Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Pilar

For one person, living is cheaper in Pilar: $1,248 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Pilar
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Pilar Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Pilar

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $1,248 in Pilar.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Pilar $1,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $2,153 in Pilar.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Pilar $2,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $3,058 in Pilar.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Pilar $3,058

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 31% more expensive than in Pilar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Pilar is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$18.36 ARS 28.2K

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$60.6 ARS 93.2K

9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$13.02 ARS 20.0K

-0.46%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$3.75 ARS 5,766

-0.53%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$2.07 ARS 3,181

-1.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$1.60 ARS 2,469

6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$4.04 ARS 6,221

0.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$4.70 ARS 7,229

1.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$1.51 ARS 2,320

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$2.56 ARS 3,939

-0.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$1.52 ARS 2,334

3.95%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$2.31 ARS 3,549

16.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$11.06 ARS 17.0K

0.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$2.92 ARS 4,487

245.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$10.10 ARS 15.5K

30.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$2.80 ARS 4,315

-1.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$2.08 ARS 3,197

5.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.41 ARS 2,165

-0.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$1.99 ARS 3,062

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$1.22 ARS 1,874

-1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$1.16 ARS 1,787

-0.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

$1.61 ARS 2,479

1.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$1.78 ARS 2,743

1.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$4.20 ARS 6,459

0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$5.73 ARS 8,816

-3.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$2.03 ARS 3,122

1.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$2.80 ARS 4,312

-1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$0.94 ARS 1,442

-21.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$1.63 ARS 2,502

-1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

$1.03 ARS 1,583

-5.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

$8.16 ARS 12.6K

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.07 ARS 1,650

30.84%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$23.6K ARS 36.3M

-1.67%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$31.7K ARS 48.7M

3.72%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$63.3 ARS 97.3K

210.19%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$9.81 ARS 15.1K

143.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$19.66 ARS 30.2K

60.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$31.40 ARS 48.3K

52.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

$18.18 ARS 28.0K

-8.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$10.88 ARS 16.7K

-2.85%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$239 ARS 367.0K

109.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$4,171 ARS 6.4M

112.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

$119 ARS 182.9K

2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$95.2 ARS 146.4K

0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$115 ARS 176.2K

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$140 ARS 215.1K

-0.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$520 ARS 799.4K

40.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$369 ARS 567.2K

36.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$1,046 ARS 1.6M

41.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$937 ARS 1.4M

19.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$1,276 ARS 2.0M

52.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

$987 ARS 1.5M

-6.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pilar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Pilar

$369 29.5% 26.7% $134

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Pilar

$237 19% 16.4% $47

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Pilar

$275 22.1% 0.3% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Pilar

$93 7.4% 63.2% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Pilar

$211 16.9% 0.7% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Pilar

$53 4.3% 23.1% $16

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Pilar

$11 * 0.8% 73.2% $29

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 $731 in Buenos Aires and $520 in Pilar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pilar pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Buenos Aires vs $61 in Pilar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $237 per month, with Pilar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Pilar

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

81,120

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Buenos Aires Pilar 46 km

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Buenos Aires
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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 Pilar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Pilar differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,633 vs $1,248 including rent). Pilar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Buenos Aires. 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: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $520 in Pilar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $239 in Pilar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pilar – a meal for two runs $61 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Pilar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Pilar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.