Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Muscat

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,565 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Muscat
🇴🇲 Oman
$1,565
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,565 in Muscat.

  • Buenos Aires $1,685
  • Muscat $1,565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,341 in Muscat.

  • Buenos Aires $2,742
  • Muscat $2,341

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,116 in Muscat.

  • Buenos Aires $3,799
  • Muscat $3,116

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 8% more expensive than in Muscat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Muscat 17% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
$5.23 OMR 2.01
258.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 ARS 97.7K
$39.68 OMR 15.27
62.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
$7.64 OMR 2.94
68.59%
Cappuccino
$3.98 ARS 6,027
$4.97 OMR 1.91
-19.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,102
$0.85 OMR 0.33
141.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,348
$0.27 OMR 0.10
474.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ARS 5,828
$12.92 OMR 4.97
-70.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 ARS 6,968
$13.23 OMR 5.09
-65.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ARS 2,180
$2.26 OMR 0.87
-36.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 ARS 3,737
$1.18 OMR 0.45
108.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ARS 2,466
$1.89 OMR 0.73
-13.76%
Eggs
$2.89 ARS 4,384
$2.91 OMR 1.12
-0.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
$7.23 OMR 2.78
47.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$6.86 OMR 2.64
45.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
$10.63 OMR 4.09
29.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 ARS 4,165
$3.66 OMR 1.41
-24.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,299
$1.95 OMR 0.75
11.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,204
$2.40 OMR 0.92
-39.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,012
$1.26 OMR 0.48
57.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ARS 1,884
$1.22 OMR 0.47
1.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,920
$1.27 OMR 0.49
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 ARS 2,574
$1.86 OMR 0.72
-8.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 ARS 2,616
$0.70 OMR 0.27
147.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ARS 6,335
$6.36 OMR 2.45
-34.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 ARS 8,787
$15.54 OMR 5.98
-62.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 ARS 3,162
$6.00 OMR 2.31
-65.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ARS 4,197
$10.34 OMR 3.98
-73.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,131
$1.29 OMR 0.50
-41.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
$77.2 OMR 29.70
-64.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ARS 2,450
$3.30 OMR 1.27
-50.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,480
$2.56 OMR 0.99
-61.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
$7.82 OMR 3.01
-1.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ARS 2,057
$0.63 OMR 0.24
115.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
$25.7K OMR 9,904
8.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ARS 52.3M
$23.0K OMR 8,861
49.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 ARS 326.8K
$177 OMR 68.1
21.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
$30.49 OMR 11.74
-16.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 ARS 47.5K
$71.6 OMR 27.56
-56.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.82 ARS 75.5K
$61.1 OMR 23.53
-18.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
$29.78 OMR 11.46
-42.71%
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
$10.45 OMR 4.02
-0.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ARS 706.5K
$282 OMR 108
65.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
$10.4K OMR 4,003
-12.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ARS 185.1K
$57.6 OMR 22.17
112.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$97.4 ARS 147.7K
$43.41 OMR 16.71
124.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ARS 177.3K
$91.2 OMR 35.11
28.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 211.8K
$85.9 OMR 33.05
62.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ARS 1.2M
$690 OMR 265
10.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 ARS 765.8K
$453 OMR 174
11.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
$1,292 OMR 497
23.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
$819 OMR 315
44.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
$2,815 OMR 1,084
-4.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
$1,609 OMR 619
15.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Muscat
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$954 ARS 1.4M
$1,651 OMR 636
-42.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.25
990.48%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Muscat: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$505
Muscat
$453 10.3% $52
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$284
Muscat
$291 2.5% $7.1
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$279
Muscat
$220 21.2% $59
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$273
Muscat
$279 2.4% $6.6
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$214
Muscat
$125 41.6% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Muscat
$82 16.1% $11
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Muscat
$98 169% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $690 in Muscat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muscat pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $40.00 in Muscat. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $291, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇴🇲 Muscat
🕒 Local time
04:21 4:21 AM
11:21 11:21 AM
7 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
1,090,797 Capital
💱 Currency
Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.
Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Muscat 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Muscat

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 Muscat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Muscat?
Buenos Aires and Muscat differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,565 including rent). Muscat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Muscat. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Muscat?
Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $690 in Muscat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Muscat?
Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $282 in Muscat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,565 in Muscat versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Muscat but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Muscat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Muscat?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Muscat safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Muscat are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Muscat?
Expats usually find Muscat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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