Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Maracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracay: $729 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Maracay
Learn more

Maracay Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Maracay

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $729 in Maracay.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Maracay $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,242 in Maracay.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Maracay $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,755 in Maracay.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Maracay $1,755

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 131% more expensive than in Maracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Maracay is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.85 VES 4,245

286.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$33.14 VES 29.0K

94.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.63 VES 6,669

68.81%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.68 VES 1,472

136.90%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.17 VES 1,023

75.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.20 VES 1,054

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.23 VES 1,075

212.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.02 VES 2,641

52.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.68 VES 2,346

-46.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.29 VES 2,006

7.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.03 VES 900

58.25%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.62 VES 2,294

10.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.53 VES 5,709

63.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.74 VES 5,016

74.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$8.54 VES 7,467

60.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.28 VES 3,739

-35.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.97 VES 1,722

10.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.22 VES 1,937

-34.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.37 VES 2,069

-16.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.32 VES 2,027

-46.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.20 VES 1,921

-42.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.58 VES 1,386

7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$2.30 VES 2,013

-24.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.48 VES 2,173

68.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.15 VES 8,877

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.16 VES 1,018

80.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.70 VES 1,487

62.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.48 VES 419

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$19.78 VES 17.3K

37.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.94 VES 2,575

-44.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.71 VES 2,368

-63.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$10.01 VES 8,759

-22.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.69 VES 603

97.10%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$25.2K VES 22.0M

11.27%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$38.5K VES 33.7M

-10.40%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$12.43 VES 10.9K

1634.27%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$11.57 VES 10.1K

121.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$38.31 VES 33.5K

-18.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$29.71 VES 26.0K

67.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$14.89 VES 13.0K

14.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$4.08 VES 3,569

155.64%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$74.6 VES 65.2K

524.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,979 VES 5.2M

51.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$52.4 VES 45.8K

133.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$37.16 VES 32.5K

162.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$83.0 VES 72.6K

40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$93.6 VES 81.8K

49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$228 VES 199.5K

234.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$108 VES 94.7K

366.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$569 VES 497.5K

181.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$278 VES 243.0K

326.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$448 VES 391.8K

497.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$198 VES 172.8K

840.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$210 VES 183.3K

355.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

21.5

166.28%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Maracay: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Maracay

$108 14.7% 78.6% $397

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Maracay

$267 36.2% 6% $17

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Maracay

$104 14.1% 62.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Maracay

$62 8.5% 77.1% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Maracay

$120 16.3% 44.1% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Maracay

$38 5.1% 46.4% $33

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Maracay

$38 5.2% 4.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $228 in Maracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 355% 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 $33.00 in Maracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $267 per month, with Maracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇻🇪 Maracay

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

425,606

💱 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Maracay 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Maracay

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 Maracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Maracay differ by about 131% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $729 including rent). Maracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 355% 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 $228 in Maracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $74.6 in Maracay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $729 in Maracay versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Maracay but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Maracay 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 Maracay 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 Maracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 131% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.