Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Santa Teresa

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
Learn more

Santa Teresa Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Santa Teresa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,546 in Santa Teresa.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Santa Teresa $1,546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,318 in Santa Teresa.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Santa Teresa $2,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $3,090 in Santa Teresa.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Santa Teresa $3,090

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 6% more expensive than in Santa Teresa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 21% above, Santa Teresa 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$10.08 ₡4,519

76.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$43.44 ₡19.5K

50.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$9.24 ₡4,144

41.99%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$3.73 ₡1,673

3.49%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.97 ₡883

4.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.66 ₡745

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$3.00 ₡1,344

36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$4.58 ₡2,055

3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.98 ₡887

-23.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$2.90 ₡1,301

-10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$2.21 ₡990

-28.96%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.93 ₡1,312

-6.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$9.91 ₡4,446

9.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$9.31 ₡4,173

8.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$13.64 ₡6,116

-3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$4.61 ₡2,068

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.52 ₡681

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$4.23 ₡1,898

-65.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$3.07 ₡1,377

-34.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$3.20 ₡1,437

-62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$2.63 ₡1,180

-54.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.04 ₡466

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$2.81 ₡1,258

-36.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$5.08 ₡2,277

-21.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$14.20 ₡6,368

-61.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$2.36 ₡1,058

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.56 ₡1,149

8.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$1.00 ₡449

-31.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$1.81 ₡810

-9.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$1.87 ₡837

-48.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$8.00 ₡3,589

-1.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.45 ₡652

-2.07%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$37.2K ₡16.7M

-37.22%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$32.8K ₡14.7M

-2.61%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$84.7 ₡38.0K

135.62%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$26.18 ₡11.7K

-10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$49.65 ₡22.3K

-36.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$50.6 ₡22.7K

-1.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$23.98 ₡10.8K

-30.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$8.87 ₡3,976

21.76%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$573 ₡256.9K

-19.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$12.6K ₡5.6M

-30.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$62.9 ₡28.2K

90.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$51.1 ₡22.9K

85.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$127 ₡56.9K

-8.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$107 ₡47.9K

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$700 ₡314.1K

7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$605 ₡271.4K

-15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,462 ₡655.5K

7.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$970 ₡435.0K

23.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.17

462.93%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1% 17.6% $91

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6% 22.6% $64

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4% 29.8% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4% 36.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1% 25.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4% 4.3% $3.1

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1% 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 $750 in Buenos Aires and $700 in Santa Teresa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $43.00 in Santa Teresa. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $349, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

09:34 9:34 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

3,099

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Santa Teresa 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Santa Teresa

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 Santa Teresa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Santa Teresa differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,546 including rent). Santa Teresa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,468 in Buenos Aires and $2,319 in Santa Teresa 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $700 in Santa Teresa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $573 in Santa Teresa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Teresa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,546 in Santa Teresa versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Teresa but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Teresa 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 Santa Teresa 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 Santa Teresa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.