Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Pula

For one person, living is cheaper in Pula: $1,577 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Pula
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,577
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,577 in Pula.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Pula $1,577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,504 in Pula.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Pula $2,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,432 in Pula.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Pula $3,432

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 5% more expensive than in Pula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Pula 17% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 28.9K
$14.57 €13.01
31.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.6K
$66.0 €58.9
-0.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$8.89 €7.94
48.48%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,823
$2.48 €2.22
55.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,011
$2.98 €2.66
-33.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,423
$2.11 €1.89
-24.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,942
$3.29 €2.94
19.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 6,982
$4.35 €3.88
5.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,265
$1.18 €1.05
27.12%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,826
$1.79 €1.60
41.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,438
$3.20 €2.85
-49.69%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,303
$3.90 €3.48
-27.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$10.68 €9.54
-3.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.1K
$10.67 €9.53
-6.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.1K
$18.47 €16.50
-27.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,353
$1.91 €1.71
50.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,324
$1.88 €1.68
17.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,114
$2.12 €1.89
-33.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 2,995
$2.55 €2.28
-22.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,830
$1.31 €1.17
-7.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,905
$1.30 €1.16
-3.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,584
$1.31 €1.17
30.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,596
$1.21 €1.08
42.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,486
$5.54 €4.95
-22.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,619
$7.80 €6.96
-26.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,278
$1.89 €1.69
14.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,175
$2.38 €2.13
15.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,137
$2.18 €1.95
-65.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.3K
$33.87 €30.24
-19.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,368
$3.38 €3.01
-53.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,554
$2.18 €1.94
-52.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 11.9K
$21.65 €19.33
-63.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,154
$1.78 €1.59
-20.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.3M
$26.0K €23.3K
7.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 52.9M
$26.9K €24.0K
30.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 295.3K
$156 €139
25.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.1K
$22.06 €19.70
14.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.7K
$40.22 €35.92
-21.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.0K
$49.30 €44.03
3.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.3K
$37.54 €33.53
-55.43%
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.6K
$10.91 €9.74
-5.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 701.1K
$237 €212
95.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$2,769 €2,473
217.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.3K
$115 €102
4.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.5K
$35.58 €31.77
168.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 172.6K
$144 €128
-20.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 210.8K
$133 €118
5.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$667 €596
13.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 786.5K
$523 €467
-0.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$1,302 €1,163
22.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$1,004 €896
19.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$4,316 €3,854
-37.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$3,539 €3,160
-46.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Pula
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$1,520 €1,357
-38.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
3.54
1517.23%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pula: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Pula
$523 0.7% $3.4
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Pula
$297 4.9% $14
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Pula
$219 22.4% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Pula
$218 13.5% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Pula
$192 9% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Pula
$71 0.7% $0.5
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Pula
$57 53.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $667 in Pula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pula pays 62% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $66.0 in Pula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $297 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇭🇷 Pula
🕒 Local time
08:07 8:07 AM
13:07 1:07 PM
5 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
52,220
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Pula 11,440 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Pula

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 Pula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Pula?
Buenos Aires and Pula differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,577 including rent). Pula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Pula. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Pula?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $667 in Pula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Pula?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $237 in Pula. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,577 in Pula versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pula but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Pula the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Pula?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Pula safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Pula are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Pula?
Expats usually find Pula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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