Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and San Martino in Rio

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $1,775 in San Martino in Rio, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Martino in Rio
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San Martino in Rio Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

San Martino in Rio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in San Martino in Rio

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 Martino in Rio actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,775 in San Martino in Rio.

Buenos Aires $1,656
San Martino in Rio $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,653 in San Martino in Rio.

Buenos Aires $2,697
San Martino in Rio $2,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,532 in San Martino in Rio.

Buenos Aires $3,737
San Martino in Rio $3,532

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 7% less than in San Martino in Rio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, San Martino in Rio 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$19.21 €17.08

-0.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$78.2 €69.5

-15.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$11.27 €10.02

17.13%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.20 €1.96

75.00%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$3.66 €3.26

-45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.59 €1.41

0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$5.57 €4.95

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.92 €4.38

-6.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.39 €1.24

7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.93 €1.72

31.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.12 €1.89

-24.06%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.90 €3.47

-27.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$20.51 €18.25

-49.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$12.19 €10.84

-17.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$20.92 €18.61

-36.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.49 €2.22

15.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.20 €1.95

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.58 €2.30

-45.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.30 €2.94

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.87 €1.67

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.71 €1.52

-26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.14 €1.01

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.51 €0.46

237.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.55 €5.83

-34.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$6.80 €6.05

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.69 €1.51

28.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.54 €2.26

8.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.49 €1.33

-49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$36.36 €32.34

-25.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.50 €4.01

-65.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.69 €1.50

-39.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$22.71 €20.20

-65.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.16 €1.92

-34.26%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.5K €31.6K

-21.24%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$36.7K €32.6K

-4.69%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$182 €162

7.31%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$9.38 €8.34

168.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$27.40 €24.38

15.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$48.56 €43.19

4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$23.33 €20.75

-28.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$10.10 €8.98

2.38%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$495 €440

-6.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$6,668 €5,932

31.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$92.7 €82.4

29.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$36.80 €32.73

159.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$118 €105

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$136 €121

2.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$799 €711

-5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$645 €574

-19.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,104 €982

44.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$890 €792

34.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,938 €2,613

-7.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,921 €1,709

-1.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.19

1694.67%

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 Martino in Rio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

San Martino in Rio

$645 36.3% 24% $125

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

San Martino in Rio

$342 19.3% 20.7% $59

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

San Martino in Rio

$273 15.4% 3.3% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

San Martino in Rio

$219 12.3% 13.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

San Martino in Rio

$173 9.7% 18% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

San Martino in Rio

$69 3.9% 4% $2.8

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

San Martino in Rio

$55 3.1% 49.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $799 in San Martino in Rio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $78.0 in San Martino in Rio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $342 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇹 San Martino in Rio

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

15:22 3:22 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires San Martino in Rio 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
San Martino in Rio

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 Martino in Rio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and San Martino in Rio differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,775 including rent). Buenos Aires 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 $2,662 in San Martino in Rio 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 $799 in San Martino in Rio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $495 in San Martino in Rio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in San Martino in Rio. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,775 in San Martino in Rio, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in San Martino in Rio. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Martino in Rio 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in San Martino in Rio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.