Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Rosario

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $946 a month against $1,624 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,624

/mo nomad

Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$946

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,624 in Buenos Aires versus $946 in Rosario.

Buenos Aires $1,624
Rosario $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,637 in Buenos Aires versus $1,675 in Rosario.

Buenos Aires $2,637
Rosario $1,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,650 in Buenos Aires versus $2,403 in Rosario.

Buenos Aires $3,650
Rosario $2,403

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 72% more expensive than in Rosario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 ARS 27.5K

$10.34 ARS 16.0K

71.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 ARS 102.4K

$40.28 ARS 62.5K

63.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 ARS 20.3K

$11.40 ARS 17.7K

14.65%

Cappuccino

$3.96 ARS 6,148

$3.26 ARS 5,055

21.47%

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

$2.01 ARS 3,114

$1.36 ARS 2,108

47.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ARS 2,498

$1.31 ARS 2,027

22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 ARS 6,251

$4.05 ARS 6,286

-0.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 ARS 7,229

$2.20 ARS 3,407

111.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,201

$1.11 ARS 1,721

27.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 ARS 3,993

$1.96 ARS 3,047

31.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ARS 2,461

$1.27 ARS 1,976

25.20%

Eggs

$2.64 ARS 4,089

$2.57 ARS 3,992

2.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 ARS 16.1K

$10.31 ARS 16.0K

0.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ARS 16.0K

$5.97 ARS 9,255

73.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 ARS 20.8K

$10.52 ARS 16.3K

27.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ARS 4,203

$1.18 ARS 1,832

129.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 ARS 3,208

$1.19 ARS 1,845

73.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ARS 2,025

$1.02 ARS 1,578

28.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,070

$1.99 ARS 3,078

-0.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 ARS 1,939

$0.52 ARS 800

140.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,848

$0.51 ARS 794

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,534

$1.70 ARS 2,629

-4.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ARS 2,835

$1.81 ARS 2,807

1.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ARS 6,415

$4.15 ARS 6,442

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.79 ARS 8,977

$4.38 ARS 6,792

32.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ARS 3,183

$1.26 ARS 1,955

62.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ARS 4,087

$2.63 ARS 4,070

0.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,074

$1.01 ARS 1,563

-31.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 ARS 2,324

$1.53 ARS 2,365

-1.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,237

$0.80 ARS 1,238

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 ARS 11.6K

$7.46 ARS 11.6K

0.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ARS 2,216

$1.13 ARS 1,753

26.55%

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

$23.8K ARS 36.9M

$23.6K ARS 36.6M

0.68%

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

$31.8K ARS 49.3M

$30.0K ARS 46.5M

5.99%

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

$196 ARS 304.5K

$58.9 ARS 91.2K

233.68%

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

$23.20 ARS 36.0K

$19.85 ARS 30.8K

16.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.52 ARS 48.9K

$26.90 ARS 41.7K

17.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.93 ARS 74.3K

$29.05 ARS 45.0K

64.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.90 ARS 26.2K

$21.33 ARS 33.1K

-20.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.91 ARS 16.9K

$4.82 ARS 7,478

126.35%

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

$504 ARS 781.2K

$236 ARS 365.5K

113.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K ARS 21.2M

$5,037 ARS 7.8M

171.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 ARS 181.5K

$89.8 ARS 139.2K

30.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 151.1K

$60.1 ARS 93.2K

62.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 177.6K

$118 ARS 183.0K

-2.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 ARS 218.7K

$139 ARS 215.0K

1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 ARS 1.1M

$246 ARS 381.8K

194.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ARS 772.6K

$201 ARS 311.2K

148.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ARS 2.3M

$718 ARS 1.1M

107.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 ARS 1.8M

$674 ARS 1.0M

68.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,749 ARS 4.3M

$2,039 ARS 3.2M

34.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ARS 2.9M

$1,454 ARS 2.3M

30.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$945 ARS 1.5M

$695 ARS 1.1M

36.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

56.86

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 31, 2026

Last update for Rosario: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$498 30.7%

Rosario

$201 21.2% 59.7% $298

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.4%

Rosario

$217 22.9% 23.3% $66

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.8%

Rosario

$191 20.2% 29.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$251 15.5%

Rosario

$106 11.2% 57.9% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Rosario

$183 19.3% 13.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$70 4.3%

Rosario

$39 4.1% 44.5% $31

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$38 2.3%

Rosario

$9.6 * 1% 74.8% $28

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 $725 in Buenos Aires and $246 in Rosario. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 36% 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 in Buenos Aires vs $40 in Rosario for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $217 per month, with Rosario cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Rosario

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,029,619

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Buenos Aires vs Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,624 in Buenos Aires and $946 in Rosario, so Rosario is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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: $725 in Buenos Aires versus $246 in Rosario. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $504 in Buenos Aires versus $236 in Rosario. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rosario – a meal for two runs $40 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $946 in Rosario versus $1,624 in Buenos Aires, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rosario but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Rosario the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rosario is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Buenos Aires, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Rosario are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rosario wins on affordability, Buenos Aires on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.