Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Vac

For one person, living is cheaper in Vac: $1,305 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Vac
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Vac Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,305 in Vac.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Vac $1,305

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,214 in Vac.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Vac $2,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,123 in Vac.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Vac $3,123

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 27% more expensive than in Vac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Vac is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$19.39 Ft 6,266

-1.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$110 Ft 35.5K

-40.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.14 Ft 2,952

44.42%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.41 Ft 780

59.75%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.51 Ft 488

31.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.21 Ft 392

32.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.23 Ft 719

76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.27 Ft 732

103.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.31 Ft 425

14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.49 Ft 480

69.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.25 Ft 727

-28.44%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.15 Ft 1,016

-9.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.68 Ft 2,805

18.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.01 Ft 1,942

66.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$16.06 Ft 5,188

-17.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.79 Ft 579

60.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.08 Ft 673

5.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.05 Ft 663

-31.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.40 Ft 776

-17.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.59 Ft 513

-23.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.10 Ft 355

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.37 Ft 444

24.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.45 Ft 144

282.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$7.64 Ft 2,468

-43.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.96 Ft 1,603

14.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.89 Ft 289

143.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.14 Ft 691

28.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$1.07 Ft 346

-29.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$25.11 Ft 8,114

8.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.38 Ft 1,092

-53.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.40 Ft 453

-26.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$17.86 Ft 5,772

-55.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.92 Ft 620

-26.04%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$27.9K Ft 9.0M

0.22%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$33.9K Ft 11.0M

3.09%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$152 Ft 49.1K

28.48%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$23.32 Ft 7,535

7.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$20.92 Ft 6,759

50.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$49.14 Ft 15.9K

3.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$19.67 Ft 6,354

-14.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$8.90 Ft 2,874

16.18%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$251 Ft 81.1K

84.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,896 Ft 2.6M

11.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$90.3 Ft 29.2K

32.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$31.40 Ft 10.1K

204.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$85.7 Ft 27.7K

33.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$102 Ft 33.0K

36.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$519 Ft 167.8K

45.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$393 Ft 126.8K

32.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$824 Ft 266.1K

93.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$760 Ft 245.6K

57.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$3,105 Ft 1.0M

-12.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$2,588 Ft 836.1K

-26.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$1,418 Ft 458.0K

-33.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.67

758.32%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vac: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Vac

$393 30.1% 24.5% $127

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Vac

$232 17.8% 18.1% $51

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Vac

$238 18.2% 15.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Vac

$196 15% 22.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Vac

$139 10.7% 34% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Vac

$67 5.1% 6.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Vac

$40 3.1% 7.6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $519 in Vac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vac pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $110 in Vac. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $232, with Vac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇭🇺 Vac

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

03:34 3:34 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

34,001

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Vac 11,960 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Vac

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 Vac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Vac differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,305 including rent). Vac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Vac. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $519 in Vac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $251 in Vac. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,305 in Vac versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vac but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Vac 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 Vac 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 Vac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.