Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Quilmes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $957 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $957 in Quilmes.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Quilmes $957

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $1,615 in Quilmes.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Quilmes $1,615

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,273 in Quilmes.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Quilmes $2,273

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 71% more expensive than in Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Quilmes is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$5.55 ARS 8,543

228.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$35.20 ARS 54.1K

88.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$8.82 ARS 13.6K

46.94%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$2.93 ARS 4,501

27.30%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$1.71 ARS 2,634

18.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$1.63 ARS 2,500

4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$3.90 ARS 5,993

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$2.29 ARS 3,519

107.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$0.97 ARS 1,495

50.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$1.58 ARS 2,426

60.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$1.58 ARS 2,425

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$2.28 ARS 3,508

17.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$13.31 ARS 20.5K

-16.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$6.11 ARS 9,398

64.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$9.80 ARS 15.1K

34.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$1.96 ARS 3,016

40.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$1.53 ARS 2,350

43.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.01 ARS 1,557

38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$2.95 ARS 4,538

-32.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$0.92 ARS 1,412

30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$0.64 ARS 990

79.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

$0.72 ARS 1,111

126.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$0.69 ARS 1,060

160.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$4.99 ARS 7,671

-15.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$4.29 ARS 6,603

28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$1.23 ARS 1,896

68.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$1.89 ARS 2,904

46.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$1.02 ARS 1,574

-27.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$1.49 ARS 2,285

8.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

$1.02 ARS 1,576

-4.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.14 ARS 1,756

22.81%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$50.3K ARS 77.4M

-53.92%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$38.0K ARS 58.4M

-13.45%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$60.2 ARS 92.6K

226.07%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$14.48 ARS 22.3K

65.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$21.58 ARS 33.2K

45.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$26.79 ARS 41.2K

79.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

$18.31 ARS 28.2K

-9.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$10.13 ARS 15.6K

4.34%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$240 ARS 369.2K

108.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$4,307 ARS 6.6M

105.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

$95.2 ARS 146.4K

27.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$34.45 ARS 53.0K

177.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$62.9 ARS 96.8K

84.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$70.1 ARS 107.8K

97.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$518 ARS 796.8K

41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$330 ARS 507.0K

52.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

39.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$817 ARS 1.3M

37.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

$2,378 ARS 3.7M

13.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$1,264 ARS 1.9M

53.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

$1,102 ARS 1.7M

-16.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

100

-42.75%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Quilmes

$330 34.4% 34.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Quilmes

$212 22.2% 25.2% $72

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Quilmes

$143 15% 47.7% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Quilmes

$96 10.1% 61.8% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Quilmes

$118 12.3% 44.3% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 31.9% $22

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Quilmes

$11 * 1.1% 72.8% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $731 in Buenos Aires and $518 in Quilmes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quilmes pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Buenos Aires vs $35 in Quilmes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $212 per month, with Quilmes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

230,810

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Quilmes differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,633 vs $957 including rent). Quilmes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Buenos Aires. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $518 in Quilmes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $240 in Quilmes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Quilmes – a meal for two runs $35 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Quilmes is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Quilmes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.