Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $510 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
Learn more

Thimphu Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $510 in Thimphu.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Thimphu $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $799 in Thimphu.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Thimphu $799

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,088 in Thimphu.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Thimphu $1,088

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 231% more expensive than in Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Thimphu is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.56 BTN 248

631.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$14.16 BTN 1,372

355.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$4.89 BTN 474

163.39%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$1.31 BTN 127

203.82%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.49 BTN 47.11

318.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.17 BTN 16.47

811.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.55 BTN 247

50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.60 BTN 155

187.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.77 BTN 74.8

87.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.06 BTN 102

132.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.03 BTN 100

58.25%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.84 BTN 179

57.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$3.69 BTN 358

188.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.01 BTN 388

149.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$4.01 BTN 389

242.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.51 BTN 243

9.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.56 BTN 151

39.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.57 BTN 152

-7.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.71 BTN 68.6

180.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.56 BTN 54.2

121.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.70 BTN 68.3

81.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.39 BTN 38.00

335.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.31 BTN 30.22

458.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.81 BTN 369

9.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$2.91 BTN 282

99.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$0.62 BTN 60.5

237.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.31 BTN 127

111.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.76 BTN 73.5

-1.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$5.18 BTN 502

424.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.75 BTN 72.7

116.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.52 BTN 147

-35.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$0.16 BTN 15.51

4725.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.76 BTN 73.4

78.95%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

67.21%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$15.0K BTN 1.5M

129.47%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$34.28 BTN 3,321

528.85%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$35.89 BTN 3,477

-28.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$24.76 BTN 2,399

26.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$46.99 BTN 4,553

6.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$7.41 BTN 718

130.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$3.17 BTN 307

229.02%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$45.87 BTN 4,444

915.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$576 BTN 55.8K

1473.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$50.3 BTN 4,874

142.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$25.08 BTN 2,430

288.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$67.8 BTN 6,570

72.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$14.29 BTN 1,384

877.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$126 BTN 12.2K

504.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$86.0 BTN 8,328

487.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$187 BTN 18.2K

753.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$156 BTN 15.1K

658.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$6,543 BTN 633.9K

-59.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$384 BTN 37.2K

384.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$351 BTN 34.0K

171.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Thimphu

$86 16.7% 83% $419

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Thimphu

$125 24.2% 56.1% $159

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Thimphu

$69 13.5% 75.1% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Thimphu

$95 18.4% 65.2% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Thimphu

$71 13.7% 66.9% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Thimphu

$53 10.3% 24.5% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 54.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $126 in Thimphu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 172% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $14.00 in Thimphu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $125 per month, with Thimphu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

9 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.32 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.88 BTN (100 BTN = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.2 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Buenos Aires Thimphu 16,890 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Thimphu differ by about 231% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $510 including rent). Thimphu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 172% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $126 in Thimphu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $45.87 in Thimphu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 128% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $510 in Thimphu versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Thimphu but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Thimphu 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 Thimphu 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 Thimphu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 231% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.