Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,336 in Skien.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Skien $2,336

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $3,267 in Skien.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Skien $3,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $4,197 in Skien.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Skien $4,197

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 29% less than in Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Skien 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$21.21 NOK 200

-10.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$103 NOK 971

-36.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$15.47 NOK 146

-14.67%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$5.11 NOK 48.11

-24.66%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-54.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-46.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$11.89 NOK 112

-66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$12.33 NOK 116

-62.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-28.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-64.77%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-49.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$13.16 NOK 124

-21.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$15.17 NOK 143

-34.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$21.79 NOK 205

-38.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-14.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-59.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-66.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$2.24 NOK 21.04

-45.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-54.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-30.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$19.02 NOK 179

-77.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$15.76 NOK 148

-63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-35.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-36.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$3.26 NOK 30.64

-76.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$47.91 NOK 451

-43.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$11.13 NOK 105

-85.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-43.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$70.8 NOK 667

-88.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-37.44%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-41.18%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-19.34%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$93.9 NOK 884

107.97%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$33.89 NOK 319

-25.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$53.6 NOK 504

-41.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$43.10 NOK 406

18.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$15.29 NOK 144

-32.37%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$239 NOK 2,247

94.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

-44.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$63.7 NOK 600

88.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$60.4 NOK 568

58.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$87.9 NOK 827

29.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$153 NOK 1,442

-9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,042 NOK 9,811

-27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$975 NOK 9,183

-46.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,035 NOK 9,746

53.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$939 NOK 8,841

27.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

-20.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

-39.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

-77.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.37

1210.07%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Skien

$975 41.8% 87.7% $456

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Skien

$470 20.1% 65.8% $186

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Skien

$391 16.7% 38.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Skien

$181 7.8% 28% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Skien

$164 7% 22.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Skien

$74 3.2% 2.9% $2.1

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Skien

$81 3.5% 119% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $1,042 in Skien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skien pays 352% 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 $103 in Skien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $470 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

19:20 7:20 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

56,769

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Skien 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Skien differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,336 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 352% lower in Skien. 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 $1,042 in Skien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $239 in Skien. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Skien. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,336 in Skien, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Skien. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Skien 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Skien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.