Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Shchelkovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shchelkovo: $912 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Shchelkovo
Learn more

Shchelkovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Shchelkovo

🇷🇺 Russia

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $912 in Shchelkovo.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Shchelkovo $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,440 in Shchelkovo.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Shchelkovo $1,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $1,969 in Shchelkovo.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Shchelkovo $1,969

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 80% more expensive than in Shchelkovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Shchelkovo is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$6.01 ₽502

196.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$30.10 ₽2,512

116.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$7.70 ₽643

70.39%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.86 ₽239

34.97%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$0.98 ₽82.0

110.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$0.60 ₽49.92

180.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$0.94 ₽78.4

336.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$1.47 ₽123

221.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$0.94 ₽78.4

60.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$0.87 ₽72.2

198.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.19 ₽99.2

31.93%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$1.62 ₽135

68.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$9.17 ₽766

18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$5.14 ₽429

95.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$11.94 ₽997

10.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$1.59 ₽132

76.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.41 ₽118

48.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.61 ₽134

-9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$2.65 ₽221

-24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.72 ₽60.1

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.40 ₽33.64

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.47 ₽122

14.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.40 ₽33.32

347.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$2.16 ₽180

85.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$7.13 ₽595

-22.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$0.78 ₽65.0

171.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$1.55 ₽129

79.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.49 ₽41.28

40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$2.44 ₽204

-33.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.20 ₽17.09

385.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$3.58 ₽299

120.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$0.88 ₽73.3

61.36%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$53.1K ₽4.4M

-56.05%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$40.6K ₽3.4M

-21.41%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$106 ₽8,811

88.91%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$3.71 ₽310

529.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$4.90 ₽409

541.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$40.44 ₽3,375

23.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$26.67 ₽2,226

-37.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$6.21 ₽518

73.91%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$183 ₽15.3K

152.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$3,642 ₽304.0K

141.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$42.86 ₽3,577

179.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$23.86 ₽1,991

296.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$147 ₽12.2K

-20.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$119 ₽9,971

15.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$516 ₽43.1K

45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$281 ₽23.4K

83.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$866 ₽72.2K

81.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$543 ₽45.3K

120.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$2,362 ₽197.1K

11.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,410 ₽117.7K

32.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

20.75

175.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shchelkovo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Shchelkovo

$281 30.8% 45.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Shchelkovo

$189 20.8% 33.5% $95

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Shchelkovo

$119 13.1% 56.3% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Shchelkovo

$114 12.5% 55.1% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Shchelkovo

$150 16.4% 28.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Shchelkovo

$53 5.8% 26% $19

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Shchelkovo

$5.4 * 0.6% 85.4% $32

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 $516 in Shchelkovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $30.00 in Shchelkovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $189 per month, with Shchelkovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Shchelkovo

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Shchelkovo 13,510 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Shchelkovo

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 Shchelkovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Shchelkovo differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $912 including rent). Shchelkovo 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 $1,368 in Shchelkovo 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 $516 in Shchelkovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $183 in Shchelkovo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shchelkovo – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Shchelkovo versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shchelkovo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Shchelkovo 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 Shchelkovo 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 Shchelkovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.