Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $857 in Sal.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Sal $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,347 in Sal.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Sal $1,347

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,836 in Sal.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Sal $1,836

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 97% more expensive than in Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Sal is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.71 CVE 562

228.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$46.45 CVE 4,571

38.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$11.40 CVE 1,122

12.98%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$2.27 CVE 223

75.33%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$2.69 CVE 265

-23.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$1.15 CVE 113

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$4.50 CVE 443

-14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$3.14 CVE 309

46.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.61 CVE 159

-10.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$2.21 CVE 218

11.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.21 CVE 119

34.71%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$2.98 CVE 293

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.52 CVE 936

11.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.63 CVE 751

31.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$16.54 CVE 1,628

-16.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$3.27 CVE 322

-15.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$2.42 CVE 238

-9.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$3.26 CVE 321

-55.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$4.03 CVE 396

-50.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$1.74 CVE 172

-28.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$1.89 CVE 186

-32.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.57 CVE 155

8.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$1.16 CVE 114

49.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$4.54 CVE 447

-7.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$6.82 CVE 671

-14.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$4.01 CVE 395

-47.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$1.86 CVE 183

48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$1.05 CVE 103

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$2.09 CVE 206

-22.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$3.17 CVE 312

-69.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$12.72 CVE 1,252

-39.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.34 CVE 132

1.49%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$62.3 CVE 6,132

245.96%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$50.3 CVE 4,945

-37.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$28.27 CVE 2,782

76.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$115 CVE 11.3K

305.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$30.89 CVE 3,040

295.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$144 CVE 14.2K

-2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$260 CVE 25.6K

193.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$172 CVE 17.0K

193.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$304 CVE 29.9K

426.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$208 CVE 20.5K

469.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$672 CVE 66.1K

298.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$341 CVE 33.5K

445.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$254 CVE 25.0K

275.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.25

990.48%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Sal

$172 19.9% 65.9% $333

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Sal

$302 34.8% 6.3% $18

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Sal

$151 17.4% 45.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Sal

$113 * 13% 58.7% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Sal

$79 * 9.1% 63.3% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Sal

$28 * 3.3% 60% $42

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sal

$22 * 2.6% 39.6% $15

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 $260 in Sal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 276% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $46.00 in Sal. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $302, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

04:07 4:07 AM

2 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,288

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Sal 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sal differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $857 including rent). Sal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 276% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $260 in Sal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $115 in Sal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sal – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $857 in Sal versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sal but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sal 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 Sal 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 Sal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.