Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $897 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
Learn more

Oskemen Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $897 in Oskemen.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Oskemen $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,498 in Oskemen.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Oskemen $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,099 in Oskemen.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Oskemen $2,099

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 88% more expensive than in Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$12.96 ₸5,835

44.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$26.65 ₸12.0K

141.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$3.96 ₸1,784

225.25%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$3.41 ₸1,534

16.72%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$1.02 ₸457

100.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.58 ₸263

167.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$1.57 ₸709

144.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$1.68 ₸755

173.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.41 ₸636

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$0.50 ₸223

392.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.29 ₸579

26.36%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$1.72 ₸773

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$10.25 ₸4,614

3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.73 ₸2,581

74.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$7.97 ₸3,586

72.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$1.15 ₸516

139.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.98 ₸892

10.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$2.61 ₸1,174

-44.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$2.52 ₸1,133

-21.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$0.89 ₸399

39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$0.49 ₸219

159.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$0.31 ₸142

448.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$1.05 ₸471

64.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$2.13 ₸960

96.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$4.95 ₸2,227

17.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.45 ₸652

44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$1.66 ₸746

66.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$0.26 ₸117

188.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$1.08 ₸485

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$0.30 ₸133

226.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$2.34 ₸1,052

229.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$0.68 ₸305

100.00%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$32.3K ₸14.5M

-13.18%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$30.1K ₸13.5M

14.81%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$45.73 ₸20.6K

371.40%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$11.11 ₸5,003

130.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$22.78 ₸10.3K

37.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$26.16 ₸11.8K

90.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$19.98 ₸8,993

-14.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$5.02 ₸2,259

107.77%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$66.5 ₸30.0K

600.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,760 ₸1.2M

228.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$115 ₸51.7K

6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$80.4 ₸36.2K

21.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$98.0 ₸44.1K

19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$122 ₸55.0K

14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$341 ₸153.4K

124.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$224 ₸101.0K

125.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$650 ₸292.7K

145.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$576 ₸259.2K

105.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,118 ₸503.5K

139.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$810 ₸364.8K

129.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$794 ₸357.5K

20.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

19.5

193.59%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Oskemen

$224 25% 55.6% $281

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Oskemen

$193 21.5% 32.1% $91

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Oskemen

$174 19.4% 37.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Oskemen

$80 8.9% 70.8% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Oskemen

$187 20.8% 12.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Oskemen

$36 4% 48.8% $34

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Oskemen

$3.6 * 0.4% 90.2% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $341 in Oskemen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 20% 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 $27.00 in Oskemen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $193 per month, with Oskemen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

16:10 4:10 PM

9 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

354,770

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Oskemen 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Oskemen

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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Oskemen differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $897 including rent). Oskemen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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 $341 in Oskemen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $66.5 in Oskemen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oskemen – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $897 in Oskemen versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Oskemen but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Oskemen 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 Oskemen 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 Oskemen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.