Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
Learn more

Pasto Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $799 in Pasto.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Pasto $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,210 in Pasto.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Pasto $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,622 in Pasto.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Pasto $1,622

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 107% more expensive than in Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Pasto is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$3.98 COP 12.6K

379.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$23.79 COP 75.4K

176.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.46 COP 23.7K

76.94%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.56 COP 4,934

146.79%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.86 COP 2,724

131.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.61 COP 1,943

162.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.16 COP 3,666

238.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.20 COP 6,968

109.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.09 COP 3,464

37.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.29 COP 4,088

96.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.18 COP 3,744

36.44%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.14 COP 6,771

32.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$4.61 COP 14.6K

123.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.26 COP 16.7K

90.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.29 COP 23.1K

82.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.44 COP 7,748

18.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.04 COP 3,302

111.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.30 COP 4,108

7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.07 COP 3,379

85.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.15 COP 3,648

5.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.13 COP 3,586

11.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.80 COP 2,537

113.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.64 COP 2,041

168.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.37 COP 7,509

81.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$9.81 COP 31.1K

-41.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.09 COP 3,443

99.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.77 COP 5,599

55.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.72 COP 2,271

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$30.39 COP 96.4K

-10.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.43 COP 4,532

9.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.79 COP 5,688

-42.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.98 COP 18.9K

32.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.93 COP 2,958

52.69%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$18.1K COP 57.2M

54.81%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$25.7K COP 81.6M

35.82%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$83.4 COP 264.4K

134.08%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$8.89 COP 28.2K

183.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$22.38 COP 71.0K

40.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$23.02 COP 73.0K

121.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$3.89 COP 12.3K

165.81%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$235 COP 744.6K

97.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,071 COP 19.2M

44.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$58.6 COP 185.6K

104.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$32.60 COP 103.4K

192.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$82.4 COP 261.4K

38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$71.8 COP 227.6K

94.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$269 COP 851.9K

181.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$237 COP 751.4K

119.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$530 COP 1.7M

200.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$415 COP 1.3M

189.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,429 COP 4.5M

89.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,069 COP 3.4M

77.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

13.06

338.36%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Pasto

$237 29.7% 54.4% $283

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Pasto

$173 21.7% 38.8% $110

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Pasto

$89 11.1% 68.4% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Pasto

$115 14.4% 54.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Pasto

$110 13.8% 47.7% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Pasto

$31 3.9% 57% $41

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Pasto

$44 5.5% 18.1% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $269 in Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $24.00 in Pasto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $173 per month, with Pasto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇴 Pasto

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

392,930

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Pasto 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Pasto

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 Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Pasto differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $799 including rent). Pasto 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 $1,198 in Pasto 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $269 in Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $235 in Pasto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $799 in Pasto versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pasto but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Pasto 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 Pasto 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 Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.