Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Scalea

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenos Aires and in Scalea: $1,646 and $1,727 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,727 in Scalea.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Scalea $1,727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,568 in Scalea.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Scalea $2,568

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $3,408 in Scalea.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Scalea $3,408

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 5% less than in Scalea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 21% above, Scalea 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$16.97 €15.09

4.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$55.3 €49.17

17.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$11.26 €10.01

16.52%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.09 €1.86

84.69%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$2.97 €2.64

-30.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$2.13 €1.89

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$6.79 €6.04

-39.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$4.27 €3.80

10.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.26 €1.12

19.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$1.58 €1.41

64.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$2.63 €2.34

-40.30%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$3.48 €3.10

-21.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$11.38 €10.12

-4.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$11.88 €10.57

-15.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$15.59 €13.87

-15.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$1.92 €1.71

45.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.67 €1.49

25.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.38 €1.23

5.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$2.56 €2.28

-21.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.78 €1.58

-32.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.28 €1.14

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.29 €1.14

31.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.44 €0.39

306.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$6.86 €6.10

-41.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$7.68 €6.83

-27.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.84 €1.64

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$1.54 €1.37

80.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$1.59 €1.41

-56.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$43.36 €38.57

-35.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$4.57 €4.06

-64.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$1.09 €0.97

-11.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$22.07 €19.63

-64.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$2.14 €1.90

-33.64%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$36.3K €32.3K

-35.73%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$36.5K €32.4K

-12.42%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$306 €272

-34.87%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$10.58 €9.41

120.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$34.67 €30.84

-9.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$56.2 €49.99

-11.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$26.48 €23.55

-37.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$8.91 €7.93

21.21%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$457 €407

1.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$6,688 €5,949

31.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$82.6 €73.5

44.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$33.33 €29.64

183.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$88.0 €78.2

32.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$128 €114

7.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$658 €585

13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$558 €496

-7.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,057 €940

48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$976 €868

22.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,430 €1,272

84.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,170 €1,041

60.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

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 19, 2026

Last update for Scalea: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Scalea

$558 32.3% 8.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Scalea

$277 16% 2.7% $7.6

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Scalea

$258 14.9% 5.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Scalea

$351 20.4% 38.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Scalea

$150 8.7% 29% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Scalea

$74 4.3% 3.7% $2.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Scalea

$60 3.5% 60.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $658 in Scalea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $55.0 in Scalea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $277 per month, with Scalea cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇹 Scalea

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

10,913

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Buenos Aires Scalea 11,240 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Scalea

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 Scalea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Scalea differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,727 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,468 in Buenos Aires and $2,591 in Scalea to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $658 in Scalea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $457 in Scalea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Scalea pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,727 in Scalea, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Scalea. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Scalea 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Scalea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.