Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,130 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
Learn more

Scarborough Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,130

/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 $2,133 in Scarborough.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Scarborough $2,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $3,068 in Scarborough.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Scarborough $3,068

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $4,002 in Scarborough.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Scarborough $4,002

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 22% less than in Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Scarborough 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$15.36 £11.53

15.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$71.1 £53.4

-8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$12.12 £9.09

8.25%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$3.51 £2.63

9.97%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$2.05 £1.53

0.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.02 £0.77

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$4.58 £3.44

-10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$4.29 £3.22

10.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.29 £0.97

17.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$1.37 £1.03

89.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.08 £0.81

45.37%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$3.60 £2.70

-24.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$7.92 £5.94

37.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$7.18 £5.39

40.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$13.94 £10.46

-5.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$3.13 £2.35

-10.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.99 £1.49

5.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$2.65 £1.99

-45.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$2.09 £1.57

-4.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.74 £1.30

-31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.62 £1.21

-25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.15 £0.87

46.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$1.91 £1.43

-6.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$22.58 £16.94

-82.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$9.59 £7.19

-42.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$3.65 £2.74

-41.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$3.60 £2.70

-22.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$3.30 £2.48

-79.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$86.0 £64.5

-67.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$5.73 £4.30

-71.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$4.97 £3.73

-80.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$33.58 £25.19

-76.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.98 £1.48

-28.28%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$36.0K £27.0K

-35.12%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$39.9K £29.9K

-19.97%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$356 £267

-43.98%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$25.99 £19.50

-10.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$32.74 £24.56

-3.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$66.1 £49.59

-24.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$12.67 £9.50

31.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$10.66 £7.99

1.31%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$1,804 £1,353

-74.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$14.7K £11.1K

-40.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$66.3 £49.73

80.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$35.54 £26.66

166.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$108 £81.3

7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$114 £85.2

21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$867 £651

-13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$831 £624

-38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,524 £1,143

2.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$1,365 £1,024

-12.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$910 £683

1.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.53

935.26%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Scarborough

$831 39% 61.6% $317

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Scarborough

$276 13% 3% $8.6

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Scarborough

$245 11.5% 10.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Scarborough

$415 19.5% 63.1% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Scarborough

$146 6.8% 30.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Scarborough

$87 4.1% 22.4% $16

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Scarborough

$130 6.1% 249% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $867 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 3% 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 $69.0 in Scarborough. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $276, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

61,749

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Scarborough 11,330 km ≈ 15 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 29% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,133 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $867 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $1,742 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,133 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 29% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.