Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Tukums

For one person, living is cheaper in Tukums: $1,160 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,646
/mo nomad
Tukums
🇱🇻 Latvia
$1,160
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,160 in Tukums.

  • Buenos Aires $1,646
  • Tukums $1,160

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,643 in Tukums.

  • Buenos Aires $2,680
  • Tukums $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,125 in Tukums.

  • Buenos Aires $3,714
  • Tukums $2,125

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 42% more expensive than in Tukums, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Tukums is 14% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.81 ARS 27.0K
$5.43 €4.83
227.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.2 ARS 98.9K
$22.70 €20.19
187.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.12 ARS 19.9K
$9.08 €8.08
44.49%
Cappuccino
$3.86 ARS 5,863
$3.74 €3.33
3.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ARS 3,133
$1.65 €1.47
24.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ARS 2,542
$1.14 €1.01
47.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.10 ARS 6,218
$5.67 €5.04
-27.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 ARS 7,181
$5.09 €4.53
-7.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ARS 2,285
$1.04 €0.92
45.19%
White Bread (500g)
$2.60 ARS 3,950
$1.45 €1.29
79.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 ARS 2,380
$2.51 €2.23
-37.45%
Eggs
$2.73 ARS 4,144
$1.96 €1.75
39.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.86 ARS 16.5K
$9.14 €8.13
18.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.07 ARS 15.3K
$6.52 €5.80
54.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.22 ARS 20.1K
$13.77 €12.25
-3.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 ARS 4,255
$2.08 €1.85
34.62%
Banana (1kg)
$2.09 ARS 3,170
$1.75 €1.55
19.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,194
$2.44 €2.17
-40.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.00 ARS 3,040
$3.25 €2.89
-38.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.20 ARS 1,826
$0.58 €0.52
106.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ARS 1,821
$0.87 €0.78
37.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.69 ARS 2,569
$1.76 €1.57
-3.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ARS 2,711
$0.58 €0.51
208.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.00 ARS 6,074
$6.74 €6.00
-40.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.53 ARS 8,388
$7.72 €6.87
-28.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ARS 3,219
$1.17 €1.04
81.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ARS 4,212
$2.03 €1.80
36.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 ARS 1,049
$1.09 €0.97
-36.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.90 ARS 42.3K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.63 ARS 2,471
$3.42 €3.04
-52.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 ARS 1,478
$1.02 €0.91
-4.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.89 ARS 12.0K
$17.41 €15.49
-54.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,156
$1.86 €1.65
-23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.3K ARS 35.4M
$26.8K €23.8K
-12.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K ARS 48.5M
$31.3K €27.8K
2.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$199 ARS 302.7K
$283 €252
-29.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.36 ARS 35.4K
$16.72 €14.87
39.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.44 ARS 47.7K
$20.04 €17.83
56.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.81 ARS 75.6K
$35.42 €31.50
40.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.63 ARS 25.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.80 ARS 16.4K
$11.37 €10.12
-5.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$462 ARS 701.7K
$692 €615
-33.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,790 ARS 13.3M
$18.1K €16.1K
-51.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.6K
$69.0 €61.4
73.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$94.6 ARS 143.6K
$49.83 €44.32
89.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 ARS 176.4K
$78.3 €69.7
48.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$137 ARS 208.6K
$140 €124
-1.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$750 ARS 1.1M
$224 €200
234.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$514 ARS 780.5K
$219 €195
135.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,567 ARS 2.4M
$329 €292
376.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,196 ARS 1.8M
$336 €299
256.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,632 ARS 4.0M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,874 ARS 2.8M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Tukums
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$924 ARS 1.4M
$549 €488
68.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
4.77
1100.21%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tukums: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$514
Tukums
$219 57.5% $296
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$285
Tukums
$234 17.9% $51
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$273
Tukums
$165 39.5% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$254
Tukums
$320 25.8% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Tukums
$152 28.1% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Tukums
$58 18.6% $13
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Tukums
$13 * 65.3% $24

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 $750 in Buenos Aires and $224 in Tukums. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 68% 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: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $23.00 in Tukums for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $234 per month, with Tukums cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇱🇻 Tukums
🕒 Local time
17:36 5:36 PM
23:36 11:36 PM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
19,729
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Tukums 12,700 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Tukums

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 Tukums: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Tukums?
Buenos Aires and Tukums differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,160 including rent). Tukums is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buenos Aires or Tukums?
Average pay runs 68% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Tukums?
Rent for a central apartment: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $224 in Tukums. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Tukums?
Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $692 in Tukums. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Tukums – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,160 in Tukums versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tukums but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Tukums the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Tukums?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Tukums safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Tukums are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Tukums?
Expats usually find Tukums gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Buenos Aires vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?