Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Tripoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $537 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
Learn more

Tripoli Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $537 in Tripoli.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Tripoli $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $822 in Tripoli.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Tripoli $822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,108 in Tripoli.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Tripoli $1,108

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 214% more expensive than in Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Tripoli is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$3.98 LYD 25.47

370.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$15.24 LYD 97.5

323.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$2.58 LYD 16.53

399.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 LYD 3.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 LYD 4.30

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$0.45 LYD 2.86

784.44%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.43 LYD 2.73

376.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.11 LYD 0.70

1309.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.90 LYD 5.77

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1130.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.18 LYD 7.54

38.14%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.36 LYD 8.72

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.24 LYD 33.54

103.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.47 LYD 22.21

188.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.25 LYD 59.2

48.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.26 LYD 14.46

21.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.46 LYD 9.35

49.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$0.68 LYD 4.36

113.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.60 LYD 3.81

231.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.76 LYD 4.86

63.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.50 LYD 3.20

154.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.43 LYD 2.75

295.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.21 LYD 1.31

723.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 LYD 6.06

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 LYD 5.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$1.96 LYD 12.57

113.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.30 LYD 1.89

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.81 LYD 5.19

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.49 LYD 3.12

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.02 LYD 0.11

6700.00%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$23.4K LYD 150.0K

19.53%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$21.2K LYD 135.9K

62.62%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$93.3 LYD 597

130.95%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$6.11 LYD 39.10

319.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$26.55 LYD 170

18.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$24.99 LYD 160

99.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$2.30 LYD 14.70

641.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$52.3 LYD 335

790.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$1,579 LYD 10.1K

473.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$22.63 LYD 145

439.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$17.54 LYD 112

455.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$63.4 LYD 406

84.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$66.3 LYD 424

110.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$356 LYD 2,280

114.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$146 LYD 934

246.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$596 LYD 3,815

168.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$257 LYD 1,644

361.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$257 LYD 1,645

271.37%

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 Tripoli: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Tripoli

$146 27% 71.1% $359

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Tripoli

$115 21.3% 59.4% $169

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Tripoli

$47 8.7% 83.1% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Tripoli

$126 23.3% 53.8% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Tripoli

$76 14.2% 64.3% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6% 64.6% $46

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8% 87.9% $32

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $356 in Tripoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 271% 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 $15.00 in Tripoli for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $115 per month, with Tripoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

2,127,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, 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).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.18 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Tripoli 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Tripoli

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 Tripoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Tripoli differ by about 214% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $537 including rent). Tripoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 271% 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 $356 in Tripoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $52.3 in Tripoli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tripoli – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $537 in Tripoli versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tripoli but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Tripoli 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 Tripoli 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 Tripoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 214% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.