49.13 SEK 491

-84.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.74 SEK 17.36

-21.84%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

-13.22%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

4.11%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$138 SEK 1,380

56.06%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$26.21 SEK 262

-2.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$36.07 SEK 361

-13.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$39.93 SEK 399

24.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$28.69 SEK 287

-40.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$17.17 SEK 172

-39.25%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$167 SEK 1,666

179.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

173.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$98.0 SEK 979

24.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$44.19 SEK 442

120.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$113 SEK 1,125

3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$152 SEK 1,520

-8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$818 SEK 8,173

-38.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

-7.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

-12.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

-33.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

-41.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-68.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.05

1777.05%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 61.9% $313

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 30.8% $87

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 26.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Malmo

$183 9% 14.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 5.1% $3.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 157% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,063 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 219% 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 $74.0 in Malmo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $372 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

316,588

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Malmo 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Malmo differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $2,046 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 219% lower in Malmo. 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 $1,063 in Malmo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $167 in Malmo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Malmo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,046 in Malmo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Malmo. 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 Malmo 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 21% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.