Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Santo Domingo Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $643 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo Este
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Santo Domingo Este Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Santo Domingo Este

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $643 in Santo Domingo Este.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Santo Domingo Este $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,043 in Santo Domingo Este.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Santo Domingo Este $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,442 in Santo Domingo Este.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Santo Domingo Este $1,442

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 158% more expensive than in Santo Domingo Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Santo Domingo Este is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$5.06 DOP 310

277.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$40.96 DOP 2,509

60.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.51 DOP 399

102.76%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.00 DOP 61.3

285.00%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.04 DOP 63.8

91.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.60 DOP 36.58

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.41 DOP 147

63.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.14 DOP 193

46.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.34 DOP 81.9

11.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.47 DOP 90.0

72.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.59 DOP 97.5

1.26%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.29 DOP 141

24.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.20 DOP 441

43.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.68 DOP 348

76.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.70 DOP 411

98.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.08 DOP 189

-6.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.84 DOP 51.4

161.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.72 DOP 167

-48.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.87 DOP 115

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.97 DOP 121

-38.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.23 DOP 137

-43.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.02 DOP 62.7

67.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.95 DOP 58.3

81.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.35 DOP 328

-19.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.36 DOP 635

-44.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.60 DOP 159

-16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.96 DOP 182

-6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.28 DOP 201

-52.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.20 DOP 135

-53.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.66 DOP 346

39.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.29 DOP 79.3

10.08%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

22.16%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$33.8K DOP 2.1M

3.42%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$93.6 DOP 5,735

108.50%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$32.04 DOP 1,963

-21.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$35.97 DOP 2,204

-12.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.49 DOP 459

38.05%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$251 DOP 15.4K

84.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,405 DOP 453.6K

18.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$45.98 DOP 2,817

160.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$45.49 DOP 2,787

109.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$87.4 DOP 5,356

30.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$121 DOP 7,425

14.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

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

$593 DOP 36.3K

58.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

13.56

322.20%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Santo Domingo Este

$220 34.2% 22.3% $63

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.1% 65.6% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Santo Domingo Este

$162 25.1% 35.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Santo Domingo Este

$135 21% 36% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Santo Domingo Este

$15 * 2.3% 79.1% $57

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2% 61.4% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Buenos Aires pays 58% 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 $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $220 per month, with Santo Domingo Este cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,000,230

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Buenos Aires Santo Domingo Este 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Buenos Aires
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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 Santo Domingo Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Santo Domingo Este differ by about 158% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $643 including rent). Santo Domingo Este is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $251 in Santo Domingo Este. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $643 in Santo Domingo Este versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo Este but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo Este 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 Santo Domingo Este 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 Santo Domingo Este gentler on the wallet – expenses run 158% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.