Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,633 in Buenos Aires versus $956 in Van.

Buenos Aires $1,633
Van $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,640 in Buenos Aires versus $1,536 in Van.

Buenos Aires $2,640
Van $1,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,116 in Van.

Buenos Aires $3,646
Van $2,116

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 71% more expensive than in Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 20% above, Van is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

$7.48 ₺373

143.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

$34.59 ₺1,724

91.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

$7.93 ₺395

63.43%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ARS 5,742

$3.57 ₺178

4.48%

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

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$1.14 ₺56.6

78.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,612

$0.42 ₺21.18

304.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,243

$3.33 ₺166

21.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ARS 7,301

$3.10 ₺154

53.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$0.96 ₺47.68

52.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 ARS 3,904

$1.00 ₺49.81

154.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ARS 2,434

$2.25 ₺112

-29.78%

Eggs

$2.68 ARS 4,123

$1.48 ₺73.9

81.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

$8.99 ₺448

23.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

$4.07 ₺203

147.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

$22.62 ₺1,127

-41.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,250

$1.82 ₺90.9

51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,384

$1.83 ₺91.1

20.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$1.09 ₺54.4

28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,055

$1.15 ₺57.4

73.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,845

$0.52 ₺25.74

130.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ARS 1,774

$0.35 ₺17.45

228.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

$0.74 ₺36.88

120.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,769

$0.61 ₺30.54

195.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 ARS 6,478

$2.16 ₺108

94.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 ARS 8,480

$10.36 ₺516

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,177

$2.01 ₺100.0

2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,254

$2.79 ₺139

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$0.73 ₺36.60

1.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ARS 2,481

$1.30 ₺64.6

23.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,497

$0.76 ₺37.86

27.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

$7.21 ₺359

13.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.28 ₺64.0

9.37%

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

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-45.07%

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

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-15.57%

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

$196 ARS 301.9K

$79.9 ₺3,982

145.63%

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

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

$10.46 ₺522

128.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

$13.39 ₺667

135.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

$57.0 ₺2,842

-15.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$6.49 ₺324

62.87%

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

$501 ARS 770.1K

$624 ₺31.1K

-19.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

$11.4K ₺566.2K

-21.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 ARS 186.8K

$45.86 ₺2,285

164.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

$33.35 ₺1,662

186.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 178.5K

$79.7 ₺3,970

45.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 213.2K

$88.8 ₺4,426

56.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ARS 1.1M

$469 ₺23.4K

55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ARS 773.8K

$278 ₺13.9K

80.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

$816 ₺40.7K

81.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

$586 ₺29.2K

91.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

$1,491 ₺74.3K

81.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

$968 ₺48.2K

100.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$921 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

41.33

38.52%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8%

Van

$278 29.1% 44.7% $225

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4%

Van

$229 23.9% 19.4% $55

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8%

Van

$156 16.3% 43.3% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4%

Van

$104 10.9% 58.8% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$212 13%

Van

$111 11.7% 47.5% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2%

Van

$70 7.3% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 79.6% $31

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 $731 in Buenos Aires and $469 in Van. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Buenos Aires vs $35 in Van for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $229 per month, with Van cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

17:36 5:36 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,141,015

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Van 13,240 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Van differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,633 vs $956 including rent). Van is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,450 in Buenos Aires and $1,434 in Van 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: $731 in Buenos Aires versus $469 in Van. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $501 in Buenos Aires versus $624 in Van. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Van – a meal for two runs $35 versus $66 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.