Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sarande

For one person, living is cheaper in Sarande: $1,285 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
Learn more

Sarande Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,285 in Sarande.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Sarande $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,181 in Sarande.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Sarande $2,181

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,076 in Sarande.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Sarande $3,076

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sarande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Sarande is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$9.93 ALL 800

92.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$54.5 ALL 4,392

20.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$11.03 ALL 888

19.67%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.23 ALL 180

72.65%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.44 ALL 197

-18.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.15 ALL 92.8

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.52 ALL 283

11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.12 ALL 332

11.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.18 ALL 175

-31.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.18 ALL 95.4

114.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.31 ALL 186

-30.30%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.77 ALL 304

-24.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$12.44 ALL 1,002

-17.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.09 ALL 732

10.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$16.98 ALL 1,368

-21.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.94 ALL 156

48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.41 ALL 194

-8.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.98 ALL 160

-29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.83 ALL 147

8.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.01 ALL 81.5

19.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.29 ALL 103

-2.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.48 ALL 119

15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.77 ALL 62.2

123.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.82 ALL 388

-11.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.46 ALL 601

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.61 ALL 129

34.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.06 ALL 166

33.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.10 ALL 88.7

-31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$22.72 ALL 1,830

20.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.69 ALL 297

-57.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$3.56 ALL 287

-71.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$18.51 ALL 1,491

-57.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.23 ALL 180

-36.32%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$33.1K ALL 2.7M

-15.65%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$27.8K ALL 2.2M

25.96%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$99.9 ALL 8,043

95.43%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$18.16 ALL 1,462

38.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$19.41 ALL 1,563

62.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$87.5 ALL 7,047

-41.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$40.89 ALL 3,293

-59.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.79 ALL 788

5.62%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$296 ALL 23.8K

56.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,951 ALL 640.3K

10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$71.9 ALL 5,789

66.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$47.68 ALL 3,839

100.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$120 ALL 9,692

-5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$111 ALL 8,958

25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$857 ALL 69.0K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$373 ALL 30.1K

39.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,094 ALL 88.1K

45.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$925 ALL 74.5K

29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$4,468 ALL 359.8K

-39.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$2,840 ALL 228.7K

-33.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$756 ALL 60.9K

24.03%

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 Sarande: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Sarande

$373 29.1% 28.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Sarande

$281 21.9% 0.9% $2.5

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Sarande

$180 14% 36.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Sarande

$137 10.7% 45.4% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Sarande

$158 12.3% 25.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Sarande

$107 8.3% 49.6% $35

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sarande

$49 3.8% 31.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $857 in Sarande. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 24% 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 $55.0 in Sarande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $281 per month, with Sarande cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇱 Sarande

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

14:19 2:19 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

17,233

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Sarande 11,540 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Sarande

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 Sarande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sarande differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,285 including rent). Sarande is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $857 in Sarande. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $296 in Sarande. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,285 in Sarande versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sarande but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sarande 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 Sarande 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 Sarande gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.