Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,122 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
Learn more

Santo Domingo Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,122

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,122 in Santo Domingo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Santo Domingo $1,122

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,761 in Santo Domingo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Santo Domingo $1,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,401 in Santo Domingo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Santo Domingo $2,401

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 50% more expensive than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Santo Domingo is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$10.19 DOP 621

83.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$50.5 DOP 3,075

27.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.79 DOP 474

65.34%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.23 DOP 136

78.48%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.02 DOP 62.3

100.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.54 DOP 33.07

187.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.55 DOP 155

50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.30 DOP 201

39.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.33 DOP 81.0

8.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.50 DOP 91.3

64.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.63 DOP 99.1

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.36 DOP 143

22.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$7.40 DOP 450

43.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.59 DOP 340

78.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.71 DOP 408

104.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.19 DOP 194

-13.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$0.85 DOP 51.7

156.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.76 DOP 168

-47.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.86 DOP 113

6.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.07 DOP 126

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$2.25 DOP 137

-43.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.03 DOP 62.9

65.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.97 DOP 58.9

78.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.19 DOP 316

-19.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.24 DOP 623

-43.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.53 DOP 154

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.97 DOP 181

-6.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.60 DOP 36.51

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$18.04 DOP 1,098

50.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.36 DOP 205

-51.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.21 DOP 134

-55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$5.71 DOP 347

35.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.43 DOP 87.2

-4.90%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

19.84%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$34.2K DOP 2.1M

1.10%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$93.8 DOP 5,708

129.89%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$31.81 DOP 1,936

-19.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$37.01 DOP 2,253

-15.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$29.96 DOP 1,824

66.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$24.22 DOP 1,474

-29.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$7.30 DOP 445

42.88%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$256 DOP 15.6K

82.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$7,297 DOP 444.2K

24.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$45.66 DOP 2,780

167.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$46.81 DOP 2,849

108.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$88.1 DOP 5,362

32.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$126 DOP 7,674

10.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$712 DOP 43.3K

7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$348 DOP 21.2K

45.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,451 DOP 88.4K

10.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$622 DOP 37.9K

90.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,205 DOP 134.2K

21.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,203 DOP 73.2K

54.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$590 DOP 35.9K

61.78%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Santo Domingo

$348 31.5% 31.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Santo Domingo

$221 20% 22.1% $63

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2% 43.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Santo Domingo

$163 14.7% 40.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Santo Domingo

$138 12.5% 35.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Santo Domingo

$45 4% 36.9% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Santo Domingo

$35 3.2% 4.9% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 62% 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 $51.0 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $221 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 60.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.21 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Buenos Aires
Santo Domingo

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Santo Domingo differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,122 including rent). Santo Domingo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 62% 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 $712 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $256 in Santo Domingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,122 in Santo Domingo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo 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 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 gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.