Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $973 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

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

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
Learn more

Shakhty Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $973 in Shakhty.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Shakhty $973

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,539 in Shakhty.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Shakhty $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,105 in Shakhty.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Shakhty $2,105

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 69% more expensive than in Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Shakhty is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$9.92 ₽828

79.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$37.22 ₽3,106

75.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$5.74 ₽479

128.57%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.40 ₽201

60.83%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.16 ₽96.5

77.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$0.57 ₽47.83

194.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$1.61 ₽134

154.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$2.63 ₽220

79.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.19 ₽99.1

26.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$0.80 ₽66.5

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.50 ₽125

4.67%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$1.62 ₽135

68.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$10.16 ₽848

6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$4.96 ₽414

103.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$10.31 ₽861

28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$1.69 ₽141

65.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.55 ₽130

34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$2.05 ₽171

-29.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$3.05 ₽254

-34.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.84 ₽70.3

42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.65 ₽53.9

84.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.25 ₽105

35.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.73 ₽60.7

145.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$2.89 ₽241

38.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$7.01 ₽585

-21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$0.95 ₽79.3

123.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.30 ₽192

20.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.59 ₽48.93

16.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$2.26 ₽189

-27.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.32 ₽26.88

203.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$6.03 ₽504

30.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$0.85 ₽70.5

67.06%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$59.1K ₽4.9M

-60.49%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$44.0K ₽3.7M

-27.45%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$105 ₽8,740

90.46%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$6.49 ₽542

259.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$7.40 ₽618

324.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$32.98 ₽2,752

51.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$26.70 ₽2,229

-37.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$5.53 ₽461

95.30%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$336 ₽28.1K

37.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$6,458 ₽539.0K

36.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$72.0 ₽6,010

66.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$45.27 ₽3,779

108.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$109 ₽9,135

6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$115 ₽9,611

19.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$496 ₽41.4K

51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$304 ₽25.4K

68.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$776 ₽64.7K

102.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$559 ₽46.7K

113.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$2,448 ₽204.3K

7.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,378 ₽115.0K

36.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

21.45

166.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Shakhty

$304 31.3% 40.8% $210

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Shakhty

$201 20.6% 29.5% $84

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Shakhty

$146 15% 46.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Shakhty

$119 12.2% 53.3% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Shakhty

$154 15.8% 26.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Shakhty

$44 4.5% 38.3% $27

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Shakhty

$6.2 * 0.6% 83.3% $31

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 $750 in Buenos Aires and $496 in Shakhty. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $37.00 in Shakhty for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $201 per month, with Shakhty cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

05:27 5:27 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

235,492

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Shakhty 13,370 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Shakhty differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $973 including rent). Shakhty 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 $1,460 in Shakhty 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 $496 in Shakhty. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $336 in Shakhty. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shakhty – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $973 in Shakhty versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shakhty but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Shakhty 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 Shakhty 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 Shakhty gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.