Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Santiago $2,595

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 39% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

84.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

27.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$8.94 CLP 8,805

47.65%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.26 CLP 3,211

18.10%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.67 CLP 1,640

19.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.23 CLP 1,212

30.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.54 CLP 4,465

1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.28 CLP 1,263

17.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.85 CLP 1,817

36.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.59 CLP 1,567

1.26%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-30.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-9.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.69 CLP 6,586

49.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.94 CLP 1,905

48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.52 CLP 1,497

44.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.60 CLP 1,577

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.69 CLP 1,668

17.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.10 CLP 1,084

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.52 CLP 1,500

-17.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.18 CLP 1,164

44.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.08 CLP 1,061

59.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.07 CLP 4,995

-15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.95 CLP 5,858

-4.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.49 CLP 1,470

45.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.38 CLP 2,342

15.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.83 CLP 821

-9.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

-32.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.40 CLP 393

292.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.91 CLP 897

13.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

-32.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-5.96%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

59.03%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

59.06%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$151 CLP 149.0K

28.92%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

103.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

68.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

51.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

41.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.45 CLP 7,334

38.79%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$430 CLP 423.7K

7.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

-18.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

141.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

229.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

73.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

72.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$559 CLP 550.4K

35.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$384 CLP 377.8K

35.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

58.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$780 CLP 767.9K

53.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

2.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-25.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$804 CLP 791.0K

16.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.39

962.15%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 26.2% $136

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 16.7% $47

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 32.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 27.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 52% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 32.1% $23

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 31% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 17% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Santiago 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Santiago

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Santiago differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,190 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $430 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago 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 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 gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.