Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chimaltenango and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Chimaltenango: $745 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chimaltenango
🇬🇹 Guatemala
$745
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $745 in Chimaltenango versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

  • Chimaltenango $745
  • Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,229 in Chimaltenango versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

  • Chimaltenango $1,229
  • Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,712 in Chimaltenango versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

  • Chimaltenango $1,712
  • Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Chimaltenango costs roughly 56% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chimaltenango is 44% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.92 Q 52.9
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
-63.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.80 Q 381
$64.5 ARS 97.8K
-22.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.69 Q 58.8
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
-40.30%
Cappuccino
$3.36 Q 25.67
$3.98 ARS 6,029
-15.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 Q 8.88
$2.05 ARS 3,103
-43.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 Q 7.10
$1.55 ARS 2,349
-40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 Q 24.36
$3.84 ARS 5,830
-16.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 Q 37.04
$4.60 ARS 6,970
5.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.00 Q 15.30
$1.44 ARS 2,181
38.89%
White Bread (500g)
$3.13 Q 23.94
$2.46 ARS 3,738
27.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.09 Q 15.96
$1.63 ARS 2,467
28.22%
Eggs
$2.56 Q 19.59
$2.89 ARS 4,385
-11.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.46 Q 49.37
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
-39.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.44 Q 72.1
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
-5.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.47 Q 103
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
-1.97%
Apples (1kg)
$4.00 Q 30.54
$2.75 ARS 4,166
45.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 Q 12.66
$2.18 ARS 3,300
-23.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 Q 21.56
$1.45 ARS 2,205
94.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 Q 12.70
$1.99 ARS 3,013
-16.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 Q 11.27
$1.24 ARS 1,885
19.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.10 Q 16.08
$1.27 ARS 1,921
65.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 Q 5.17
$1.70 ARS 2,575
-60.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 Q 8.78
$1.73 ARS 2,617
-33.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 Q 30.48
$4.18 ARS 6,337
-4.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.36 Q 63.9
$5.80 ARS 8,790
44.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 Q 13.36
$2.09 ARS 3,163
-16.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 Q 20.49
$2.77 ARS 4,198
-3.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.75 ARS 1,132
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.27 Q 40.28
$1.62 ARS 2,451
225.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.98 ARS 1,481
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.27 Q 78.5
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
33.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 Q 9.28
$1.36 ARS 2,058
-11.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K Q 213.3K
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
-0.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K Q 193.1K
$34.5K ARS 52.4M
-26.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.4 Q 553
$216 ARS 326.9K
-66.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.30 Q 224
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
14.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.04 Q 359
$31.36 ARS 47.6K
50.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$49.82 ARS 75.6K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.34 Q 48.43
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
-39.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$338 Q 2,583
$466 ARS 706.7K
-27.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,593 Q 50.4K
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
-27.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.38 Q 377
$122 ARS 185.2K
-59.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.63 Q 364
$97.4 ARS 147.8K
-51.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 Q 889
$117 ARS 177.4K
-0.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 Q 873
$140 ARS 211.9K
-18.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$763 ARS 1.2M
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$505 ARS 766.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chimaltenango
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$954 ARS 1.4M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.62
57.25
-79.70%

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

Last update for Chimaltenango: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Chimaltenango
$282
Buenos Aires
$284 0.6% $1.7
Eating Out
Chimaltenango
$153
Buenos Aires
$279 82.6% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chimaltenango
$149
Buenos Aires
$273 83.2% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Chimaltenango
$147
Buenos Aires
$214 45.4% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Chimaltenango
$13 *
Buenos Aires
$71 457% $58
Getting Around
Chimaltenango
$5.3 *
Buenos Aires
$37 595% $31
Accommodation & Living
Chimaltenango
- *
Buenos Aires
$505

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $50.0 in Chimaltenango vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $284 per month, with Chimaltenango cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇹 Chimaltenango
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
00:20 12:20 AM
03:20 3:20 AM
3 h ahead of Chimaltenango
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,900
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chimaltenango Buenos Aires 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chimaltenango
  • 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
Chimaltenango vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Chimaltenango and in Buenos Aires?
Chimaltenango and Buenos Aires differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($745 vs $1,685 including rent). Chimaltenango is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Chimaltenango compared to Buenos Aires?
You'd need roughly $1,117 in Chimaltenango and $2,528 in Buenos Aires to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Chimaltenango and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $338 in Chimaltenango versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Chimaltenango – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $745 in Chimaltenango versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chimaltenango but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Chimaltenango the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Chimaltenango 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 Chimaltenango or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Chimaltenango 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: Chimaltenango or Buenos Aires?
Expats usually find Chimaltenango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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