Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakakah: $1,188 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Sakakah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,188
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,188 in Sakakah.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Sakakah $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,756 in Sakakah.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Sakakah $1,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,324 in Sakakah.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Sakakah $2,324

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 39% more expensive than in Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Sakakah is 12% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$5.73 SAR 21.49
233.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$37.30 SAR 140
76.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$8.20 SAR 30.76
60.98%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.18 SAR 8.18
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.64 SAR 6.16
-
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$3.50 SAR 13.13
10.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.68 SAR 2.55
192.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.32 SAR 1.19
400.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.72 SAR 6.46
-12.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$1.31 SAR 4.91
93.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$2.33 SAR 8.75
-30.90%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$2.35 SAR 8.80
20.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$7.41 SAR 27.81
39.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$8.08 SAR 30.31
23.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$12.76 SAR 47.89
4.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.23 SAR 8.36
29.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.76 SAR 6.60
25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.59 SAR 5.98
-11.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.58 SAR 5.93
25.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.17 SAR 4.39
3.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.28 SAR 4.80
-1.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.21 SAR 4.55
41.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.54 SAR 2.01
218.52%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.98 SAR 11.18
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.74 SAR 6.54
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.10 SAR 7.89
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$6.72 SAR 25.22
-36.16%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$1.09 SAR 4.08
-31.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
$37.36 SAR 140
-27.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$2.62 SAR 9.84
-40.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$1.88 SAR 7.07
-45.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$13.31 SAR 49.96
-40.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.60 SAR 2.26
136.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$44.8K SAR 168.1K
-37.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$21.2K SAR 79.4K
65.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$105 SAR 393
86.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$32.57 SAR 122
-22.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$66.0 SAR 248
-52.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$80.3 SAR 301
-36.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$13.30 SAR 49.89
-22.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$417 SAR 1,565
11.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$8,055 SAR 30.2K
9.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$43.19 SAR 162
177.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$55.4 SAR 208
72.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$97.4 SAR 366
17.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$85.7 SAR 321
62.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$573 SAR 2,150
32.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$378 SAR 1,417
37.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$821 SAR 3,081
93.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$566 SAR 2,123
111.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$2,363 SAR 8,868
14.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$1,366 SAR 5,125
39.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Sakakah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$949 SAR 3,562
-1.22%
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 11, 2026

Last update for Sakakah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Sakakah
$378 27.3% $142
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Sakakah
$203 28.3% $80
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Sakakah
$116 58.7% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Sakakah
$203 19.3% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Sakakah
$127 39.9% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Sakakah
$107 49.2% $35
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Sakakah
$54 45.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $573 in Sakakah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sakakah pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $37.00 in Sakakah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $203 per month, with Sakakah cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇦 Sakakah
🕒 Local time
02:38 2:38 AM
08:38 8:38 AM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
242,813
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Sakakah 12,570 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Sakakah?
Buenos Aires and Sakakah differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,188 including rent). Sakakah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Sakakah. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Sakakah?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $573 in Sakakah. 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 Sakakah?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $417 in Sakakah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,188 in Sakakah versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sakakah but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sakakah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Sakakah?
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 Sakakah safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Sakakah 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 Sakakah?
Expats usually find Sakakah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% 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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