Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Manzini

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzini: $354 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Manzini

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $354 in Manzini.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Manzini $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $515 in Manzini.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Manzini $515

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $677 in Manzini.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Manzini $677

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 377% more expensive than in Manzini, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Manzini is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.29 SZL 21.19

11.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.96 SZL 15.84

156.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.79 SZL 29.52

-8.94%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.18 SZL 19.51

144.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$7.49 SZL 124

42.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$2.96 SZL 48.83

237.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$1.85 SZL 30.51

642.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.33 SZL 21.91

106.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.59 SZL 9.73

269.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$0.83 SZL 13.65

74.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.51 SZL 8.48

290.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.58 SZL 9.60

113.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.47 SZL 7.73

170.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.45 SZL 7.36

277.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.70 SZL 11.47

147.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.13 SZL 51.7

33.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$3.20 SZL 52.8

81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.63 SZL 10.39

231.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$0.78 SZL 12.80

255.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.60 SZL 9.89

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.32 SZL 21.79

3.03%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$17.1K SZL 282.0K

63.71%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$15.7K SZL 259.3K

119.51%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$72.4 SZL 1,193

197.79%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$12.23 SZL 202

109.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$29.97 SZL 494

4.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$3.68 SZL 60.6

183.42%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$170 SZL 2,801

349.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$105 SZL 1,734

380.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$367 SZL 6,054

335.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$274 SZL 4,517

332.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$404 SZL 6,657

136.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

472.50%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Manzini: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Manzini

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Manzini

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Manzini

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Manzini

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Manzini

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Manzini

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Manzini

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $170 in Manzini. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 136% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇿 Manzini

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

12:09 12:09 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

110,508

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, 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 = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Manzini 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Manzini

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 Manzini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Manzini differ by about 377% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $354 including rent). Manzini is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 136% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $170 in Manzini. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 142% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $354 in Manzini – a 377% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $354 in Manzini versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manzini but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Manzini 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 Manzini 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 Manzini gentler on the wallet – expenses run 377% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.