Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Salta

For one person, living is cheaper in Salta: $1,140 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Salta
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Salta Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Salta

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $1,140 in Salta.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Salta $1,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $1,924 in Salta.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Salta $1,924

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,707 in Salta.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Salta $2,707

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 43% more expensive than in Salta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Salta is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.0K

$7.32 ARS 11.2K

149.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.6K

$56.1 ARS 86.0K

18.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$12.82 ARS 19.7K

1.09%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,726

$2.58 ARS 3,958

44.57%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,119

$1.52 ARS 2,333

33.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,605

$1.85 ARS 2,840

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,226

$1.68 ARS 2,571

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,281

$3.33 ARS 5,116

42.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,242

$1.35 ARS 2,077

8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,893

$1.78 ARS 2,728

42.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,427

$1.99 ARS 3,058

-20.60%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,112

$2.87 ARS 4,410

-6.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$11.83 ARS 18.1K

-5.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$7.70 ARS 11.8K

30.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.2K

$11.70 ARS 17.9K

12.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,238

$2.49 ARS 3,813

10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,375

$1.62 ARS 2,487

35.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,142

$1.49 ARS 2,283

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,047

$2.03 ARS 3,120

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,840

$1.12 ARS 1,723

7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,769

$1.01 ARS 1,549

13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,493

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,761

$1.52 ARS 2,336

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,460

$3.35 ARS 5,144

25.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,457

$4.94 ARS 7,582

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,168

$1.39 ARS 2,131

48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,242

$4.01 ARS 6,152

-30.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,139

$0.90 ARS 1,375

-17.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,474

$1.47 ARS 2,261

9.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,493

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,154

$1.24 ARS 1,895

12.90%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.6M

$25.8K ARS 39.6M

-10.15%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.4M

$32.4K ARS 49.7M

1.29%

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

$196 ARS 301.1K

$125 ARS 192.5K

56.39%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.7K

$17.09 ARS 26.2K

39.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.3K

$23.72 ARS 36.4K

32.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.6K

$30.13 ARS 46.2K

59.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.5K

$21.73 ARS 33.3K

-23.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.2K

$9.48 ARS 14.5K

11.50%

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

$501 ARS 768.0K

$240 ARS 367.8K

108.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$4,561 ARS 7.0M

94.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.3K

$115 ARS 176.2K

5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 146.6K

$81.2 ARS 124.6K

17.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.0K

$111 ARS 170.7K

4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 212.6K

$113 ARS 173.8K

22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$515 ARS 790.6K

41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 771.6K

$327 ARS 501.3K

53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$1,063 ARS 1.6M

38.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$811 ARS 1.2M

38.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.1M

$1,959 ARS 3.0M

37.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$1,293 ARS 2.0M

49.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

$845 ARS 1.3M

9.00%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Salta: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Salta

$327 28.7% 35% $176

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Salta

$247 * 21.6% 13.1% $37

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Salta

$157 13.7% 42.9% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Salta

$166 14.6% 33.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Salta

$189 16.6% 10.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Salta

$49 4.3% 29% $20

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Salta

$5.1 * 0.4% 87.1% $34

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 $731 in Buenos Aires and $515 in Salta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 9% 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 $56 in Salta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $247 per month, with Salta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Salta

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

535,303

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.52 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.82 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.52 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Salta 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Salta

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 Salta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Buenos Aires and $1,140 in Salta, so Salta is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% 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: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $515 in Salta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $240 in Salta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Salta – a meal for two runs $56 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Salta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Salta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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