Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Sun City

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,255 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
Learn more

Sun City Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Sun City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,255 in Sun City.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Sun City $1,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,930 in Sun City.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Sun City $1,930

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,606 in Sun City.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Sun City $2,606

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 32% more expensive than in Sun City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Sun City is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.94 R 197

59.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$43.53 R 717

51.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.40 R 122

78.38%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.46 R 40.54

56.50%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.23 R 20.26

61.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.93 R 15.34

72.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.20 R 36.18

78.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.77 R 45.61

66.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.35 R 22.30

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.28 R 21.14

97.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.77 R 29.18

-9.04%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.63 R 43.27

7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.41 R 139

22.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.65 R 93.1

76.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$8.48 R 140

56.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.10 R 34.58

37.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.88 R 30.91

17.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.77 R 29.21

-20.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.12 R 34.93

-6.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.67 R 27.45

-27.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.83 R 30.09

-31.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.49 R 24.55

14.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.32 R 21.70

30.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.38 R 55.8

26.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$6.09 R 100

-6.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.89 R 31.11

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.40 R 39.52

15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.49 R 24.54

-49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.82 R 13.44

91.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.91 R 15.01

13.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$14.50 R 239

-45.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.49 R 24.59

-4.70%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$35.2K R 579.9K

-20.60%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$31.5K R 519.7K

10.86%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$233 R 3,832

-16.09%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$38.09 R 628

-33.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$36.25 R 597

-12.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$32.16 R 530

58.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$10.57 R 174

58.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.69 R 127

34.46%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$246 R 4,052

88.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,459 R 89.9K

61.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$58.1 R 957

106.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$46.31 R 763

106.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$107 R 1,766

6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$107 R 1,757

30.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$395 R 6,502

91.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$354 R 5,834

46.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$737 R 12.1K

115.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$737 R 12.1K

62.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$890 R 14.7K

204.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$658 R 10.8K

189.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.91

424.75%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sun City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Sun City

$354 28.2% 31.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Sun City

$219 17.5% 22.6% $64

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Sun City

$172 13.7% 38.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Sun City

$307 24.5% 21.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Sun City

$143 11.4% 32.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Sun City

$48 3.8% 33.6% $24

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Sun City

$11 * 0.9% 69.4% $26

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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $395 in Sun City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $44.00 in Sun City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $219 per month, with Sun City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,556

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Sun City 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Sun City differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,255 including rent). Sun City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,882 in Sun City 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $395 in Sun City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $246 in Sun City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sun City – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,255 in Sun City versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sun City but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Sun City 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 Sun City 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 Sun City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.