Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,317 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Columbia, TN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, TN
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Columbia, TN Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,317

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,317 in Columbia, TN versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Columbia, TN $2,317
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Columbia, TN versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Columbia, TN $3,477
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Columbia, TN versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Columbia, TN $4,637
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 40% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 72% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 $11.87

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-37.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-8.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-23.64%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$3.85 ARS 5,841

2.60%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$1.99 ARS 3,020

11.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 $6.38

$3.93 ARS 5,959

62.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.27 $7.27

$4.61 ARS 7,003

57.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-36.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.53 ARS 3,837

17.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.61 ARS 2,445

154.66%

Eggs

$2.61 $2.61

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-8.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

28.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-34.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

0.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.88 ARS 4,366

93.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-45.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$1.40 ARS 2,120

310.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.98 ARS 3,004

101.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.21 ARS 1,835

160.33%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.26 ARS 1,910

230.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.71 ARS 2,592

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.72 ARS 2,603

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$4.29 ARS 6,505

147.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$5.70 ARS 8,645

130.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-18.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-43.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.57 ARS 2,375

24.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.03 ARS 1,558

36.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 $19.79

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

150.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-46.48%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

34.53%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-21.68%

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

$157 $157

$195 ARS 296.2K

-19.74%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

139.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

137.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.38 $34.38

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-32.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

21.86%

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

$1,696 $1,696

$463 ARS 703.2K

266.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

182.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.58 $40.58

$120 ARS 181.8K

-66.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 $33.45

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-64.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$114 ARS 173.1K

-27.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 $88.6

$139 ARS 211.4K

-36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$756 ARS 1.1M

95.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$520 ARS 788.8K

143.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

56.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,343 $2,343

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

95.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

57.25

-88.47%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.6%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 58.9% $745

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$348 15%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 18.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$292 12.6%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 13.7% $40

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$234 10.1%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 20.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 91.1% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$60 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 20.2% $12

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$9 * 0.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 311% $28

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 $1,476 in Columbia, TN and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Columbia, TN vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

2 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbia, TN Buenos Aires 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, TN
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

Columbia, TN vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbia, TN and Buenos Aires differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,317 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,476 in Columbia, TN and $2,484 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,476 in Columbia, TN versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,696 in Columbia, TN versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $60.0 in Columbia, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,317 in Columbia, TN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Columbia, TN. 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, Columbia, TN 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 40% less than in Columbia, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.