Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $658 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
Learn more

Pisco Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $658 in Pisco.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Pisco $658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,019 in Pisco.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Pisco $1,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,380 in Pisco.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Pisco $1,380

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 152% more expensive than in Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Pisco is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$4.37 PEN 15.02

336.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$34.60 PEN 119

90.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.86 PEN 23.56

92.42%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.18 PEN 10.93

21.07%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.06 PEN 3.64

87.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.65 PEN 2.22

146.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.69 PEN 9.23

46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.48 PEN 15.38

2.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-8.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.27 PEN 7.80

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.25 PEN 4.28

28.80%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.29 PEN 4.44

120.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.22 PEN 21.36

65.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.82 PEN 16.56

107.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.40 PEN 21.98

107.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.32 PEN 4.54

118.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.99 PEN 3.41

122.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.36 PEN 4.66

2.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.61 PEN 2.08

224.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.45 PEN 1.55

168.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.92 PEN 3.14

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.82 PEN 2.81

108.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.93 PEN 3.18

84.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.74 PEN 19.72

-25.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$8.54 PEN 29.34

-33.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.85 PEN 6.34

17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.43 PEN 8.34

13.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.85 PEN 2.93

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$35.08 PEN 120

-22.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.87 PEN 13.29

-59.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.07 PEN 7.10

-50.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.43 PEN 25.52

6.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-13.41%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.4K PEN 77.0K

24.62%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$25.3K PEN 86.9K

38.26%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$43.24 PEN 149

351.43%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$16.04 PEN 55.1

56.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$11.49 PEN 39.46

174.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$20.15 PEN 69.2

152.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$8.94 PEN 30.72

87.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.38 PEN 25.36

40.11%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$176 PEN 604

163.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$13.3K PEN 45.6K

-33.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$53.7 PEN 185

123.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$13.00 PEN 44.65

634.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$45.65 PEN 157

149.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$35.25 PEN 121

295.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$161 PEN 554

368.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$129 PEN 443

303.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$144 PEN 494

733.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,834 PEN 6,300

47.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,331 PEN 4,572

42.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$565 PEN 1,941

65.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.94

540.38%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pisco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Pisco

$129 19.6% 75.2% $391

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Pisco

$181 27.5% 36.1% $102

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Pisco

$123 18.7% 56.4% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Pisco

$71 10.8% 71.9% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Pisco

$66 10.1% 68.5% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 51.2% $37

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Pisco

$53 8% 42.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $161 in Pisco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 66% 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 $35.00 in Pisco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $181 per month, with Pisco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

14,917

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Pisco 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Pisco differ by about 152% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $658 including rent). Pisco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 66% 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 $161 in Pisco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $176 in Pisco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $658 in Pisco versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pisco but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Pisco 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 Pisco 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 Pisco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.