Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Middelburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Middelburg: $1,089 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
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Middelburg Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,089 in Middelburg.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Middelburg $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,696 in Middelburg.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Middelburg $1,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,303 in Middelburg.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Middelburg $2,303

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 52% more expensive than in Middelburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Middelburg is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$9.75 R 161

95.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$35.51 R 585

85.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.72 R 94.3

130.77%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.35 R 22.19

185.19%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.85 R 14.06

134.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.60 R 9.95

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.17 R 19.31

235.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.54 R 25.41

199.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.14 R 18.78

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.08 R 17.83

134.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.51 R 24.91

6.62%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.70 R 28.01

67.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$5.93 R 97.7

73.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.13 R 84.6

94.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.54 R 108

103.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.64 R 26.95

75.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.08 R 17.83

103.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.15 R 19.00

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.23 R 20.30

60.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.68 R 27.62

-27.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.19 R 19.64

5.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.19 R 19.59

43.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.95 R 15.71

81.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.41 R 39.66

78.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.95 R 81.5

15.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.85 R 30.47

17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.04 R 33.65

35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.44 R 23.77

-47.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$42.42 R 699

-35.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.59 R 9.66

166.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.87 R 14.38

18.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$11.56 R 190

-31.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.32 R 21.81

7.58%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.1K R 577.9K

-20.32%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$32.1K R 528.4K

9.04%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$145 R 2,382

35.03%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$34.32 R 565

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$37.05 R 610

-14.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$31.85 R 525

59.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.78 R 178

55.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.19 R 118

43.81%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$243 R 4,005

90.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,359 R 88.3K

64.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$53.1 R 874

125.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$32.83 R 541

190.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$98.5 R 1,623

15.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$88.3 R 1,455

57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$387 R 6,369

95.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$354 R 5,836

46.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$736 R 12.1K

116.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$742 R 12.2K

61.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$878 R 14.5K

209.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$665 R 10.9K

185.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,193 R 19.6K

-21.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.94

423.31%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Middelburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Middelburg

$354 32.5% 31.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Middelburg

$170 15.7% 39.8% $113

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Middelburg

$126 11.6% 55.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Middelburg

$216 19.8% 14.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Middelburg

$123 11.3% 41.8% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Middelburg

$46 4.3% 35.4% $25

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Middelburg

$53 4.9% 43.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $387 in Middelburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middelburg pays 27% 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 Middelburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $170 per month, with Middelburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

15:14 3:14 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

87,348

💱 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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Buenos Aires Middelburg 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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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 Middelburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Middelburg differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,089 including rent). Middelburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Middelburg. 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 $387 in Middelburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $243 in Middelburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,089 in Middelburg versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Middelburg but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Middelburg 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 Middelburg 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 Middelburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.