Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Palma Soriano

For one person, living is cheaper in Palma Soriano: $1,552 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Buenos Aires despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Palma Soriano
Learn more

Palma Soriano Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Palma Soriano

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Palma Soriano

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,552 in Palma Soriano.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Palma Soriano $1,552

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,866 in Palma Soriano.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Palma Soriano $1,866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,180 in Palma Soriano.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Palma Soriano $2,180

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 7% more expensive than in Palma Soriano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Palma Soriano 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$5.05 CUP 121

278.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$25.36 CUP 609

159.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.15 CUP 124

156.31%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.11 CUP 74.6

23.79%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.29 CUP 30.86

54.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.91 CUP 21.94

75.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.04 CUP 72.9

29.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.42 CUP 58.0

90.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.98 CUP 47.48

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.49 CUP 35.65

69.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$0.98 CUP 23.44

64.29%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.17 CUP 28.04

142.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.12 CUP 147

68.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.09 CUP 146

64.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$11.06 CUP 266

20.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.83 CUP 43.94

57.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.19 CUP 28.45

84.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.48 CUP 35.60

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.47 CUP 35.35

34.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.98 CUP 23.44

23.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.97 CUP 23.33

29.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.01 CUP 24.33

69.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.08 CUP 25.83

59.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.95 CUP 70.9

45.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.08 CUP 242

-43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$3.08 CUP 73.9

-29.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.03 CUP 48.75

35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.26 CUP 6.26

188.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$29.79 CUP 715

-8.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.85 CUP 44.30

-15.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.36 CUP 8.74

186.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$13.10 CUP 314

-39.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.18 CUP 28.37

20.34%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$66.0K CUP 1.6M

-57.63%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$47.3K CUP 1.1M

-26.13%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$55.4 CUP 1,331

252.09%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$10.01 CUP 240

151.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$150 CUP 3,590

-78.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$40.30 CUP 967

26.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.06 CUP 242

66.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$1.03 CUP 24.64

903.88%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$100 CUP 2,402

363.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$12.2K CUP 292.6K

-27.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$63.7 CUP 1,530

88.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$35.61 CUP 855

168.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$84.1 CUP 2,019

35.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$110 CUP 2,647

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$896 CUP 21.5K

-15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$790 CUP 18.9K

-34.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$744 CUP 17.9K

113.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$647 CUP 15.5K

85.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$323 CUP 7,745

740.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$326 CUP 7,826

482.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$40.28 CUP 967

2228.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.33

587.27%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palma Soriano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Palma Soriano

$790 50.9% 51.9% $270

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Palma Soriano

$216 13.9% 23.7% $67

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Palma Soriano

$122 7.9% 56.7% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Palma Soriano

$215 13.9% 14.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Palma Soriano

$132 8.5% 37.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Palma Soriano

$42 2.7% 40.9% $29

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Palma Soriano

$35 2.2% 6.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $896 in Palma Soriano. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 2228% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $25.00 in Palma Soriano for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $216 per month, with Palma Soriano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇺 Palma Soriano

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

11:52 11:52 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

74,930

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Buenos Aires Palma Soriano 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Palma Soriano

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 Palma Soriano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Palma Soriano differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,552 including rent). Palma Soriano is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2228% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $896 in Palma Soriano. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $100 in Palma Soriano. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,552 in Palma Soriano versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palma Soriano but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Palma Soriano 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 Palma Soriano 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 Palma Soriano gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.