Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $814 in Merida.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Merida $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,418 in Merida.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Merida $1,418

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,021 in Merida.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Merida $2,021

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 103% more expensive than in Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Merida is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.90 VES 10.4K

60.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$60.9 VES 53.4K

8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.82 VES 9,500

22.00%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.54 VES 2,226

51.57%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.13 VES 1,867

-6.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.36 VES 1,195

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.97 VES 1,727

99.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.01 VES 2,644

53.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.04 VES 1,788

-26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.32 VES 2,913

-23.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.00 VES 1,759

-19.50%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.51 VES 2,201

13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.79 VES 5,965

51.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.87 VES 6,912

27.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.31 VES 6,421

81.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$5.11 VES 4,488

-43.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.44 VES 1,267

52.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.76 VES 2,426

-49.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.36 VES 2,070

-16.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.98 VES 1,735

-38.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.36 VES 1,194

-7.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.49 VES 1,307

14.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$2.53 VES 2,217

-32.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.71 VES 3,258

15.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.18 VES 9,812

-49.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.40 VES 1,233

55.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.21 VES 1,944

24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.29 VES 253

158.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.95 VES 3,469

-60.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.48 VES 1,300

-30.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.86 VES 5,144

34.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.72 VES 629

97.22%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$45.7K VES 40.1M

-38.87%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$50.5K VES 44.3M

-30.74%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$12.37 VES 10.9K

1478.01%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$10.13 VES 8,894

148.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$29.49 VES 25.9K

6.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$29.41 VES 25.8K

73.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$14.79 VES 13.0K

13.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$4.93 VES 4,325

109.74%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$88.5 VES 77.7K

423.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$2,399 VES 2.1M

266.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$72.6 VES 63.7K

65.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$42.37 VES 37.2K

125.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$97.4 VES 85.5K

17.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$98.3 VES 86.3K

41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$132 VES 116.2K

471.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$93.6 VES 82.1K

455.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$224 VES 196.9K

609.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$193 VES 169.8K

519.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,184 VES 1.0M

129.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,211 VES 1.1M

56.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$290 VES 254.9K

222.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

129.00%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Merida

$94 11.5% 82% $426

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Merida

$289 35.5% 2% $5.8

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Merida

$188 23.1% 33.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Merida

$52 6.4% 79.4% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Merida

$140 17.2% 33.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Merida

$39 4.8% 45.2% $32

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Merida

$13 * 1.5% 66.2% $24

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 $132 in Merida. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 223% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $61.0 in Merida. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $289, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

250,303

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Merida 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Merida differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $814 including rent). Merida is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 223% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $132 in Merida. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $88.5 in Merida. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Merida – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Merida versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Merida but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Merida 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 Merida 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 Merida gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.