Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and San Juan de Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,371 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
Learn more

San Juan de Pasto Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto.

Buenos Aires $1,656
San Juan de Pasto $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,031 in San Juan de Pasto.

Buenos Aires $2,697
San Juan de Pasto $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,691 in San Juan de Pasto.

Buenos Aires $3,737
San Juan de Pasto $2,691

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 21% more expensive than in San Juan de Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, San Juan de Pasto 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.63 COP 21.0K

187.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$45.64 COP 144.7K

44.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.96 COP 31.6K

32.53%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.57 COP 8,146

49.81%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.56 COP 4,948

27.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.86 COP 2,715

86.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.07 COP 9,733

28.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.05 COP 12.9K

13.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.43 COP 4,538

4.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.41 COP 7,629

4.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.83 COP 5,795

-12.02%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.33 COP 10.6K

-14.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.27 COP 23.1K

41.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$11.06 COP 35.1K

-9.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$13.41 COP 42.5K

-0.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.58 COP 11.3K

-19.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.40 COP 4,426

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.01 COP 6,359

-30.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.78 COP 5,640

11.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.41 COP 4,481

-14.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.27 COP 4,041

-0.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.12 COP 3,566

52.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.12 COP 3,555

53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.65 COP 11.6K

17.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$13.43 COP 42.6K

-57.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.46 COP 4,635

48.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.73 COP 8,670

1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.07 COP 3,390

-29.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.61 COP 5,102

-2.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.39 COP 7,590

-56.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$9.04 COP 28.7K

-12.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.19 COP 3,770

19.33%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.6K COP 71.7M

23.63%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$32.0K COP 101.4M

9.37%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$124 COP 392.5K

57.69%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$13.01 COP 41.2K

93.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$29.19 COP 92.5K

8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$42.67 COP 135.3K

19.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.19 COP 19.6K

67.04%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$682 COP 2.2M

-32.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,774 COP 21.5M

29.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$91.0 COP 288.5K

31.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$61.1 COP 193.8K

56.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$153 COP 486.6K

-25.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$102 COP 323.0K

36.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$706 COP 2.2M

7.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$518 COP 1.6M

0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,082 COP 3.4M

47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$789 COP 2.5M

51.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

33.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,580 COP 5.0M

20.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.58

394.39%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

San Juan de Pasto

$518 37.8% 0.3% $1.4

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

San Juan de Pasto

$284 20.7% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

San Juan de Pasto

$147 10.7% 47.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

San Juan de Pasto

$166 12.1% 34.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

San Juan de Pasto

$183 13.4% 13.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

San Juan de Pasto

$55 4% 23.1% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

San Juan de Pasto

$18 * 1.3% 51.7% $19

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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $706 in San Juan de Pasto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

23:13 11:13 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

392,930

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires San Juan de Pasto 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
San Juan de Pasto

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 de Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and San Juan de Pasto differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,371 including rent). San Juan de Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $2,057 in San Juan de Pasto 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $706 in San Juan de Pasto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $682 in San Juan de Pasto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Juan de Pasto but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan de Pasto 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 San Juan de Pasto 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 San Juan de Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.