Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $455 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Sharm El Sheikh
🇪🇬 Egypt
$455
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $455 in Sharm El Sheikh.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Sharm El Sheikh $455

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $706 in Sharm El Sheikh.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Sharm El Sheikh $706

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $956 in Sharm El Sheikh.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Sharm El Sheikh $956

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 264% more expensive than in Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Sharm El Sheikh is 66% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
-
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$23.17 E£1,237
183.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$4.87 E£260
171.05%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$2.23 E£119
72.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.33 E£17.57
503.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.59 E£31.40
171.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
$3.79 E£202
3.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
$4.66 E£249
-1.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$0.82 E£43.80
82.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
-
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$0.45 E£24.03
257.78%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$1.21 E£64.5
134.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$3.75 E£200
166.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$1.55 E£82.9
85.81%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$0.45 E£24.00
388.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$0.45 E£24.12
211.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$0.27 E£14.28
633.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$2.17 E£116
97.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
$1.48 E£78.8
46.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$0.10 E£5.23
650.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.46 E£24.81
208.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$32.7K E£1.7M
-14.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$21.8K E£1.2M
60.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$11.34 E£605
121.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$27.77 E£1,483
13.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$359 E£19.2K
110.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$287 E£15.3K
80.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$622 E£33.2K
155.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$530 E£28.3K
126.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$948 E£50.6K
186.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$665 E£35.5K
185.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Sharm El Sheikh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$151 E£8,062
521.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
26.5
116.04%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Sharm El Sheikh
$287 44.7% $232
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Sharm El Sheikh
$55 * 80.7% $229
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Sharm El Sheikh
$73 * 74% $208
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Sharm El Sheikh
$39 * 84.5% $213
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Sharm El Sheikh
- * 100%
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Sharm El Sheikh
- * 100%
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Sharm El Sheikh
$0.4 * 98.9% $37

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 $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 521% 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 $23.00 in Sharm El Sheikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $55.0 per month, with Sharm El Sheikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh
🕒 Local time
05:54 5:54 AM
11:54 11:54 AM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
38,478
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Sharm El Sheikh 11,950 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Sharm El Sheikh?
Buenos Aires and Sharm El Sheikh differ by about 264% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $455 including rent). Sharm El Sheikh is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buenos Aires or Sharm El Sheikh?
Average pay runs 521% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Sharm El Sheikh?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $359 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Buenos Aires or Sharm El Sheikh?
All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $455 in Sharm El Sheikh – a 264% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $455 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sharm El Sheikh but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sharm El Sheikh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Sharm El Sheikh?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Sharm El Sheikh safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Sharm El Sheikh are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Sharm El Sheikh?
Expats usually find Sharm El Sheikh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 264% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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