Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Marabella

For one person, living is cheaper in Marabella: $766 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Marabella
🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago
$766
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $766 in Marabella.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Marabella $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,313 in Marabella.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Marabella $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,860 in Marabella.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Marabella $1,860

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 116% more expensive than in Marabella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Marabella is 43% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$10.15 TTD 68.3
88.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$58.8 TTD 395
11.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$8.24 TTD 55.4
60.19%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$3.77 TTD 25.36
2.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$1.01 TTD 6.77
97.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.71 TTD 4.78
125.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
$1.80 TTD 12.10
118.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
$2.61 TTD 17.57
76.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$2.05 TTD 13.77
-26.83%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$2.34 TTD 15.72
8.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$2.92 TTD 19.62
-44.86%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$3.81 TTD 25.61
-25.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$6.74 TTD 45.36
52.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$10.22 TTD 68.8
-2.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$8.91 TTD 59.9
49.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$5.60 TTD 37.66
-48.57%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$2.50 TTD 16.81
-12.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$3.67 TTD 24.69
-61.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$4.17 TTD 28.03
-52.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$0.75 TTD 5.06
61.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$0.77 TTD 5.15
63.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.44 TTD 9.70
18.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$1.17 TTD 7.85
47.01%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$5.46 TTD 36.76
-21.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
$17.68 TTD 119
-67.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
$1.48 TTD 9.93
46.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
$2.93 TTD 19.74
-5.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$0.87 TTD 5.87
80.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$0.87 TTD 5.83
18.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$14.57 TTD 98.0
-45.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$1.15 TTD 7.74
23.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$37.3K TTD 250.6K
-24.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$42.0K TTD 282.2K
-16.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$43.38 TTD 292
349.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$41.83 TTD 281
-39.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$45.32 TTD 305
-30.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$8.76 TTD 58.9
18.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$405 TTD 2,724
14.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$10.7K TTD 71.9K
-17.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$53.7 TTD 361
123.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$36.47 TTD 245
161.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$89.7 TTD 603
27.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$90.0 TTD 606
54.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Marabella
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.75
895.65%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Marabella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Marabella
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Marabella
$319 12.8% $36
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Marabella
$172 38.9% $110
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Marabella
$131 48.2% $121
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Marabella
$121 42.4% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Marabella
$18 * 75.5% $54
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Marabella
$5.2 * 85.9% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $59.0 in Marabella. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $319, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇹🇹 Marabella
🕒 Local time
09:33 9:33 AM
08:33 8:33 AM
1 h behind Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
26,700
Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Marabella 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Marabella

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 Marabella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Marabella?
Buenos Aires and Marabella differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $766 including rent). Marabella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Buenos Aires compared to Marabella?
You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,150 in Marabella to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Marabella?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $405 in Marabella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Marabella – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $766 in Marabella versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marabella but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Marabella the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Marabella?
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 Marabella safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Marabella 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 Marabella?
Expats usually find Marabella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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