Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,153 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,153 in Side.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Side $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,793 in Side.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Side $1,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,432 in Side.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Side $2,432

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 43% more expensive than in Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Side is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$10.25 ₺507

73.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$30.35 ₺1,502

114.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$9.86 ₺488

33.06%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$3.63 ₺179

6.34%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$2.20 ₺109

-6.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$0.39 ₺19.35

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$4.10 ₺203

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$5.92 ₺293

-20.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.05 ₺52.2

43.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$0.96 ₺47.29

170.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$2.62 ₺130

-40.08%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.22 ₺110

22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$13.36 ₺661

-18.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$6.05 ₺299

66.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$26.37 ₺1,305

-49.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$1.54 ₺76.1

81.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$2.39 ₺118

-12.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.44 ₺71.4

0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$1.23 ₺60.8

62.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.78 ₺38.78

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.75 ₺36.99

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.81 ₺89.7

-6.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.76 ₺37.73

135.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$2.80 ₺138

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$13.96 ₺691

-60.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.76 ₺87.1

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$3.13 ₺155

-11.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.63 ₺31.41

9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$1.23 ₺61.0

32.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$1.03 ₺51.1

-5.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$6.88 ₺341

14.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.53 ₺75.9

-7.19%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-44.41%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$38.0K ₺1.9M

-15.91%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$76.1 ₺3,765

162.26%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$10.50 ₺520

122.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$23.39 ₺1,158

34.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$57.1 ₺2,826

-12.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$7.93 ₺393

36.19%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$499 ₺24.7K

-7.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$9,527 ₺471.7K

-7.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$44.49 ₺2,203

169.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$59.1 ₺2,926

60.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$154 ₺7,612

-24.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$121 ₺5,967

14.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$478 ₺23.6K

57.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$308 ₺15.2K

67.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$763 ₺37.8K

105.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$562 ₺27.8K

112.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,548 ₺76.7K

70.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$913 ₺45.2K

105.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

38.25

49.67%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Side: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Side

$308 26.7% 40.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Side

$286 24.8% 0.5% $1.3

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Side

$198 17.2% 27.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Side

$110 9.5% 56.8% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Side

$170 14.7% 19.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Side

$73 6.3% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Side

$8.9 * 0.8% 75.9% $28

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 $478 in Side. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $30.00 in Side. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $286, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

01:36 1:36 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

12,500

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Side 12,200 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Side differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,153 including rent). Side 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 $1,730 in Side 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 $478 in Side. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $499 in Side. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Side – 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 $1,153 in Side versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Side but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Side 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 Side 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 Side gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.