Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Windhoek

For one person, living is cheaper in Windhoek: $1,171 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Windhoek
🇳🇦 Namibia
$1,171
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,171 in Windhoek.

  • Buenos Aires $1,685
  • Windhoek $1,171

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,979 in Windhoek.

  • Buenos Aires $2,742
  • Windhoek $1,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,787 in Windhoek.

  • Buenos Aires $3,799
  • Windhoek $2,787

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 44% more expensive than in Windhoek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Windhoek is 13% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
$11.46 NAD 189
63.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 ARS 97.8K
$63.0 NAD 1,040
2.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
$5.84 NAD 96.4
120.55%
Cappuccino
$3.98 ARS 6,029
$2.35 NAD 38.73
69.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ARS 3,103
$0.87 NAD 14.32
135.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ARS 2,349
$0.87 NAD 14.41
78.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ARS 5,830
$1.98 NAD 32.67
93.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.60 ARS 6,970
$2.12 NAD 34.95
116.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ARS 2,181
$1.53 NAD 25.27
-5.88%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 ARS 3,738
$0.95 NAD 15.62
158.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 ARS 2,467
$1.93 NAD 31.81
-15.54%
Eggs
$2.89 ARS 4,385
$3.17 NAD 52.3
-8.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
$9.47 NAD 156
12.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$6.63 NAD 109
50.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
$7.60 NAD 125
80.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 ARS 4,166
$2.15 NAD 35.47
27.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,300
$1.89 NAD 31.21
15.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 ARS 2,205
$1.88 NAD 31.07
-22.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ARS 3,013
$1.98 NAD 32.61
0.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ARS 1,885
$2.00 NAD 33.07
-38.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.27 ARS 1,921
$1.82 NAD 30.00
-30.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 ARS 2,575
$1.95 NAD 32.14
-12.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 ARS 2,617
$1.07 NAD 17.64
61.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ARS 6,337
$3.32 NAD 54.8
25.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.80 ARS 8,790
$6.78 NAD 112
-14.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 ARS 3,163
$1.41 NAD 23.19
48.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ARS 4,198
$1.42 NAD 23.47
95.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,132
$0.74 NAD 12.25
1.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
$48.69 NAD 803
-44.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.62 ARS 2,451
$0.82 NAD 13.50
97.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 ARS 1,481
$0.87 NAD 14.34
12.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
$15.56 NAD 257
-50.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ARS 2,058
$1.34 NAD 22.10
1.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
$24.3K NAD 400.3K
15.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ARS 52.4M
$27.1K NAD 447.1K
27.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 ARS 326.9K
$139 NAD 2,287
55.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
$25.91 NAD 428
-1.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.36 ARS 47.6K
$51.4 NAD 847
-38.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.82 ARS 75.6K
$37.58 NAD 620
32.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
$10.56 NAD 174
61.55%
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
$5.32 NAD 87.7
96.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$466 ARS 706.7K
$209 NAD 3,445
123.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
$5,376 NAD 88.7K
68.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ARS 185.2K
$53.9 NAD 890
126.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$97.4 ARS 147.8K
$33.95 NAD 560
187.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 ARS 177.4K
$91.0 NAD 1,501
28.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 ARS 211.9K
$95.4 NAD 1,574
46.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 ARS 1.2M
$492 NAD 8,120
55.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$505 ARS 766.1K
$357 NAD 5,885
41.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
$1,138 NAD 18.8K
40.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
$868 NAD 14.3K
36.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
$1,615 NAD 26.6K
65.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
$601 NAD 9,922
209.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Windhoek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$954 ARS 1.4M
$989 NAD 16.3K
-3.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
11.42
401.31%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Windhoek: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$505
Windhoek
$357 29.4% $148
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$284
Windhoek
$223 21.6% $61
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$279
Windhoek
$159 43.2% $120
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$273
Windhoek
$216 20.8% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$214
Windhoek
$123 42.4% $91
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$71
Windhoek
$48 31.8% $22
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Windhoek
$57 55.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $492 in Windhoek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windhoek pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $63.0 in Windhoek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $223 per month, with Windhoek cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇳🇦 Windhoek
🕒 Local time
07:05 7:05 AM
12:05 12:05 PM
5 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
322,500 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NAD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 NAD (100 NAD = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 NAD (100 NAD = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Windhoek 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Windhoek

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 Windhoek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Windhoek?
Buenos Aires and Windhoek differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,171 including rent). Windhoek is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Windhoek. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Windhoek?
Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $492 in Windhoek. 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 Windhoek?
Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $209 in Windhoek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,171 in Windhoek versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Windhoek but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Windhoek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Windhoek?
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 Windhoek safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Windhoek 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 Windhoek?
Expats usually find Windhoek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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