Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Moratuwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Moratuwa: $131 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Moratuwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $131 in Moratuwa.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Moratuwa $131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $211 in Moratuwa.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Moratuwa $211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $291 in Moratuwa.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Moratuwa $291

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 1144% more expensive than in Moratuwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Moratuwa is 90% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$1.84 LKR 611

102.72%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$0.71 LKR 234

185.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$0.15 LKR 49.28

1033.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$1.85 LKR 616

119.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$2.46 LKR 816

93.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$1.25 LKR 417

16.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$0.46 LKR 154

452.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$0.82 LKR 272

92.68%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$2.36 LKR 785

13.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$12.27 LKR 4,078

-9.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$0.46 LKR 154

378.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$4.44 LKR 1,475

438.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$15.01 LKR 4,989

219.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

$3.08 LKR 1,024

439.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$6.05 LKR 2,013

1479.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Last update for Moratuwa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Moratuwa

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Moratuwa

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Moratuwa

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Moratuwa

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Moratuwa

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Moratuwa

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Moratuwa

–

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇰 Moratuwa

🕒 Local time

20:43 8:43 PM

05:13 5:13 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

207,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Moratuwa 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Moratuwa

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 Moratuwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Buenos Aires and $131 in Moratuwa, so Moratuwa is about 92% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,450 in Buenos Aires and $197 in Moratuwa 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 309% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,633 per month in Buenos Aires versus $131 in Moratuwa – Moratuwa is about 92% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $131 in Moratuwa versus $1,633 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Moratuwa but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Moratuwa 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 Moratuwa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.