Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Ras al-Khaimah $1,827

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,818 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Ras al-Khaimah $2,818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,809 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Ras al-Khaimah $3,809

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 8% less than in Ras al-Khaimah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Ras al-Khaimah 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$13.51 AED 49.61

38.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$40.50 AED 149

59.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.83 AED 28.76

64.50%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$5.69 AED 20.92

-30.05%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.10 AED 4.02

86.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.44 AED 1.63

252.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$10.28 AED 37.74

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$9.69 AED 35.60

-52.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.65 AED 6.05

-12.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.09 AED 7.68

17.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.87 AED 6.85

-12.83%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.37 AED 8.71

21.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$12.79 AED 46.97

-16.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.84 AED 36.15

1.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$15.70 AED 57.7

-12.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.00 AED 7.35

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.68 AED 6.16

29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.55 AED 5.68

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.34 AED 4.94

48.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.93 AED 3.42

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.89 AED 3.26

42.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.75 AED 6.43

-2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.47 AED 1.72

268.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$6.65 AED 24.43

-37.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$13.50 AED 49.59

-57.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.67 AED 9.80

-21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.90 AED 10.66

-4.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$2.23 AED 8.19

-66.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$114 AED 417

-76.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.62 AED 5.96

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.85 AED 3.11

15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$8.20 AED 30.12

-5.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.87 AED 3.20

56.32%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$45.9K AED 168.6K

-38.99%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$22.1K AED 81.2K

56.28%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$123 AED 451

75.66%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$44.63 AED 164

-42.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$79.4 AED 292

-60.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$56.4 AED 207

-11.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$41.03 AED 151

-58.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$13.17 AED 48.37

-20.80%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$291 AED 1,070

59.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$4,569 AED 16.8K

98.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$82.8 AED 304

47.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$52.4 AED 193

85.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$116 AED 425

0.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$117 AED 429

19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$775 AED 2,848

-1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$648 AED 2,379

-22.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,625 AED 5,967

-1.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,277 AED 4,690

-7.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$4,978 AED 18.3K

-46.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,927 AED 7,078

-3.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,587 AED 5,828

-39.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.92

1063.62%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Ras al-Khaimah

$648 35.3% 28.2% $143

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.6% 0.4% $1.2

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$277 15.1% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Ras al-Khaimah

$247 13.5% 9.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Ras al-Khaimah

$166 9% 22.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5% 17.1% $12

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7% 251% $92

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $775 in Ras al-Khaimah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ras al-Khaimah pays 66% 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 $41.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $285, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

7 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

241,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Ras al-Khaimah 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Ras al-Khaimah differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,827 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Ras al-Khaimah. 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $775 in Ras al-Khaimah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $291 in Ras al-Khaimah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Ras al-Khaimah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Ras al-Khaimah. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Ras al-Khaimah 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Ras al-Khaimah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.