Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Praia

For one person, living is cheaper in Praia: $1,202 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

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

Cost of Living Index in Praia
Learn more

Praia Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Praia

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,202 in Praia.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Praia $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,804 in Praia.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Praia $1,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,407 in Praia.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Praia $2,407

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 40% more expensive than in Praia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Praia is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.10 CVE 502

267.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$36.09 CVE 3,553

78.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.08 CVE 697

81.92%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.65 CVE 260

50.19%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.60 CVE 157

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.19 CVE 117

30.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.55 CVE 251

50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.98 CVE 195

132.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.39 CVE 137

3.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.04 CVE 200

20.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.54 CVE 349

-53.95%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.36 CVE 232

22.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$26.35 CVE 2,595

-59.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.68 CVE 461

113.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$16.59 CVE 1,634

-17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$5.11 CVE 503

-46.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.97 CVE 292

-26.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$4.08 CVE 402

-64.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.33 CVE 427

-54.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.48 CVE 146

-16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.44 CVE 142

-11.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.00 CVE 98.0

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.50 CVE 147

15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.29 CVE 521

-20.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$8.33 CVE 820

-30.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.81 CVE 178

15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.79 CVE 177

54.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.81 CVE 79.5

-7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$29.32 CVE 2,887

-7.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.75 CVE 173

-7.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.22 CVE 120

-19.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.55 CVE 153

-12.26%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$29.1K CVE 2.9M

-3.78%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$37.4K CVE 3.7M

-7.78%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$178 CVE 17.5K

20.94%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$18.15 CVE 1,787

41.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$50.8 CVE 5,000

-38.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$32.07 CVE 3,158

55.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$9.98 CVE 983

70.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$5.60 CVE 551

86.25%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$128 CVE 12.6K

264.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,146 CVE 309.7K

187.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$61.9 CVE 6,094

97.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$25.25 CVE 2,486

285.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$66.0 CVE 6,499

77.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$89.7 CVE 8,835

55.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$586 CVE 57.6K

30.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$291 CVE 28.7K

73.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$890 CVE 87.6K

79.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$471 CVE 46.4K

151.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,337 CVE 131.6K

100.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$982 CVE 96.6K

89.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$302 CVE 29.7K

216.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

615.63%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Praia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Praia

$291 24.2% 42.3% $214

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Praia

$350 29.1% 23.2% $66

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Praia

$122 10.1% 56.4% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Praia

$247 20.6% 9.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Praia

$109 9.1% 49% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Praia

$43 3.6% 38.8% $27

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Praia

$40 3.4% 10.3% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $586 in Praia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 216% 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 $36.00 in Praia. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $350, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇻 Praia

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

2 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

127,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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 = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.45 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Praia 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Praia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Praia differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,202 including rent). Praia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 216% 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 $586 in Praia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $128 in Praia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,202 in Praia versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Praia but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Praia 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 Praia 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 Praia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.