Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
Learn more

Old Harbour Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Old Harbour

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $998 in Old Harbour.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Old Harbour $998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,652 in Old Harbour.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Old Harbour $1,652

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,305 in Old Harbour.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Old Harbour $2,305

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 66% more expensive than in Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Old Harbour is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$13.53 JMD 2,138

41.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-11.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.93 JMD 1,253

66.46%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$5.24 JMD 828

-26.53%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.20 JMD 190

65.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.73 JMD 115

119.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.17 JMD 343

81.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.17 JMD 500

45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$4.03 JMD 636

-62.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.77 JMD 595

-32.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.59 JMD 251

1.26%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.47 JMD 548

-18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$11.28 JMD 1,783

-8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.38 JMD 1,008

56.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$10.30 JMD 1,628

29.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$6.09 JMD 963

-52.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$3.80 JMD 601

-42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$7.45 JMD 1,177

-81.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.06 JMD 484

-35.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$3.28 JMD 519

-63.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.70 JMD 427

-53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$3.03 JMD 479

-43.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.45 JMD 229

18.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$9.24 JMD 1,459

-53.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.41 JMD 1,803

-50.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.80 JMD 442

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$4.00 JMD 633

-31.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.16 JMD 184

35.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$3.07 JMD 486

-66.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$6.13 JMD 968

28.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.47 JMD 232

-3.40%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-37.58%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

6.55%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$164 JMD 26.0K

18.82%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$29.43 JMD 4,650

-14.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$53.0 JMD 8,374

-40.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$13.05 JMD 2,062

-20.77%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$361 JMD 57.0K

28.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

4.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$23.49 JMD 3,710

410.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$31.98 JMD 5,053

198.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

49.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$104 JMD 16.4K

34.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

9.45

505.82%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Old Harbour

$383 38.4% 35.1% $100

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Old Harbour

$220 22% 22% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Old Harbour

$247 24.7% 2.1% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 49.7% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6% 63.5% $45

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 55.3% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $74.0 in Old Harbour for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $383 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

26,024

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Old Harbour 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Old Harbour differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $998 including rent). Old Harbour is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,497 in Old Harbour 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.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $361 in Old Harbour. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Old Harbour – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $998 in Old Harbour versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Old Harbour but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.