Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,463 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,463

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cardiff 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 Cardiff and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,463 in Cardiff versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Cardiff $2,463
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,467 in Cardiff versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Cardiff $3,467
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,470 in Cardiff versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Cardiff $4,470
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Cardiff is roughly 46% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cardiff 84% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.59 £14.80

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

4.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 £62.4

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

28.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £8.11

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-16.69%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.47

$3.98 ARS 6,029

15.58%

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

$2.98 £2.25

$2.05 ARS 3,103

45.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.51

$1.55 ARS 2,349

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 £5.88

$3.84 ARS 5,830

102.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 £4.85

$4.60 ARS 6,970

39.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 £1.30

$1.44 ARS 2,181

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.11

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-40.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$1.63 ARS 2,467

38.04%

Eggs

$3.72 £2.81

$2.89 ARS 4,385

28.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 £6.93

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-13.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.61

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 £12.31

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 £2.12

$2.75 ARS 4,166

2.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-29.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$1.45 ARS 2,205

105.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 £2.76

$1.99 ARS 3,013

83.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.24 ARS 1,885

53.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.12

$1.27 ARS 1,921

16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-34.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.23

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-5.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.64

$4.18 ARS 6,337

458.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.44

$5.80 ARS 8,790

92.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.35

$2.09 ARS 3,163

48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 £2.52

$2.77 ARS 4,198

20.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.50

$0.75 ARS 1,132

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.6 £59.4

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

189.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 £3.45

$1.62 ARS 2,451

181.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.98 ARS 1,481

77.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.83 £27.08

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

364.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.62

$1.36 ARS 2,058

57.35%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

35.10%

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

$41.3K £31.2K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

19.47%

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

$343 £259

$216 ARS 326.9K

59.27%

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

$25.85 £19.54

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

0.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.95

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

39.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.02 £28.73

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-23.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 £8.70

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-32.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 £8.05

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

2.11%

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

$1,978 £1,495

$466 ARS 706.7K

324.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K £24.8K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

262.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.6

$122 ARS 185.2K

-18.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 £35.75

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-51.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £90.6

$117 ARS 177.4K

2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 £75.0

$140 ARS 211.9K

-28.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 £875

$763 ARS 1.2M

51.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 £829

$505 ARS 766.1K

117.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 £1,651

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,514 £1,144

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

27.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 £4,045

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

99.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,479 £2,629

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

87.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,223 £2,435

$954 ARS 1.4M

237.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

57.25

-91.07%

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

Last update for Cardiff: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.6%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 54% $592

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cardiff

$413 16.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 34% $140

Eating Out

Cardiff

$316 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 11.6% $37

Groceries & Markets

Cardiff

$307 12.5%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 7.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cardiff

$165 6.7%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 29.9% $49

Getting Around

Cardiff

$105 4.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 65.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Cardiff

$59 2.4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 19.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,158 in Cardiff and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 238% 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: $83.0 in Cardiff vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

4 h behind Cardiff

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,100

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cardiff Buenos Aires 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cardiff
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

Cardiff vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Buenos Aires differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,463 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 238% higher in Cardiff, 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: $1,158 in Cardiff versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,978 in Cardiff versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Cardiff. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,463 in Cardiff, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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, Cardiff 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.

Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.