Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Yekaterinburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Yekaterinburg: $1,323 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,323 in Yekaterinburg.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Yekaterinburg $1,323

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,179 in Yekaterinburg.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Yekaterinburg $2,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,034 in Yekaterinburg.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Yekaterinburg $3,034

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Yekaterinburg is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$12.46 ₽1,060

50.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$54.5 ₽4,637

18.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.98 ₽509

115.38%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.33 ₽198

70.82%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.23 ₽104

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.41 ₽34.75

278.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.29 ₽195

67.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.91 ₽248

58.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.18 ₽101

22.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.71 ₽60.7

246.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.24 ₽105

31.45%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.61 ₽137

79.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$10.93 ₽930

-2.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.18 ₽440

93.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$13.16 ₽1,120

4.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.01 ₽171

36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.69 ₽143

28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.48 ₽126

-2.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.66 ₽226

-25.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.62 ₽53.0

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.55 ₽46.50

130.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.49 ₽127

14.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.90 ₽76.5

92.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$3.38 ₽287

23.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$7.17 ₽610

-19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.40 ₽119

49.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.52 ₽215

9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.48 ₽40.78

56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$17.66 ₽1,503

53.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$4.06 ₽346

-60.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.21 ₽17.89

366.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$4.19 ₽357

84.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.80 ₽67.7

70.00%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-20.08%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$28.6K ₽2.4M

20.62%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$117 ₽9,977

83.86%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$5.94 ₽506

331.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$11.78 ₽1,002

166.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$42.68 ₽3,632

16.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$35.49 ₽3,020

-51.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.99 ₽595

49.21%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$342 ₽29.1K

36.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,672 ₽312.5K

146.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$134 ₽11.4K

-9.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$102 ₽8,646

-4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$234 ₽19.9K

-50.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$168 ₽14.3K

-16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$755 ₽64.2K

1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$455 ₽38.7K

11.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,235 ₽105.1K

29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$937 ₽79.7K

26.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,433 ₽207.0K

10.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,673 ₽142.3K

11.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$946 ₽80.5K

0.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

22.22

157.65%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Yekaterinburg: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Yekaterinburg

$455 33.9% 10% $50

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Yekaterinburg

$214 16% 24.7% $70

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Yekaterinburg

$169 12.6% 39.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Yekaterinburg

$135 10.1% 50.5% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Yekaterinburg

$287 21.4% 34% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Yekaterinburg

$57 4.2% 19.8% $14

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Yekaterinburg

$25 1.8% 32.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $755 in Yekaterinburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 1% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $54.0 in Yekaterinburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $214 per month, with Yekaterinburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

8 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,495,066

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Yekaterinburg 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Yekaterinburg

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 Yekaterinburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Yekaterinburg differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,323 including rent). Yekaterinburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $755 in Yekaterinburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $342 in Yekaterinburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,323 in Yekaterinburg versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yekaterinburg but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Yekaterinburg 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 Yekaterinburg 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 Yekaterinburg 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.