Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,466 in Scarborough.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Scarborough $2,466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $3,385 in Scarborough.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Scarborough $3,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $4,304 in Scarborough.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Scarborough $4,304

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 33% less than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Scarborough 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$16.49 CA$23.31

15.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$68.8 CA$97.2

-4.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.56 CA$14.93

25.00%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.87 CA$5.47

-0.52%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.07 CA$2.92

-3.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.37 CA$1.94

16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$6.24 CA$8.82

-37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$7.08 CA$10.01

-34.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.51 CA$3.56

-40.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.68 CA$3.78

-5.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.13 CA$3.01

-24.41%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.45 CA$4.88

-17.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.94 CA$12.63

15.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$11.01 CA$15.56

-9.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$12.57 CA$17.77

5.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.22 CA$4.56

-10.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.21 CA$1.71

81.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.39 CA$4.79

-58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.00 CA$5.65

-50.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.65 CA$2.33

-26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.58 CA$2.24

-20.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.28 CA$3.22

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.19 CA$1.68

44.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$13.74 CA$19.43

-68.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$12.75 CA$18.03

-55.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.11 CA$2.99

2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.51 CA$3.55

9.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$2.35 CA$3.32

-68.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$103 CA$146

-73.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.95 CA$4.17

-46.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.26 CA$1.79

-18.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$21.32 CA$30.14

-62.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.21 CA$1.72

17.36%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$27.5K CA$38.8K

1.80%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$19.9K CA$28.1K

76.00%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$141 CA$199

38.87%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$34.98 CA$49.45

-28.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$47.92 CA$67.7

-34.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$35.43 CA$50.1

43.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$35.38 CA$50.0

-52.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$12.45 CA$17.60

-16.95%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$808 CA$1,142

-42.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$10.4K CA$14.7K

-15.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$51.5 CA$72.9

132.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$39.00 CA$55.1

144.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$84.4 CA$119

35.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$103 CA$146

34.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,695 CA$2,396

-55.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,342 CA$1,898

-61.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,130 CA$3,011

-25.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,736 CA$2,454

-30.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$7,564 CA$10.7K

-64.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$6,121 CA$8,653

-68.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$2,908 CA$4,111

-67.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.55

1158.24%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4% 158% $823

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Scarborough

$323 13.1% 14.1% $40

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Scarborough

$269 10.9% 4.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Scarborough

$223 9.1% 11.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Scarborough

$125 5.1% 40.7% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Scarborough

$60 2.5% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Scarborough

$122 5% 230% $85

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $1,695 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 210% 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 $69.0 in Scarborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $323 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

29,960

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Scarborough 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Scarborough differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,466 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 210% lower in Scarborough. 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 $1,695 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $808 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Scarborough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,466 in Scarborough, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. 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 Scarborough 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 49% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.