Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $726 in Mombasa.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Mombasa $726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,140 in Mombasa.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Mombasa $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,553 in Mombasa.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Mombasa $1,553

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 132% more expensive than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.65 KES 343

606.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$24.75 KES 3,210

160.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$10.36 KES 1,343

24.32%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.75 KES 357

44.73%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.68 KES 88.1

201.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.52 KES 67.1

198.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.28 KES 296

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.33 KES 432

38.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.99 KES 128

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.53 KES 69.3

364.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.52 KES 197

7.24%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.75 KES 227

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$13.89 KES 1,802

-23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.92 KES 639

103.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$5.42 KES 703

153.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.17 KES 282

26.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.15 KES 149

89.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.77 KES 230

-18.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.71 KES 91.6

180.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.74 KES 95.8

67.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.05 KES 136

20.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.60 KES 78.0

183.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.46 KES 59.4

276.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.99 KES 517

4.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$9.71 KES 1,259

-40.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.93 KES 250

8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.90 KES 377

-4.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.80 KES 103

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$39.24 KES 5,089

-30.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.17 KES 411

-48.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.76 KES 229

-44.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$4.49 KES 583

71.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.59 KES 206

-14.47%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

131.13%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

184.03%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$76.8 KES 9,958

180.76%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$9.20 KES 1,194

178.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$34.52 KES 4,478

-9.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$18.03 KES 2,339

176.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$19.39 KES 2,515

-12.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$15.22 KES 1,974

-31.47%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$85.5 KES 11.1K

445.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,377 KES 697.4K

68.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$13.31 KES 1,727

817.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$13.57 KES 1,760

618.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$23.10 KES 2,996

406.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$46.02 KES 5,969

203.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$231 KES 30.0K

230.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$157 KES 20.3K

222.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$538 KES 69.8K

196.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$374 KES 48.5K

216.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$5,456 KES 707.6K

-50.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$3,836 KES 497.6K

-51.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$318 KES 41.3K

199.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

340.38%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Mombasa

$157 21.8% 69% $348

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Mombasa

$186 26% 34.4% $98

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 61.2% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 55.8% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Mombasa

$43 6% 79.8% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Mombasa

$48 6.8% 31.4% $22

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Mombasa

$54 7.6% 48.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $231 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 200% 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 $25.00 in Mombasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $186 per month, with Mombasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

13:18 1:18 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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 = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Mombasa 10,490 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Mombasa differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $726 including rent). Mombasa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 200% 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 $231 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $85.5 in Mombasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $726 in Mombasa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mombasa but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mombasa 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 Mombasa 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 Mombasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.