Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,157 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cascais outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Cascais
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,157
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,157 in Cascais versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

  • Cascais $2,157
  • Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,481 in Cascais versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

  • Cascais $3,481
  • Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,805 in Cascais versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

  • Cascais $4,805
  • Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Cascais is roughly 30% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cascais 60% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.31 €13.62
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
-19.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.46 €39.55
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
-32.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.26 €8.24
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
-29.85%
Cappuccino
$2.59 €2.30
$3.85 ARS 5,841
-32.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.81
$1.99 ARS 3,020
2.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.60 ARS 2,430
36.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.30 €2.93
$3.93 ARS 5,959
-16.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.67 €5.05
$4.61 ARS 7,003
22.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 €1.17
$1.50 ARS 2,272
-12.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 €1.99
$2.53 ARS 3,837
-11.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 €1.44
$1.61 ARS 2,445
0.62%
Eggs
$3.44 €3.06
$2.84 ARS 4,316
21.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.70 €9.51
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
3.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.86 €6.10
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
-31.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.19 €13.51
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
14.21%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 €2.45
$2.88 ARS 4,366
-4.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 €1.30
$2.20 ARS 3,334
-33.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.45 €2.18
$1.40 ARS 2,120
75.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.98 ARS 3,004
9.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.21 ARS 1,835
33.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 €2.10
$1.26 ARS 1,910
87.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.63 €1.45
$1.71 ARS 2,592
-4.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 €0.95
$1.72 ARS 2,603
-37.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.71 €5.08
$4.29 ARS 6,505
33.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.58 €6.74
$5.70 ARS 8,645
32.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 €1.10
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 €3.90
$2.76 ARS 4,188
59.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.47 €2.20
$0.75 ARS 1,141
229.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.24 €39.35
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
62.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.57 ARS 2,375
44.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.03 ARS 1,558
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.42 ARS 2,160
48.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K €30.0K
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
20.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.0K €33.8K
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
8.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$133 €119
$195 ARS 296.2K
-31.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.80 €22.06
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
-1.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.0 €49.83
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
77.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.8 €59.4
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
31.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.32 €10.06
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-32.34%
Cinema Ticket
$7.07 €6.29
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
-31.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$719 €639
$463 ARS 703.2K
55.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K €16.3K
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
108.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.9 €70.2
$120 ARS 181.8K
-34.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.31 €34.08
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
-59.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €93.0
$114 ARS 173.1K
-8.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €119
$139 ARS 211.4K
-4.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,763 €1,568
$756 ARS 1.1M
133.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,150 €1,023
$520 ARS 788.8K
121.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,833 €3,409
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
141.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,606 €2,318
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
117.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,815 €6,062
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
151.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,833 €4,299
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
154.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cascais
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,264 €2,014
$938 ARS 1.4M
141.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.67
57.25
-93.59%

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

Last update for Cascais: 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
Cascais
$1.1K
Buenos Aires
$520 54.8% $630
Groceries & Markets
Cascais
$270
Buenos Aires
$283 5% $13
Eating Out
Cascais
$226
Buenos Aires
$282 24.6% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cascais
$214
Buenos Aires
$252 17.6% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Cascais
$160
Buenos Aires
$211 32% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Cascais
$81
Buenos Aires
$72 11.5% $9.3
Getting Around
Cascais
$56 *
Buenos Aires
$37 34.4% $19

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 $1,763 in Cascais and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 141% 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: $44.00 in Cascais vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $283 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Cascais
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
12:30 12:30 PM
08:30 8:30 AM
4 h behind Cascais
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
214,158
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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
  • Cascais Buenos Aires 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cascais
  • 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
Cascais vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cascais and in Buenos Aires?
Cascais and Buenos Aires differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,157 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Cascais or Buenos Aires?
Average pay runs 141% higher in Cascais, 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 Cascais and in Buenos Aires?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,763 in Cascais 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 Cascais and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $719 in Cascais 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 Cascais pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,157 in Cascais, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Cascais 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 Cascais or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cascais 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.
Where should expats move: Cascais or Buenos Aires?
Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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