Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Chaves $1,064
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,607 in Chaves versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Chaves $1,607
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,150 in Chaves versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Chaves $2,150
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Chaves costs roughly 35% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaves is 21% below, Buenos Aires is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-55.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-65.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-40.70%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$3.86 ARS 5,863

-60.10%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-27.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.68 ARS 2,542

-66.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-42.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.60 ARS 3,950

-56.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.57 ARS 2,380

-28.03%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.73 ARS 4,144

11.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

-42.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-35.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

-22.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.80 ARS 4,255

-59.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-44.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.45 ARS 2,194

-23.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.00 ARS 3,040

-45.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.20 ARS 1,826

68.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.20 ARS 1,821

-5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.69 ARS 2,569

-16.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-55.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$4.00 ARS 6,074

49.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$5.53 ARS 8,388

-27.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-45.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.78 ARS 4,212

-58.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.69 ARS 1,049

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

-0.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.63 ARS 2,471

143.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.97 ARS 1,478

-29.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

150.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.42 ARS 2,156

37.32%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

46.22%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

17.72%

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

$134 €119

$199 ARS 302.7K

-33.01%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

-23.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

0.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-49.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

-66.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-33.89%

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

$223 €199

$462 ARS 701.7K

-51.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

-58.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$120 ARS 181.6K

-39.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-76.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$116 ARS 176.4K

-45.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$137 ARS 208.6K

-34.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$750 ARS 1.1M

-36.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$514 ARS 780.5K

-26.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

-39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

-38.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

-28.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

-21.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$924 ARS 1.4M

9.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-94.76%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 36.1% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 38.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 56% $102

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 109% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 88.9% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 80.6% $32

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 3.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Chaves and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chaves pays 10% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Chaves vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $285 per month, with Chaves cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

4 h behind Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chaves Buenos Aires 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

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

Chaves and Buenos Aires differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,064 vs $1,646 including rent). Chaves is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Chaves, 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: $478 in Chaves versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Chaves versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,064 in Chaves versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaves but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Chaves 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, Chaves 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 Chaves gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.