Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ottawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,388 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
Learn more

Ottawa Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,388 in Ottawa.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Ottawa $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $3,474 in Ottawa.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Ottawa $3,474

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $4,559 in Ottawa.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Ottawa $4,559

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 29% less than in Ottawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Ottawa 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$18.59 CA$26.49

0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$77.0 CA$110

-16.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$10.60 CA$15.12

21.51%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.94 CA$5.61

1.02%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$2.01 CA$2.87

1.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.78 CA$2.53

-12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$5.57 CA$7.94

-31.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$6.19 CA$8.82

-25.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.29 CA$3.27

-37.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$3.10 CA$4.42

-20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.21 CA$4.57

-49.22%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.47 CA$4.95

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$10.47 CA$14.93

1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$11.17 CA$15.91

-10.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$17.68 CA$25.20

-22.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.76 CA$5.36

-26.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.38 CA$1.97

57.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.77 CA$5.37

-61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$3.54 CA$5.05

-43.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.65 CA$3.78

-53.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.41 CA$3.44

-47.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.63 CA$3.76

-35.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.59 CA$2.27

8.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$14.49 CA$20.65

-71.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$11.80 CA$16.82

-50.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.61 CA$3.72

-19.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$3.29 CA$4.69

-15.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$2.77 CA$3.94

-72.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$93.9 CA$134

-71.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$2.72 CA$3.88

-40.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.51 CA$2.15

-35.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$19.16 CA$27.31

-59.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.20 CA$1.71

13.33%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$27.8K CA$39.7K

0.66%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$21.1K CA$30.0K

63.92%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$136 CA$194

58.37%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$36.63 CA$52.2

-30.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$50.4 CA$71.8

-37.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$45.79 CA$65.3

8.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$27.77 CA$39.59

-38.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$12.82 CA$18.28

-18.64%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$913 CA$1,301

-48.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$16.1K CA$23.0K

-43.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$61.2 CA$87.3

99.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$38.63 CA$55.1

152.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$106 CA$151

10.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$97.6 CA$139

43.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,490 CA$2,124

-48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,206 CA$1,719

-58.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$2,204 CA$3,141

-27.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,836 CA$2,617

-35.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$4,287 CA$6,111

-37.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$4,457 CA$6,353

-58.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$3,712 CA$5,292

-74.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.14

1282.85%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ottawa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.2% 139% $701

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Ottawa

$366 15.3% 29% $82

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Ottawa

$283 11.8% 1.5% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Ottawa

$223 9.3% 18.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Ottawa

$137 5.7% 36.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Ottawa

$71 3% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Ottawa

$115 4.8% 215% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,490 in Ottawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays 289% 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 $77.0 in Ottawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $366 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Ottawa 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Ottawa

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 Ottawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Ottawa differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $2,388 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 289% lower in Ottawa. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $1,490 in Ottawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $913 in Ottawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Ottawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,388 in Ottawa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Ottawa. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Ottawa 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.