Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Riyadh

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenos Aires and in Riyadh: $1,685 and $1,768 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,768 in Riyadh.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Riyadh $1,768

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,557 in Riyadh.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Riyadh $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,345 in Riyadh.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Riyadh $3,345

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 5% less than in Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Riyadh 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$8.09 SAR 30.36

131.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$66.5 SAR 250

-2.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.11 SAR 30.47

58.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$4.34 SAR 16.31

-8.29%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.86 SAR 3.24

138.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.30 SAR 1.12

416.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.77 SAR 6.63

-18.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.32 SAR 4.97

86.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.40 SAR 9.03

-32.08%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.06 SAR 11.48

-5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$10.63 SAR 39.91

0.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.60 SAR 36.05

4.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$14.98 SAR 56.3

-8.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.80 SAR 10.51

-1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.98 SAR 7.45

10.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.51 SAR 9.43

-42.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.80 SAR 6.75

10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.18 SAR 4.45

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.34 SAR 5.01

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.79 SAR 6.70

-5.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.54 SAR 2.03

220.37%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$7.53 SAR 28.26

-44.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.05 SAR 3.96

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$37.18 SAR 140

-26.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.29 SAR 12.35

-50.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.91 SAR 7.19

-48.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$13.43 SAR 50.5

-42.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.65 SAR 2.42

109.23%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

-19.11%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

51.21%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$106 SAR 397

104.02%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$29.10 SAR 109

-11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$72.7 SAR 273

-56.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$91.4 SAR 343

-45.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$56.4 SAR 212

-69.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$13.20 SAR 49.58

-20.98%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$532 SAR 1,999

-12.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

-11.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$57.4 SAR 215

112.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$54.4 SAR 204

78.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$105 SAR 393

11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$106 SAR 397

32.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,211 SAR 4,547

-36.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$834 SAR 3,132

-39.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$2,223 SAR 8,346

-28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,241 SAR 4,658

-4.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

-11.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,937 SAR 7,274

-4.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$2,037 SAR 7,648

-53.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.54

933.39%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Riyadh

$834 47.7% 65.1% $329

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Riyadh

$242 13.9% 14.7% $42

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Riyadh

$146 8.4% 47.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Riyadh

$208 11.9% 23.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Riyadh

$145 8.3% 32.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Riyadh

$118 6.8% 66.7% $47

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 48.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,211 in Riyadh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riyadh pays 113% 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 $66.0 in Riyadh. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $242, with Riyadh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Riyadh 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Riyadh differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,768 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 113% lower in Riyadh. 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 $1,211 in Riyadh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $532 in Riyadh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Riyadh pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,768 in Riyadh, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Riyadh. 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 Riyadh 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 5% less than in Riyadh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.