Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Maracaibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracaibo: $781 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Maracaibo
Learn more

Maracaibo Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $781 in Maracaibo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Maracaibo $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,316 in Maracaibo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Maracaibo $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,851 in Maracaibo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Maracaibo $1,851

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Maracaibo is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$10.69 VES 9,348

75.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$40.44 VES 35.4K

59.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.05 VES 7,917

42.32%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.68 VES 2,340

48.51%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.15 VES 1,009

78.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.36 VES 1,188

13.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.30 VES 2,012

66.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.96 VES 2,592

55.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.95 VES 1,704

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.20 VES 1,927

11.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.09 VES 950

49.54%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.60 VES 3,148

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.59 VES 5,765

61.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.21 VES 5,434

61.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$7.30 VES 6,387

88.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.64 VES 4,060

-40.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.40 VES 1,223

55.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.62 VES 1,413

-10.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.41 VES 1,237

41.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.18 VES 1,036

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.78 VES 1,555

-28.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.02 VES 891

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$2.01 VES 1,762

-13.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.94 VES 2,574

42.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$8.87 VES 7,759

-34.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.08 VES 946

93.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.72 VES 2,379

1.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.46 VES 403

63.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$41.91 VES 36.7K

-35.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.95 VES 3,452

-58.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.04 VES 1,787

-51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$17.18 VES 15.0K

-55.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.74 VES 650

83.78%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$14.7K VES 12.9M

90.42%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$27.9K VES 24.4M

23.87%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$63.5 VES 55.5K

239.53%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$7.43 VES 6,497

244.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$24.55 VES 21.5K

27.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$33.32 VES 29.1K

49.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$28.43 VES 24.9K

-39.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$5.10 VES 4,461

104.51%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$153 VES 133.7K

204.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$7,068 VES 6.2M

28.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$27.67 VES 24.2K

341.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$32.70 VES 28.6K

197.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$61.6 VES 53.9K

89.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$58.1 VES 50.8K

140.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$161 VES 140.5K

375.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$91.8 VES 80.3K

450.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$305 VES 266.7K

424.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$198 VES 173.3K

497.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$751 VES 656.9K

256.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$508 VES 444.1K

265.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$214 VES 187.2K

345.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

186.25%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Maracaibo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Maracaibo

$92 11.7% 81.8% $413

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Maracaibo

$242 30.9% 14.8% $42

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Maracaibo

$172 22% 38.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Maracaibo

$95 12.2% 65% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Maracaibo

$81 10.3% 62.2% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Maracaibo

$44 5.6% 38.4% $27

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Maracaibo

$58 7.4% 58.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $161 in Maracaibo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 346% 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 $40.00 in Maracaibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $242 per month, with Maracaibo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, 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).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 981 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Maracaibo 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Maracaibo

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 Maracaibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Maracaibo differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $781 including rent). Maracaibo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 346% 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 $161 in Maracaibo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $153 in Maracaibo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $781 in Maracaibo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maracaibo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Maracaibo 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 Maracaibo 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 Maracaibo 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.