Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Quetta

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $418 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $418 in Quetta.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Quetta $418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $625 in Quetta.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Quetta $625

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $833 in Quetta.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Quetta $833

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 297% more expensive than in Quetta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Quetta is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$3.72 PKR 1,029

413.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$10.99 PKR 3,041

498.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$4.39 PKR 1,216

200.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,414

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.59 PKR 439

142.14%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.39 PKR 107

410.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.22 PKR 60.0

627.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.75 PKR 208

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.56 PKR 156

351.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.27 PKR 352

26.77%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.17 PKR 323

142.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$4.95 PKR 1,370

108.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$2.95 PKR 818

238.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$5.14 PKR 1,422

158.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$0.98 PKR 271

193.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.53 PKR 147

315.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.76 PKR 209

84.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.50 PKR 140

296.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.32 PKR 89.2

278.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.52 PKR 145

142.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.42 PKR 117

307.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.40 PKR 110

330.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.85 PKR 512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PKR 259

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 673

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.03 PKR 563

111.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.13 PKR 37.02

476.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$10.56 PKR 2,924

158.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.03 PKR 286

52.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.43 PKR 118

139.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$1.83 PKR 507

331.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.14 PKR 316

24.56%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$19.2K PKR 5.3M

45.64%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.1K PKR 6.7M

45.11%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$101 PKR 28.1K

92.56%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$7.92 PKR 2,191

217.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$16.49 PKR 4,565

91.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$5.73 PKR 1,587

788.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$7.93 PKR 2,194

110.97%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$3.17 PKR 877

226.18%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$35.15 PKR 9,727

1218.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$1,026 PKR 284.0K

757.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$8.14 PKR 2,252

1372.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$23.53 PKR 6,511

305.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$69.2 PKR 19.1K

64.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$34.48 PKR 9,543

304.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$73.1 PKR 20.2K

934.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$50.3 PKR 13.9K

934.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$163 PKR 45.2K

873.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$99.8 PKR 27.6K

1101.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$381 PKR 105.4K

612.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$218 PKR 60.2K

773.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$276 PKR 76.3K

240.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

340.38%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quetta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Quetta

$50 12% 90.3% $470

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Quetta

$90 21.6% 68.2% $193

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Quetta

$64 15.4% 77.2% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Quetta

$126 30.1% 50.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Quetta

$61 14.6% 71.1% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Quetta

$12 2.9% 83.1% $60

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Quetta

$14 3.4% 61.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $73.1 in Quetta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 240% 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 $11.00 in Quetta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $90.0 per month, with Quetta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇰 Quetta

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

19:55 7:55 PM

8 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,001,205

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Quetta 14,930 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Quetta

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 Quetta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Quetta differ by about 297% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $418 including rent). Quetta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 240% 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 $73.1 in Quetta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $35.15 in Quetta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 215% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $418 in Quetta versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quetta but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Quetta 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 Quetta 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 Quetta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 297% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.