Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
Learn more

Sabratha Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $406 in Sabratha.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Sabratha $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $597 in Sabratha.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Sabratha $597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $787 in Sabratha.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Sabratha $787

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 308% more expensive than in Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Sabratha is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$3.04 LYD 19.46

527.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$9.22 LYD 59.1

613.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$1.52 LYD 9.75

768.42%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$0.48 LYD 3.09

702.08%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.30 LYD 1.90

563.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.07 LYD 0.44

2185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.89 LYD 5.67

68.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.22 LYD 1.41

1050.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.10 LYD 7.07

46.36%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.37 LYD 8.76

107.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$5.27 LYD 33.79

95.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.48 LYD 22.32

187.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$9.58 LYD 61.4

38.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.00 LYD 12.79

44.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.54 LYD 9.89

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.73 LYD 4.70

91.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.57 LYD 3.64

247.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.49 LYD 3.13

146.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.29 LYD 1.89

334.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.32 LYD 2.06

434.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.17 LYD 1.06

911.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 LYD 5.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 5.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.84 LYD 11.79

133.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.75 LYD 4.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.76 LYD 4.88

106.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.30 LYD 1.89

243.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$0.81 LYD 5.22

875.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.02 LYD 0.14

7000.00%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.9K LYD 146.9K

21.94%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$21.3K LYD 136.5K

64.23%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$92.0 LYD 590

112.13%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$3.99 LYD 25.56

530.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$13.73 LYD 88.0

129.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$10.85 LYD 69.5

369.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$7.74 LYD 49.62

116.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$39.51 LYD 253

1072.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$945 LYD 6,055

830.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$19.54 LYD 125

513.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$17.60 LYD 113

442.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$64.6 LYD 414

76.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$15.66 LYD 100

789.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$158 LYD 1,011

379.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$78.2 LYD 501

564.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$229 LYD 1,466

595.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$110 LYD 705

988.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$281 LYD 1,802

864.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$185 LYD 1,183

929.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$189 LYD 1,212

395.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sabratha: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Sabratha

$78 19.3% 85% $442

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Sabratha

$113 27.9% 60% $170

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Sabratha

$36 8.9% 87.2% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Sabratha

$110 27% 56.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Sabratha

$53 13% 74.9% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 84.8% $61

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sabratha

$5.2 * 1.3% 85.8% $32

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 $158 in Sabratha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 396% 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 $9.00 in Sabratha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $113 per month, with Sabratha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

21:33 9:33 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

83,398

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Sabratha 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sabratha differ by about 308% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $406 including rent). Sabratha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 396% 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 $158 in Sabratha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $39.51 in Sabratha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sabratha – a meal for two runs $9.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $406 in Sabratha versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sabratha but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sabratha 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 Sabratha 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 Sabratha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 308% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.