Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Portoviejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Portoviejo: $807 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Portoviejo
Learn more

Portoviejo Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Portoviejo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $807 in Portoviejo.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Portoviejo $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,347 in Portoviejo.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Portoviejo $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,888 in Portoviejo.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Portoviejo $1,888

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 105% more expensive than in Portoviejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Portoviejo is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$4.07 $4.07

369.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$51.8 $51.8

26.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.19 $9.19

43.63%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.91 $2.91

32.30%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.89 $0.89

123.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.75 $0.75

113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.04 $3.04

29.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.19 $4.19

10.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.22 $1.22

22.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.98 $1.98

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.42 $1.42

13.38%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.04 $2.04

39.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.85 $6.85

50.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.11 $5.11

95.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$9.35 $9.35

42.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.53 $1.53

88.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.15 $1.15

91.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.99 $0.99

41.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.95 $0.95

108.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.23 $1.23

-1.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.97 $0.97

29.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.82 $0.82

108.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.99 $0.99

73.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.87 $5.87

-26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.77 $11.77

-51.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.58 $1.58

37.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.20 $2.20

25.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.36 $0.36

108.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$17.65 $17.65

54.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.37 $1.37

14.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.72 $1.72

-40.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$11.82 $11.82

-33.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.83 $0.83

71.08%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$20.6K $20.6K

35.64%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$31.0K $31.0K

12.86%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$39.37 $39.37

395.81%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$14.63 $14.63

71.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$25.63 $25.63

23.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$26.86 $26.86

89.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$17.76 $17.76

-5.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.46 $7.46

38.61%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$378 $378

22.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,653 $5,653

55.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$65.3 $65.3

83.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$39.77 $39.77

140.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$125 $125

-8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$94.0 $94.0

48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$296 $296

155.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$185 $185

180.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$719 $719

121.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$362 $362

231.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,183 $1,183

129.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$769 $769

147.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$327 $327

186.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.05

469.65%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Portoviejo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Portoviejo

$185 23% 64.3% $334

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Portoviejo

$200 24.8% 29.5% $83

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Portoviejo

$125 15.5% 55.6% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Portoviejo

$80 9.9% 68.4% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Portoviejo

$146 18.1% 30.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Portoviejo

$42 5.2% 41.6% $30

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Portoviejo

$29 3.6% 21.4% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $296 in Portoviejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 186% 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 $52.0 in Portoviejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $200 per month, with Portoviejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇨 Portoviejo

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

21:40 9:40 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

180,641

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Portoviejo 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Portoviejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Portoviejo differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $807 including rent). Portoviejo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 186% 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 $296 in Portoviejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $378 in Portoviejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $807 in Portoviejo versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portoviejo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Portoviejo 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 Portoviejo 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 Portoviejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.