Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $806 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $806 in Stip.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Stip $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,205 in Stip.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Stip $1,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,605 in Stip.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Stip $1,605

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 106% more expensive than in Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Stip is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$7.33 MKD 400

160.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$23.62 MKD 1,288

178.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.30 MKD 344

109.52%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.80 MKD 98.1

113.89%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.48 MKD 80.6

34.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.07 MKD 58.2

49.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.77 MKD 96.8

122.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.79 MKD 152

65.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.23 MKD 67.2

21.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.75 MKD 40.86

237.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.07 MKD 58.1

50.47%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.42 MKD 132

17.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.12 MKD 443

26.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.25 MKD 395

37.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.46 MKD 407

78.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$0.87 MKD 47.22

231.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.44 MKD 78.7

52.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.32 MKD 72.0

6.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.66 MKD 90.8

19.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.87 MKD 47.63

39.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.78 MKD 42.51

61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.53 MKD 29.07

222.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.40 MKD 21.66

330.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.26 MKD 178

31.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.26 MKD 396

-21.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.07 MKD 58.4

102.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.42 MKD 77.4

94.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.63 MKD 34.29

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$23.20 MKD 1,266

17.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.12 MKD 60.9

40.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.62 MKD 33.63

66.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.60 MKD 306

41.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.52 MKD 82.7

-6.58%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$36.0K MKD 2.0M

-22.28%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$27.9K MKD 1.5M

25.34%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$157 MKD 8,562

24.36%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$9.01 MKD 492

179.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$16.56 MKD 903

90.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$27.61 MKD 1,506

84.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$17.17 MKD 937

-2.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.19 MKD 338

67.04%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$350 MKD 19.1K

32.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,765 MKD 314.5K

52.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$35.68 MKD 1,946

235.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$30.62 MKD 1,670

211.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$101 MKD 5,487

13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$114 MKD 6,196

22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$201 MKD 11.0K

276.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$126 MKD 6,876

312.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$327 MKD 17.9K

385.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$197 MKD 10.7K

508.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,214 MKD 66.2K

123.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$958 MKD 52.3K

98.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$462 MKD 25.2K

102.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.23

1253.43%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Stip: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Stip

$126 15.7% 75.7% $394

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Stip

$177 22% 37.5% $106

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Stip

$124 15.4% 56.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Stip

$183 22.7% 27.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Stip

$126 15.7% 40.2% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Stip

$40 5% 44.1% $32

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Stip

$30 3.7% 19.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $201 in Stip. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 103% 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 $24.00 in Stip for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $177 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Stip 11,800 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Stip

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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Stip differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $806 including rent). Stip is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 103% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $201 in Stip. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $350 in Stip. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $806 in Stip versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Stip but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Stip 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 Stip 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 Stip gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.