Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Canary Islands and Buenos Aires

For one person, living costs are similar in the Canary Islands and in Buenos Aires: $1,650 and $1,656 a month, rent and utilities included.

Canary Islands
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,650
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Canary Islands and in Buenos Aires

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the Canary Islands and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

  • Canary Islands $1,650
  • Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,373 in the Canary Islands versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

  • Canary Islands $2,373
  • Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,095 in the Canary Islands versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

  • Canary Islands $3,095
  • Buenos Aires $3,737

Monthly costs are close between the Canary Islands and Buenos Aires; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canary Islands 22% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.32 €18.07
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
6.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.1 €54.3
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
-7.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.42 €8.37
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
-28.64%
Cappuccino
$2.05 €1.83
$3.85 ARS 5,841
-46.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.99 ARS 3,020
-6.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.60 ARS 2,430
-31.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.85 €2.53
$3.93 ARS 5,959
-27.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 €3.04
$4.61 ARS 7,003
-25.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.50 ARS 2,272
-9.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.39 €2.13
$2.53 ARS 3,837
-5.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.58 €1.40
$1.61 ARS 2,445
-1.86%
Eggs
$2.18 €1.94
$2.84 ARS 4,316
-23.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 €17.18
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
87.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.93 €8.83
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
-0.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.23 €15.32
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
29.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.73 €2.43
$2.88 ARS 4,366
-5.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.25 €2.00
$2.20 ARS 3,334
2.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.40 ARS 2,120
54.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.51 €2.23
$1.98 ARS 3,004
26.77%
Potato (1kg)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.21 ARS 1,835
76.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.26 ARS 1,910
60.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.70 €1.51
$1.71 ARS 2,592
-0.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 €0.83
$1.72 ARS 2,603
-45.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.66 €4.14
$4.29 ARS 6,505
8.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.86 €6.99
$5.70 ARS 8,645
37.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 €1.51
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-21.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 €1.55
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-36.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 €0.76
$0.75 ARS 1,141
14.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.24 €3.77
$1.57 ARS 2,375
170.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 €1.50
$1.03 ARS 1,558
64.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 €14.75
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
110.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.70 €1.51
$1.42 ARS 2,160
19.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K €22.2K
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
-10.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.0K €25.8K
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
-17.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$126 €112
$195 ARS 296.2K
-35.41%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.91 €18.60
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
-16.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.49 €31.57
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
12.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.49 €42.24
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
-6.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.07 €21.41
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
43.87%
Cinema Ticket
$9.85 €8.76
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
-4.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$400 €355
$463 ARS 703.2K
-13.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,096 €4,532
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
-42.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.3 €60.7
$120 ARS 181.8K
-43.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.65 €34.38
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
-59.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.6 €79.7
$114 ARS 173.1K
-21.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 €101
$139 ARS 211.4K
-18.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,111 €988
$756 ARS 1.1M
46.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$680 €605
$520 ARS 788.8K
30.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$825 €734
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
-31.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canary Islands
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,369 €1,218
$938 ARS 1.4M
46.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.33
57.25
-94.18%

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

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Canary Islands
$680
Buenos Aires
$520 23.6% $160
Groceries & Markets
Canary Islands
$316
Buenos Aires
$283 10.4% $33
Eating Out
Canary Islands
$248
Buenos Aires
$282 13.5% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canary Islands
$182
Buenos Aires
$252 38% $69
Clothing & Footwear
Canary Islands
$140
Buenos Aires
$211 51% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Canary Islands
$67
Buenos Aires
$72 6.6% $4.4
Getting Around
Canary Islands
$16 *
Buenos Aires
$37 129% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,111 in the Canary Islands and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61.0 in the Canary Islands vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Canary Islands
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
20:17 8:17 PM
16:17 4:17 PM
4 h behind the Canary Islands
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,050
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Canary Islands Buenos Aires 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Canary Islands
  • Buenos Aires

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
Canary Islands vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city pays better: Canary Islands or Buenos Aires?
Average pay runs 46% higher in the Canary Islands, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in the Canary Islands and in Buenos Aires?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,111 in the Canary Islands versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between the Canary Islands and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $400 in the Canary Islands versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between the Canary Islands and Buenos Aires?
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 Canary Islands or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Canary Islands and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
How do I decide between the Canary Islands and Buenos Aires?
It comes down to priorities – Canary Islands wins on affordability, Buenos Aires on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Canary Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

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