Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,056 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,056 in Secunda.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Secunda $1,056

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,618 in Secunda.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Secunda $1,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,180 in Secunda.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Secunda $2,180

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 57% more expensive than in Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Secunda is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$5.88 R 96.8

224.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$30.10 R 496

118.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.51 R 90.8

139.56%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.19 R 36.07

75.80%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.87 R 14.39

128.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.49 R 8.09

226.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.05 R 17.30

274.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.33 R 21.95

246.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.14 R 18.80

31.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.93 R 15.39

172.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.82 R 30.01

-11.54%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.52 R 41.60

12.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.19 R 135

25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.98 R 82.1

100.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.24 R 119

83.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.78 R 29.25

61.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.60 R 26.30

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.78 R 29.33

-21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.54 R 25.43

28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.07 R 17.70

13.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.22 R 20.12

3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.21 R 19.98

41.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.32 R 21.82

30.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.27 R 53.8

31.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.96 R 81.7

14.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.50 R 24.78

44.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.98 R 32.66

39.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.49 R 24.51

-49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.29 R 4.71

441.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.80 R 13.12

28.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$14.38 R 237

-45.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.55 R 25.49

-8.39%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.4K R 582.9K

-21.00%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$33.5K R 551.6K

4.45%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$153 R 2,518

27.71%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$36.64 R 604

-31.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$37.15 R 612

-15.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$32.57 R 537

56.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.79 R 178

55.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.09 R 117

45.84%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$89.3 R 1,472

418.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,575 R 91.8K

57.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$52.1 R 858

130.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$31.44 R 518

203.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$91.5 R 1,507

24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$82.6 R 1,360

68.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$394 R 6,486

92.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$363 R 5,984

43.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$743 R 12.2K

114.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$735 R 12.1K

62.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$861 R 14.2K

215.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$648 R 10.7K

193.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,418 R 23.4K

-33.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.34

404.85%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Secunda

$363 34.4% 30.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Secunda

$190 18% 32.8% $93

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Secunda

$103 9.8% 63.4% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Secunda

$227 21.5% 10% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Secunda

$116 11% 45.1% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Secunda

$47 4.4% 34.7% $25

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Secunda

$10 * 1% 72.4% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $394 in Secunda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Secunda pays 51% 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 $30.00 in Secunda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $190 per month, with Secunda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

40,198

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Secunda 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Secunda

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Secunda differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,056 including rent). Secunda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Secunda. 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 $394 in Secunda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $89.3 in Secunda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Secunda – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,056 in Secunda versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Secunda but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Secunda 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 Secunda 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 Secunda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.