Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sao Joao da Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,510 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Buenos Aires despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
Learn more

Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 10% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Sao Joao da Madeira 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$10.06 €8.95

89.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$19.79 €17.60

232.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.85 €6.98

68.15%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.14 €1.01

237.72%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.09 €0.97

82.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.97 €0.87

64.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.32 €2.95

18.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.17 €1.93

112.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.85 €0.75

76.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.32 €0.28

690.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.14 €1.01

41.23%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.68 €2.39

5.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.58 €7.63

20.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.52 €4.91

81.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.51 €5.79

104.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.03 €1.81

41.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.35 €1.20

62.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.83 €1.63

-23.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.85 €2.54

-30.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.97 €1.75

-38.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.88 €1.67

-32.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.24 €1.10

37.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.98 €0.87

75.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$6.28 €5.59

-31.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.53 €4.03

25.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.21 €1.07

79.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.63 €1.45

69.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$2.24 €1.99

-66.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$39.68 €35.29

-31.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.33 €3.85

-63.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.78 €1.58

-42.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$16.67 €14.83

-52.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.90 €1.69

-25.26%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$33.1K €29.4K

-15.51%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$37.7K €33.5K

-7.14%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$110 €97.7

77.75%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$16.96 €15.08

48.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$46.09 €40.99

-31.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$37.59 €33.44

35.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$15.09 €13.42

10.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$5.44 €4.84

90.07%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$341 €303

35.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$10.0K €8,932

-12.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$65.5 €58.3

82.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$37.57 €33.42

154.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$82.7 €73.5

38.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$98.5 €87.6

41.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$957 €851

-20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$768 €683

-32.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,517 €1,349

4.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,164 €1,035

2.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,957 €2,631

-8.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$2,267 €2,017

-16.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,048 €932

-10.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.55

1512.68%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8% 47.7% $248

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2% 35% $99

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7% 47.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5% 31.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5% 39.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2% 32.3% $23

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1% 67.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Joao da Madeira pays 12% 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 $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $184 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

22,144

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Sao Joao da Madeira 9,830 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sao Joao da Madeira differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,510 including rent). Sao Joao da Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Sao Joao da Madeira. 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 $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $341 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Madeira but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.