Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and San Rafael

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenos Aires and in San Rafael: $1,656 and $1,732 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
Learn more

San Rafael Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,732 in San Rafael.

Buenos Aires $1,656
San Rafael $1,732

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,736 in San Rafael.

Buenos Aires $2,697
San Rafael $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,739 in San Rafael.

Buenos Aires $3,737
San Rafael $3,739

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 4% less than in San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, San Rafael 28% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$12.25 ₡5,496

55.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$61.7 ₡27.7K

6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$11.42 ₡5,119

15.59%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.40 ₡1,973

-12.50%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.73 ₡1,225

-27.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.87 ₡841

-14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.37 ₡1,510

16.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.54 ₡2,038

1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.33 ₡1,044

-35.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.02 ₡1,352

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.42 ₡1,084

-33.47%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.52 ₡1,580

-19.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.51 ₡4,712

-2.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.25 ₡4,597

-2.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.22 ₡6,378

-6.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$5.09 ₡2,282

-43.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.57 ₡704

40.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$4.68 ₡2,098

-70.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.86 ₡1,730

-48.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$3.88 ₡1,741

-68.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$3.69 ₡1,653

-65.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.09 ₡488

56.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$3.13 ₡1,403

-45.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.11 ₡2,739

-29.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$20.14 ₡9,031

-71.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.80 ₡1,254

-22.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.58 ₡1,606

-22.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.18 ₡527

-36.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.51 ₡1,124

-37.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.57 ₡703

-34.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$8.48 ₡3,803

-6.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.54 ₡692

-7.79%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

25.20%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-1.59%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$93.5 ₡41.9K

108.81%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$36.26 ₡16.3K

-30.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-46.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$63.0 ₡28.3K

-19.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.50 ₡3,362

37.87%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$991 ₡444.6K

-53.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$16.8K ₡7.5M

-47.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

70.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$55.6 ₡25.0K

71.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$129 ₡58.0K

-11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$133 ₡59.5K

5.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$740 ₡332.0K

2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$649 ₡291.2K

-19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,069 ₡927.9K

-23.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,274 ₡571.5K

-5.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.62

564.15%

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 Rafael: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

San Rafael

$649 37.5% 24.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

San Rafael

$398 23% 40.4% $115

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

San Rafael

$229 13.2% 18.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

San Rafael

$188 10.9% 25.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

San Rafael

$175 10.1% 17.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

San Rafael

$78 4.5% 9% $6.4

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9% 59.3% $22

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 $740 in San Rafael. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $62.0 in San Rafael. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $398, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

30,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires San Rafael 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and San Rafael differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,732 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 $2,599 in San Rafael 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 $740 in San Rafael. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $991 in San Rafael. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $62.0 in San Rafael. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,732 in San Rafael, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in San Rafael. 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 Rafael 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 5% less than in San Rafael. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.