Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,040 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
Learn more

Sanaa Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Sanaa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,040 in Sanaa.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Sanaa $1,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,608 in Sanaa.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Sanaa $1,608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,175 in Sanaa.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Sanaa $2,175

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 62% more expensive than in Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Sanaa is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$6.46 YER 1,524

189.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$25.31 YER 5,969

154.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.75 YER 2,300

32.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 YER 462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 611

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.82 YER 900

4.19%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.17 YER 277

75.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.60 YER 141

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.98 YER 468

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.64 YER 387

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.09 YER 492

-22.01%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$3.57 YER 842

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$17.52 YER 4,131

-39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$8.41 YER 1,984

18.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$19.10 YER 4,504

-28.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.40 YER 802

-19.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.05 YER 249

107.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.21 YER 521

-34.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.67 YER 393

19.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.51 YER 357

-17.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.38 YER 326

-7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.20 YER 284

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.68 YER 160

154.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 584

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 YER 423

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 YER 602

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.66 YER 1,336

-26.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.43 YER 102

74.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$86.3 YER 20.4K

-68.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$4.19 YER 988

-61.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.10 YER 494

-53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$7.22 YER 1,704

6.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$2.06 YER 486

-33.98%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$16.9K YER 4.0M

65.79%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$34.6K YER 8.2M

-0.19%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$109 YER 25.6K

98.32%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$23.35 YER 5,506

9.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$102 YER 24.0K

-69.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$67.1 YER 15.8K

-25.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$16.03 YER 3,779

6.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$5.97 YER 1,407

74.71%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$118 YER 27.7K

296.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$2,130 YER 502.3K

325.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$42.48 YER 10.0K

187.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$121 YER 28.5K

-19.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$47.63 YER 11.2K

145.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$40.69 YER 9,594

243.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$222 YER 52.4K

243.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$94.7 YER 22.3K

433.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$408 YER 96.2K

291.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$276 YER 65.0K

329.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$4,240 YER 999.9K

-36.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$825 YER 194.6K

125.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$197 YER 46.4K

385.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.25

408.89%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Sanaa

$95 9.2% 81.2% $410

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Sanaa

$272 26.4% 4.4% $13

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Sanaa

$134 13% 52% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Sanaa

$234 22.7% 14.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Sanaa

$113 11% 47.2% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Sanaa

$79 7.7% 11.8% $8.3

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sanaa

$103 10% 180% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $222 in Sanaa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 385% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $25.00 in Sanaa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $272 per month, with Sanaa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Sanaa 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sanaa differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,040 including rent). Sanaa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 385% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $222 in Sanaa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $118 in Sanaa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,040 in Sanaa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanaa but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sanaa 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 Sanaa 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 Sanaa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.