Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $830 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Saint-Louis
🇸🇳 Senegal
$830
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Saint-Louis

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 Saint-Louis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $830 in Saint-Louis.

  • Buenos Aires $1,685
  • Saint-Louis $830

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,322 in Saint-Louis.

  • Buenos Aires $2,742
  • Saint-Louis $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,815 in Saint-Louis.

  • Buenos Aires $3,799
  • Saint-Louis $1,815

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 103% more expensive than in Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Saint-Louis is 38% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
$3.50 F CFA 2,047
435.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 ARS 97.8K
$52.7 F CFA 30.8K
22.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
$11.15 F CFA 6,522
15.52%
Cappuccino
$3.98 ARS 6,029
$3.35 F CFA 1,963
18.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,103
$1.25 F CFA 729
64.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,349
$0.87 F CFA 509
78.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ARS 5,830
$1.75 F CFA 1,026
119.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 ARS 6,970
$4.37 F CFA 2,555
5.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ARS 2,181
$2.49 F CFA 1,459
-42.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 ARS 3,738
$0.27 F CFA 159
811.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ARS 2,467
$1.68 F CFA 981
-2.98%
Eggs
$2.89 ARS 4,385
$2.45 F CFA 1,432
17.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
$17.14 F CFA 10.0K
-37.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$8.75 F CFA 5,122
14.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
$11.00 F CFA 6,438
24.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 ARS 4,166
$3.12 F CFA 1,828
-11.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,300
$1.95 F CFA 1,143
11.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,205
$2.86 F CFA 1,672
-49.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,013
$1.73 F CFA 1,011
15.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ARS 1,885
$1.35 F CFA 788
-8.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,921
$0.98 F CFA 574
29.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 ARS 2,575
$1.08 F CFA 630
57.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 ARS 2,617
$0.70 F CFA 410
147.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ARS 6,337
$2.12 F CFA 1,242
97.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 ARS 8,790
$16.91 F CFA 9,895
-65.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 ARS 3,163
$1.53 F CFA 895
36.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ARS 4,198
$3.37 F CFA 1,970
-17.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,132
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ARS 2,451
$0.89 F CFA 523
82.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,481
$2.12 F CFA 1,243
-53.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
$17.34 F CFA 10.1K
-55.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ARS 2,058
$1.70 F CFA 992
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
$50.9K F CFA 29.8M
-44.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ARS 52.4M
$48.6K F CFA 28.4M
-28.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 ARS 326.9K
$206 F CFA 120.8K
4.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
$11.46 F CFA 6,707
123.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 ARS 47.6K
$46.89 F CFA 27.4K
-33.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.82 ARS 75.6K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
$8.64 F CFA 5,053
20.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ARS 706.7K
$320 F CFA 187.0K
45.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
$10.4K F CFA 6.1M
-13.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ARS 185.2K
$58.8 F CFA 34.4K
107.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$97.4 ARS 147.8K
$45.28 F CFA 26.5K
115.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ARS 177.4K
$85.6 F CFA 50.1K
36.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 211.9K
$95.0 F CFA 55.6K
47.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ARS 1.2M
$435 F CFA 254.5K
75.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 ARS 766.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Saint-Louis
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$954 ARS 1.4M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
8.75
554.29%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$505
Saint-Louis
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$284
Saint-Louis
$287 0.9% $2.6
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$279
Saint-Louis
$128 54.2% $151
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$273
Saint-Louis
$265 2.8% $7.7
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$214
Saint-Louis
$128 40.2% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Saint-Louis
$17 * 75.6% $53
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Saint-Louis
$12 * 68.6% $25

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $435 in Saint-Louis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $53.0 in Saint-Louis. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $287, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇳 Saint-Louis
🕒 Local time
09:13 9:13 AM
12:13 12:13 PM
3 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
176,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Saint-Louis 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Saint-Louis

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 Saint-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Saint-Louis?
Buenos Aires and Saint-Louis differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $830 including rent). Saint-Louis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Buenos Aires compared to Saint-Louis?
You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $1,245 in Saint-Louis to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Saint-Louis?
Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $435 in Saint-Louis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Saint-Louis?
Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $320 in Saint-Louis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Louis – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $830 in Saint-Louis versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Louis but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Louis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Saint-Louis?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Saint-Louis safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Saint-Louis are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Saint-Louis?
Expats usually find Saint-Louis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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