Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Yanbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,031 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Yanbu
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,031
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,031 in Yanbu.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Yanbu $1,031

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,633 in Yanbu.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Yanbu $1,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,236 in Yanbu.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Yanbu $2,236

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 61% more expensive than in Yanbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Yanbu is 24% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$6.26 SAR 23.48
204.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$37.63 SAR 141
74.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$6.63 SAR 24.87
99.10%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.57 SAR 5.87
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.62 SAR 6.10
-
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$3.89 SAR 14.61
-1.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.86 SAR 3.24
131.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.20 SAR 0.76
700.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.74 SAR 6.53
-13.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$0.92 SAR 3.47
175.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$2.16 SAR 8.12
-25.46%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$2.41 SAR 9.04
17.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$6.51 SAR 24.44
58.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$8.27 SAR 31.02
20.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$12.89 SAR 48.36
3.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.05 SAR 7.68
40.49%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.74 SAR 6.54
26.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.50 SAR 5.62
-6.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$1.69 SAR 6.33
17.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.12 SAR 4.21
8.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$1.05 SAR 3.94
20.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$1.09 SAR 4.09
56.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.54 SAR 2.03
218.52%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.31 SAR 4.92
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.36 SAR 5.10
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.18 SAR 8.20
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$6.53 SAR 24.51
-34.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$1.05 SAR 3.93
-28.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
$36.72 SAR 138
-25.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$3.13 SAR 11.76
-49.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$0.83 SAR 3.12
24.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$13.99 SAR 52.5
-43.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$0.58 SAR 2.18
144.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$46.8K SAR 175.5K
-40.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$21.6K SAR 80.9K
62.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$90.7 SAR 340
115.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$22.55 SAR 84.6
11.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$68.7 SAR 258
-54.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$98.7 SAR 370
-48.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
$26.18 SAR 98.2
-36.10%
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$11.97 SAR 44.91
-13.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$268 SAR 1,007
72.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$3,785 SAR 14.2K
132.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$74.5 SAR 279
60.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$56.8 SAR 213
68.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$98.0 SAR 368
16.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$93.7 SAR 352
48.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$308 SAR 1,156
145.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$216 SAR 810
140.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$602 SAR 2,261
163.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$424 SAR 1,592
182.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$2,369 SAR 8,890
14.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
$1,269 SAR 4,763
49.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Yanbu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$3,510 SAR 13.2K
-73.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
5.39
962.15%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Yanbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Yanbu
$216 58.4% $304
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Yanbu
$196 30.8% $87
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Yanbu
$121 57.1% $161
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Yanbu
$182 27.8% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Yanbu
$145 31.1% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Yanbu
$123 71.2% $51
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Yanbu
$48 30.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $308 in Yanbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yanbu pays 274% 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 $38.00 in Yanbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $196 per month, with Yanbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇸🇦 Yanbu
🕒 Local time
08:31 8:31 AM
14:31 2:31 PM
6 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
233,236
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Yanbu 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Yanbu

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 Yanbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Yanbu?
Buenos Aires and Yanbu differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,031 including rent). Yanbu 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 274% lower in Yanbu. 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 Yanbu?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $308 in Yanbu. 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 Yanbu?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $268 in Yanbu. 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 45% 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 $1,031 in Yanbu versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yanbu but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Yanbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Yanbu?
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 Yanbu safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Yanbu 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 Yanbu?
Expats usually find Yanbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% 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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