Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. The total is higher in Buenos Aires despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,364 in Medina.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Medina $1,364

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,816 in Medina.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Medina $1,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,268 in Medina.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Medina $2,268

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 24% more expensive than in Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Medina 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.53 SAR 20.75

238.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$32.09 SAR 120

100.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.20 SAR 30.78

57.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.70 SAR 10.15

47.41%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.76 SAR 2.84

169.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.25 SAR 0.95

520.00%

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

$1.49 SAR 5.61

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.92 SAR 3.44

167.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.32 SAR 8.70

-29.74%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.09 SAR 7.84

38.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.44 SAR 20.44

95.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.03 SAR 26.39

42.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$12.49 SAR 46.90

10.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.42 SAR 9.10

13.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.98 SAR 7.42

10.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.29 SAR 8.60

-36.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.55 SAR 5.83

28.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.37 SAR 5.14

-7.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.93 SAR 3.49

82.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.71 SAR 2.68

143.66%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$7.54 SAR 28.32

-44.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.05 SAR 3.94

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$36.80 SAR 138

-26.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.36 SAR 5.12

19.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-41.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$5.71 SAR 21.44

35.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.64 SAR 2.41

112.50%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-33.00%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

67.21%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$149 SAR 558

45.04%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$27.41 SAR 103

-6.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$90.7 SAR 341

-65.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$78.9 SAR 296

-36.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$9.01 SAR 33.83

89.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$13.51 SAR 50.7

-22.80%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$294 SAR 1,103

58.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

65.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$36.85 SAR 138

231.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$54.4 SAR 204

79.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$67.0 SAR 252

74.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$70.0 SAR 263

99.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$570 SAR 2,139

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$529 SAR 1,988

-4.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$779 SAR 2,926

105.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$573 SAR 2,151

106.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,309 SAR 8,670

15.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,356 SAR 5,091

37.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,244 SAR 4,671

-23.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.17

1272.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Medina

$529 39.2% 4.8% $24

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Medina

$191 14.1% 32.9% $93

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Medina

$105 7.8% 62.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Medina

$267 19.7% 2.1% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Medina

$103 7.6% 52.1% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Medina

$106 7.8% 49.8% $35

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Medina

$51 3.8% 38.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $570 in Medina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medina pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $32.00 in Medina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $191 per month, with Medina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

06:30 6:30 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,100,093

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Medina 12,220 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Medina differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,364 including rent). Medina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Medina. 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $570 in Medina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $294 in Medina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,364 in Medina versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Medina but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.