Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Margate

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $889 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $889 in Margate.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Margate $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,410 in Margate.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Margate $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,932 in Margate.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Margate $1,932

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 86% more expensive than in Margate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Margate is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$7.83 R 129

143.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$35.95 R 592

83.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.97 R 98.4

121.11%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.80 R 29.58

113.89%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.03 R 16.99

93.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.76 R 12.60

110.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.43 R 39.96

61.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.27 R 37.38

103.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.02 R 16.77

47.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.92 R 15.10

175.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.05 R 17.37

53.33%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.36 R 38.87

20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$4.98 R 82.0

106.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.37 R 55.6

196.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.05 R 99.7

119.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.15 R 18.87

150.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.19 R 19.54

84.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.05 R 17.37

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.44 R 23.78

37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.08 R 17.78

12.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.30 R 21.43

-3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.09 R 17.96

56.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.95 R 15.63

81.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.58 R 26.04

171.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$3.49 R 57.5

63.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.45 R 23.92

49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.81 R 29.90

52.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.52 R 25.09

-50.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.41 R 6.75

282.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.74 R 12.23

39.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.46 R 123

5.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.35 R 22.31

5.19%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.5K R 584.5K

-21.22%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$30.9K R 508.8K

13.24%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$60.9 R 1,003

220.58%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$18.27 R 301

37.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$33.36 R 550

-5.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$32.27 R 532

57.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.59 R 174

57.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$4.12 R 68.0

150.97%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$304 R 5,016

52.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,507 R 123.7K

17.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$54.2 R 893

121.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$18.33 R 302

420.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$71.8 R 1,183

58.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$48.57 R 800

186.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$396 R 6,527

90.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$366 R 6,028

42.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$741 R 12.2K

114.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$722 R 11.9K

66.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$888 R 14.6K

205.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$666 R 11.0K

185.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,528 R 25.2K

-38.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.78

385.99%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Margate

$366 41.2% 29.6% $154

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Margate

$147 16.5% 48.2% $137

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Margate

$126 14.2% 55.3% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Margate

$113 12.7% 55.3% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Margate

$87 9.8% 58.8% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Margate

$41 4.6% 43.4% $31

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Margate

$10 * 1.2% 72.4% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $396 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 63% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $36.00 in Margate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $147 per month, with Margate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Margate

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

34,407

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Margate 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Margate differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $889 including rent). Margate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Margate. 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $396 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $304 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $889 in Margate versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Margate 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 Margate 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 Margate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.