Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
Learn more

Zahlah Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $997 in Zahlah.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Zahlah $997

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,599 in Zahlah.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Zahlah $1,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,201 in Zahlah.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Zahlah $2,201

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 66% more expensive than in Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Zahlah is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

59.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

-5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

34.01%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

-14.44%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

-17.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

75.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

-21.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

-4.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

-22.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

190.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

-28.13%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

-4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

-10.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

-4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

-13.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

33.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

142.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

46.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

-47.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

70.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

11.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

-67.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

-54.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

-64.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

36.54%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

-48.42%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

8.25%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$233 LBP 20.9M

-16.38%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

12.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

-16.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

5.40%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$675 LBP 60.4M

-31.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

-15.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

78.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

96.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$138 LBP 12.3M

-17.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$119 LBP 10.6M

17.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

420.45%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Zahlah

$274 27.4% 3.4% $9.7

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Zahlah

$227 22.8% 19.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Zahlah

$294 29.4% 16.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Zahlah

$167 16.8% 20.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 72.6% $52

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 56.6% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $70.0 in Zahlah. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $274, with Zahlah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

78,145

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,630 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Zahlah 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Zahlah

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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Zahlah differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $997 including rent). Zahlah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,496 in Zahlah 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.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $675 in Zahlah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zahlah – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $997 in Zahlah versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zahlah but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Zahlah 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 Zahlah 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 Zahlah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.