Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
Learn more

Zawiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $441 in Zawiya.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Zawiya $441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $685 in Zawiya.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Zawiya $685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $929 in Zawiya.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Zawiya $929

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 276% more expensive than in Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Zawiya is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$2.39 LYD 15.32

698.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$15.64 LYD 100

320.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$2.68 LYD 17.16

392.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 LYD 3.80

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$0.42 LYD 2.68

816.67%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.41 LYD 2.63

385.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.12 LYD 0.80

1233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.92 LYD 5.90

63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1165.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$0.98 LYD 6.26

64.29%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.35 LYD 8.65

110.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$4.65 LYD 29.77

121.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.58 LYD 22.97

179.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$8.99 LYD 57.6

47.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.94 LYD 12.46

48.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.44 LYD 9.21

52.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.68 LYD 4.38

105.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.50 LYD 3.18

296.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.62 LYD 3.96

95.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.28 LYD 1.80

350.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.30 LYD 1.92

470.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.18 LYD 1.18

855.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.75 LYD 4.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.72 LYD 11.03

149.42%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.80 LYD 5.13

-6.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$39.03 LYD 250

-30.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.76 LYD 4.84

106.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.49 LYD 3.13

110.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$2.38 LYD 15.25

231.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7000.00%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$15.2K LYD 97.4K

83.87%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$16.5K LYD 105.4K

112.54%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$94.2 LYD 603

107.28%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$5.59 LYD 35.80

350.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$12.12 LYD 77.7

160.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$16.94 LYD 109

200.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$3.84 LYD 24.61

335.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$3.78 LYD 24.25

173.54%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$52.5 LYD 337

782.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$879 LYD 5,630

900.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$20.92 LYD 134

472.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$44.60 LYD 286

114.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$31.29 LYD 200

264.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$30.69 LYD 197

353.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$89.2 LYD 572

747.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$58.3 LYD 373

791.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$167 LYD 1,072

850.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$120 LYD 766

902.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$349 LYD 2,238

676.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$95.9 LYD 614

1882.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$244 LYD 1,566

283.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 88.8% $462

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 61.6% $175

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Zawiya

$34 7.8% 87.8% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 55.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Zawiya

$57 13% 72.8% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Zawiya

$25 5.6% 65.8% $47

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Zawiya

$45 10.3% 22.8% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $89.2 in Zawiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 284% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $16.00 in Zawiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $109 per month, with Zawiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

318,726

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Zawiya 10,540 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Zawiya

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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Zawiya differ by about 276% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $441 including rent). Zawiya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 284% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $89.2 in Zawiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $52.5 in Zawiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 161% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $441 in Zawiya versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zawiya but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Zawiya 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 Zawiya 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 Zawiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 276% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.