Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and San Martin de los Andes

For one person, living is cheaper in San Martin de los Andes: $1,264 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in San Martin de los Andes
Learn more

San Martin de los Andes Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

San Martin de los Andes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,264

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in San Martin de los Andes

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 Martin de los Andes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes.

Buenos Aires $1,633
San Martin de los Andes $1,264

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $2,136 in San Martin de los Andes.

Buenos Aires $2,640
San Martin de los Andes $2,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $3,007 in San Martin de los Andes.

Buenos Aires $3,646
San Martin de los Andes $3,007

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 29% more expensive than in San Martin de los Andes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, San Martin de los Andes is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$18.03 ARS 27.7K

1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$57.1 ARS 87.9K

15.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$13.84 ARS 21.3K

-6.36%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$3.30 ARS 5,080

13.03%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$1.97 ARS 3,034

3.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$2.02 ARS 3,115

-15.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$3.44 ARS 5,298

18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$4.66 ARS 7,175

1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$1.42 ARS 2,178

2.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$2.37 ARS 3,648

7.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$1.98 ARS 3,041

-20.20%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$2.92 ARS 4,496

-8.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$10.62 ARS 16.3K

4.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$7.95 ARS 12.2K

26.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$9.95 ARS 15.3K

32.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$2.13 ARS 3,284

29.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$2.31 ARS 3,560

-4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.49 ARS 2,292

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$2.48 ARS 3,807

-19.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$1.17 ARS 1,793

2.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$1.11 ARS 1,702

3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$1.44 ARS 2,215

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$3.44 ARS 5,292

22.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$5.39 ARS 8,296

2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$2.13 ARS 3,272

-2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$3.03 ARS 4,660

-8.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$0.93 ARS 1,430

-20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$1.58 ARS 2,424

1.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.22 ARS 1,872

14.75%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$27.5K ARS 42.3M

-15.56%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$30.9K ARS 47.6M

6.13%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$134 ARS 206.4K

46.29%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$15.99 ARS 24.6K

49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$27.53 ARS 42.4K

14.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$31.26 ARS 48.1K

53.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

$19.28 ARS 29.7K

-13.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$8.74 ARS 13.4K

20.94%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$239 ARS 367.8K

109.35%

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

$106 ARS 163.3K

14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$85.5 ARS 131.5K

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$126 ARS 194.5K

-8.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$130 ARS 200.2K

6.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$465 ARS 715.7K

57.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$311 ARS 478.0K

61.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$1,006 ARS 1.5M

46.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$823 ARS 1.3M

36.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$1,249 ARS 1.9M

55.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

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 San Martin de los Andes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

San Martin de los Andes

$311 24.6% 38.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

San Martin de los Andes

$252 * 20% 11.1% $32

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

San Martin de los Andes

$268 21.2% 2.3% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

San Martin de los Andes

$178 14.1% 29.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

San Martin de los Andes

$202 16% 5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

San Martin de los Andes

$49 3.9% 29.5% $20

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

San Martin de los Andes

$5.3 * 0.4% 86.5% $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 $465 in San Martin de los Andes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Buenos Aires vs $57 in San Martin de los Andes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $252 per month, with San Martin de los Andes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 San Martin de los Andes

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

36,913

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires San Martin de los Andes 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
San Martin de los Andes

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 Martin de los Andes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and San Martin de los Andes differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,633 vs $1,264 including rent). San Martin de los Andes is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,450 in Buenos Aires and $1,897 in San Martin de los Andes 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: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $465 in San Martin de los Andes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $239 in San Martin de los Andes. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Martin de los Andes – a meal for two runs $57 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 $1,000. San Martin de los Andes 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 Martin de los Andes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.