Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Portsmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $929 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $929 in Portsmouth.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Portsmouth $929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,626 in Portsmouth.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Portsmouth $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,323 in Portsmouth.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Portsmouth $2,323

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 81% more expensive than in Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Portsmouth is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.50 EC$14.84

240.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$56.2 EC$152

14.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.83 EC$18.44

88.58%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.67 EC$7.20

49.06%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$2.19 EC$5.91

-6.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.87 EC$5.05

-17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.53 EC$6.84

51.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.73 EC$10.07

23.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.86 EC$7.72

-49.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.23 EC$6.03

10.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.01 EC$5.43

-18.91%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$6.50 EC$17.55

-55.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$2.66 EC$7.17

300.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.48 EC$14.80

82.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$7.21 EC$19.46

-61.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.57 EC$6.93

-15.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$4.00 EC$10.81

-63.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.14 EC$11.17

-51.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.90 EC$7.84

-57.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.78 EC$7.51

-54.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.82 EC$4.91

-6.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.90 EC$5.13

-8.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$11.32 EC$30.56

-48.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.87 EC$5.06

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.67 EC$7.20

3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.75 EC$2.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.67 EC$9.90

-55.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$3.68 EC$9.93

-73.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$40.78 EC$110

-37.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$63.9 EC$172

-50.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$36.97 EC$99.8

34.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$11.11 EC$30.01

-6.12%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$55.9 EC$151

118.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$23.90 EC$64.5

307.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$56.0 EC$151

108.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$65.9 EC$178

112.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$258 EC$696

196.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$223 EC$602

126.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$670 EC$1,808

138.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$617 EC$1,667

91.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$626 EC$1,691

52.40%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Portsmouth

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Portsmouth

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Portsmouth

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Portsmouth

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Portsmouth

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Portsmouth

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Portsmouth

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $258 in Portsmouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 52% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $56.0 in Portsmouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $290, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

3,633

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Portsmouth 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Portsmouth differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $929 including rent). Portsmouth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $258 in Portsmouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Portsmouth – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $929 in Portsmouth – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $929 in Portsmouth versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Portsmouth but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.