Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Montanita

For one person, living is cheaper in Montanita: $903 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Montanita
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Montanita Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Montanita

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$903

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $903 in Montanita.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Montanita $903

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,360 in Montanita.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Montanita $1,360

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,817 in Montanita.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Montanita $1,817

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 87% more expensive than in Montanita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Montanita is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$3.40 $3.40

450.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$28.19 $28.19

128.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.27 $7.27

77.17%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.42 $2.42

64.46%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.84 $0.84

144.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.66 $0.66

134.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.01 $2.01

91.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.40 $3.40

35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.09 $1.09

32.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.63 $1.63

50.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.50 $1.50

8.67%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.11 $2.11

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.53 $5.53

92.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.65 $5.65

76.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.16 $6.16

123.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.07 $2.07

32.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.16 $1.16

87.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.05 $1.05

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.04 $1.04

91.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.43 $1.43

-13.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.03 $1.03

23.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.49 $0.49

246.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.02 $1.02

69.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.87 $5.87

-28.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.02 $10.02

-42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.47 $1.47

42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.45 $2.45

13.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.33 $0.33

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$23.80 $23.80

14.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.49 $1.49

8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.03 $1.03

-4.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$10.10 $10.10

-23.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.62 $0.62

119.35%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$24.6K $24.6K

13.98%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$28.2K $28.2K

22.28%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$39.94 $39.94

439.73%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$13.91 $13.91

84.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$31.23 $31.23

0.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$30.41 $30.41

63.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$14.55 $14.55

17.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$7.21 $7.21

44.66%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$253 $253

84.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,665 $5,665

59.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$56.5 $56.5

115.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$43.23 $43.23

125.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$100 $100

16.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$75.1 $75.1

86.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$336 $336

127.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$315 $315

60.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$628 $628

154.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$494 $494

139.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,236 $1,236

116.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,015 $1,015

83.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

472.50%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montanita: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Montanita

$315 35.6% 37.6% $190

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Montanita

$184 20.8% 35.1% $100

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Montanita

$101 11.4% 63.8% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Montanita

$85 9.6% 68.8% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Montanita

$124 14% 42.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Montanita

$45 5.1% 36.6% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Montanita

$32 3.6% 13.3% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $336 in Montanita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $28.00 in Montanita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $184 per month, with Montanita cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇨 Montanita

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Montanita 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Montanita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Montanita differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $903 including rent). Montanita is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $1,355 in Montanita to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $336 in Montanita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $253 in Montanita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $903 in Montanita versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Montanita but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Montanita 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 Montanita 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 Montanita gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.