Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and San Juan, Argentina

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $891 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in San Juan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $891 in San Juan.

Buenos Aires $1,633
San Juan $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $1,398 in San Juan.

Buenos Aires $2,640
San Juan $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,904 in San Juan.

Buenos Aires $3,646
San Juan $1,904

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 83% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, San Juan is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$7.16 ARS 11.0K

154.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$39.73 ARS 61.1K

66.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$12.51 ARS 19.2K

3.60%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$2.62 ARS 4,030

42.37%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$2.19 ARS 3,365

-7.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$1.82 ARS 2,797

-6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$3.96 ARS 6,094

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$4.56 ARS 7,011

4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$1.35 ARS 2,075

8.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$1.38 ARS 2,122

84.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$1.39 ARS 2,138

13.67%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$1.45 ARS 2,227

84.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$2.90 ARS 4,463

284.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$6.37 ARS 9,800

58.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$10.75 ARS 16.5K

22.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$1.45 ARS 2,228

90.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$1.38 ARS 2,123

59.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.37 ARS 2,103

2.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$1.45 ARS 2,224

37.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$1.46 ARS 2,244

-17.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$1.38 ARS 2,127

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

$1.39 ARS 2,138

17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$1.46 ARS 2,241

23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$2.69 ARS 4,138

56.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$4.95 ARS 7,616

11.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$1.46 ARS 2,241

41.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$1.43 ARS 2,205

93.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$1.04 ARS 1,596

-28.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$2.03 ARS 3,126

-20.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

$0.97 ARS 1,494

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

$5.04 ARS 7,758

61.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.13 ARS 1,742

23.89%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$26.8K ARS 41.2M

-13.36%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$33.6K ARS 51.7M

-2.33%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$141 ARS 216.9K

39.19%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$9.91 ARS 15.2K

141.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$17.96 ARS 27.6K

75.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$29.64 ARS 45.6K

61.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$6.96 ARS 10.7K

51.87%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$173 ARS 266.4K

189.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

113.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

$108 ARS 165.5K

12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$42.19 ARS 64.9K

126.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$56.8 ARS 87.4K

104.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$36.24 ARS 55.7K

282.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$248 ARS 380.9K

195.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$198 ARS 303.9K

154.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$500 ARS 769.5K

195.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$408 ARS 627.1K

174.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

$696 ARS 1.1M

32.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.02%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

San Juan

$198 22.2% 60.7% $305

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 33.1% $94

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

San Juan

$171 19.2% 37.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

San Juan

$169 19% 32.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

San Juan

$109 12.3% 48.5% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

San Juan

$44 4.9% 37% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 71.9% $28

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 $248 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 32% 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 $40 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $190 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

522,029

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires San Juan 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,633 in Buenos Aires and $891 in San Juan, so San Juan is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $248 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $173 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan – a meal for two runs $40 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Juan is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

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