Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in St. Thomas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,432 in St. Thomas.

Buenos Aires $1,656
St. Thomas $2,432

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $3,274 in St. Thomas.

Buenos Aires $2,697
St. Thomas $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $4,117 in St. Thomas.

Buenos Aires $3,737
St. Thomas $4,117

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 32% less than in St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, St. Thomas 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 28.9K

$21.05 CA$29.92

-9.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.6K

$62.6 CA$89.0

5.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$11.38 CA$16.18

15.99%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,823

$3.32 CA$4.71

15.96%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,011

$2.19 CA$3.12

-9.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,423

$1.59 CA$2.25

0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,942

$5.02 CA$7.14

-21.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 6,982

$5.89 CA$8.37

-21.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,265

$2.08 CA$2.96

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,826

$2.61 CA$3.70

-3.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,438

$3.73 CA$5.30

-56.84%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,303

$3.09 CA$4.39

-8.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$9.94 CA$14.13

3.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.1K

$15.43 CA$21.92

-35.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.1K

$19.20 CA$27.29

-30.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,353

$3.86 CA$5.49

-25.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,324

$1.24 CA$1.76

77.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,114

$3.49 CA$4.97

-59.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 2,995

$3.97 CA$5.64

-50.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,830

$3.36 CA$4.78

-63.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,905

$3.07 CA$4.36

-58.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,584

$2.85 CA$4.06

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,596

$1.46 CA$2.07

17.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,486

$10.98 CA$15.61

-60.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,619

$12.74 CA$18.10

-55.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,278

$2.40 CA$3.41

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,175

$2.78 CA$3.95

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,137

$2.25 CA$3.20

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.3K

$58.7 CA$83.4

-53.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,368

$2.30 CA$3.27

-31.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,554

$1.62 CA$2.30

-36.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 11.9K

$21.70 CA$30.85

-63.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,154

$1.13 CA$1.60

25.66%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

$28.0K CA$39.8K

-0.29%

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

$35.0K ARS 52.9M

$19.7K CA$28.0K

77.42%

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

$195 ARS 295.3K

$123 CA$175

58.21%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.1K

$42.76 CA$60.8

-41.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.7K

$55.5 CA$78.8

-43.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.0K

$44.43 CA$63.1

14.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.3K

$20.32 CA$28.87

-17.67%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.6K

$10.33 CA$14.69

0.10%

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

$463 ARS 701.1K

$399 CA$567

16.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$16.7K CA$23.7K

-47.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.3K

$53.5 CA$76.1

123.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.5K

$35.84 CA$50.9

166.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 172.6K

$82.2 CA$117

38.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 210.8K

$90.6 CA$129

53.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,148 CA$1,631

-34.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 786.5K

$1,267 CA$1,801

-58.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,794 CA$2,550

-11.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,470 CA$2,089

-18.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$4,187 CA$5,951

-35.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$3,561 CA$5,061

-46.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$2,970 CA$4,221

-68.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.99

1047.29%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 144% $748

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 36.8% $104

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 4.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 12% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 44.1% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 9.1% $6.5

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 111% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $1,148 in St. Thomas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Thomas pays 217% 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $387, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

38,909

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires St. Thomas 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
St. Thomas

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 St. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and St. Thomas differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $2,432 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 217% lower in St. Thomas. 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 $1,148 in St. Thomas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $399 in St. Thomas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in St. Thomas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,432 in St. Thomas, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in St. Thomas. 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 St. Thomas 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 47% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.