Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,439 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
Learn more

Santiago de Compostela Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Santiago de Compostela $1,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Santiago de Compostela $2,215

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Santiago de Compostela $2,991

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 15% more expensive than in Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Santiago de Compostela 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$13.22 €11.75

44.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$66.5 €59.1

-1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.21 €8.19

43.32%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.95 €1.74

97.44%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.69 €2.39

-26.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$2.17 €1.93

-26.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.10 €2.75

26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.87 €3.44

19.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.20 €1.07

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.17 €1.04

116.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.32 €1.17

21.97%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.77 €2.47

2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.85 €7.88

16.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.67 €5.93

49.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$17.00 €15.12

-21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.04 €1.81

41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.09 €1.86

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.48 €1.32

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.86 €2.54

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.96 €1.74

-38.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.47 €1.30

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.13 €1.01

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.84 €0.75

104.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.97 €5.31

-28.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.12 €4.55

11.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.45 €1.29

49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.37 €2.11

16.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.19 €1.06

-36.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$32.89 €29.25

-17.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.87 €4.33

-67.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.31 €1.17

-21.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$18.83 €16.74

-58.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.69 €1.50

-15.98%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.4K €31.5K

-21.04%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$28.8K €25.7K

21.25%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$155 €138

25.81%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$21.74 €19.34

15.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$32.64 €29.03

-3.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$51.2 €45.55

-0.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$2.19 €1.95

663.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$10.11 €8.99

2.27%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$331 €294

40.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$8,249 €7,337

6.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$87.7 €78.0

36.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$62.9 €55.9

51.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$100.0 €88.9

14.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$92.3 €82.1

50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$712 €633

6.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$516 €459

0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,047 €931

51.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$869 €773

37.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$3,001 €2,669

-9.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$2,094 €1,863

-9.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,870 €1,663

-49.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.96

1834.12%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9% 0.8% $4

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6% 15.4% $44

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9% 29.2% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6% 16.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7% 26.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4% 32.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $240, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

21:14 9:14 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

98,687

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Santiago de Compostela 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Santiago de Compostela differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,439 including rent). Santiago de Compostela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Santiago de Compostela. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $712 in Santiago de Compostela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $331 in Santiago de Compostela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.