Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Roatan

For one person, living is cheaper in Roatan: $1,229 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
Learn more

Roatan Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,229 in Roatan.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Roatan $1,229

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,019 in Roatan.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Roatan $2,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,809 in Roatan.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Roatan $2,809

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 35% more expensive than in Roatan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Roatan is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$8.20 HNL 220

132.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$39.42 HNL 1,059

66.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$8.53 HNL 229

54.75%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.41 HNL 118

-12.70%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.01 HNL 27.02

97.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.82 HNL 22.03

95.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.55 HNL 68.5

54.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$5.02 HNL 135

-8.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.43 HNL 38.31

4.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.24 HNL 87.0

-21.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.52 HNL 67.6

-36.11%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.02 HNL 54.3

40.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.89 HNL 292

-5.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.75 HNL 181

48.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$17.90 HNL 481

-25.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.07 HNL 28.70

105.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.12 HNL 30.08

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.53 HNL 14.25

273.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.62 HNL 43.57

-25.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.50 HNL 40.22

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.18 HNL 31.78

44.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$3.05 HNL 81.8

-43.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.93 HNL 78.6

46.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.54 HNL 203

-24.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.33 HNL 35.78

63.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.52 HNL 67.6

9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.96 HNL 52.6

-19.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$9.99 HNL 268

-20.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.04 HNL 27.97

36.54%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$29.7K HNL 796.6K

17.92%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$98.5 HNL 2,644

-67.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$60.5 HNL 1,625

-15.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$491 HNL 13.2K

-5.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$40.22 HNL 1,080

197.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$19.63 HNL 527

386.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$40.14 HNL 1,078

184.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$49.83 HNL 1,338

179.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$840 HNL 22.6K

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$552 HNL 14.8K

-5.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,971 HNL 52.9K

-19.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,269 HNL 34.1K

-5.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,854 HNL 49.8K

46.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,332 HNL 35.8K

42.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$491 HNL 13.2K

91.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

218.06%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Roatan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Roatan

$552 44.9% 6.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Roatan

$274 * 22.3% 3.1% $8.9

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Roatan

$174 14.2% 38.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Roatan

$98 * 8% 60.9% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Roatan

$67 5.5% 68% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Roatan

$61 * 4.9% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Roatan

$2 * 0.2% 94.7% $35

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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $840 in Roatan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 91% 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 $39.00 in Roatan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $274 per month, with Roatan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇭🇳 Roatan

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

17,425

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 26.86 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.2 HNL (100 HNL = 3.31 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Roatan 6,400 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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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 Roatan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Roatan differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,229 including rent). Roatan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% 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 $840 in Roatan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $491 in Roatan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roatan – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,229 in Roatan versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roatan but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Roatan 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 Roatan 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 Roatan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.