Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dakar and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Dakar: $1,429 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,429

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,429 in Dakar versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Dakar $1,429
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Dakar versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Dakar $2,206
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Dakar versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Dakar $2,983
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Dakar costs roughly 15% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dakar 7% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.25 F CFA 3,071

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-71.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-18.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 F CFA 6,444

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-14.52%

Cappuccino

$3.28 F CFA 1,921

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-17.59%

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

$1.25 F CFA 729

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-39.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 F CFA 1,535

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 F CFA 2,521

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-6.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 F CFA 1,465

$1.44 ARS 2,181

73.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 F CFA 439

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-69.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 979

$1.63 ARS 2,467

2.45%

Eggs

$2.40 F CFA 1,403

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-16.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.32 F CFA 10.1K

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

62.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 F CFA 5,336

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-8.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 F CFA 6,533

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-18.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 F CFA 1,858

$2.75 ARS 4,166

15.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 F CFA 1,126

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-11.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 F CFA 1,681

$1.45 ARS 2,205

97.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,011

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 F CFA 812

$1.24 ARS 1,885

12.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 F CFA 535

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-28.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 F CFA 643

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 F CFA 380

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-62.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 F CFA 1,236

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-49.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.95 F CFA 9,919

$5.80 ARS 8,790

192.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 F CFA 937

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 F CFA 1,966

$2.77 ARS 4,198

21.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 240

$0.75 ARS 1,132

-45.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.5 F CFA 45.3K

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

185.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 F CFA 1,243

$1.62 ARS 2,451

30.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 F CFA 1,282

$0.98 ARS 1,481

123.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 F CFA 9,996

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

121.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.36 ARS 2,058

25.00%

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

$50.4K F CFA 29.5M

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

80.08%

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

$47.7K F CFA 27.9M

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

38.20%

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

$200 F CFA 117.1K

$216 ARS 326.9K

-7.12%

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

$11.58 F CFA 6,774

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-54.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 F CFA 27.0K

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

46.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.68 F CFA 26.1K

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-10.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 F CFA 13.6K

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

36.23%

Cinema Ticket

$8.56 F CFA 5,010

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-17.93%

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

$325 F CFA 189.9K

$466 ARS 706.7K

-30.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K F CFA 6.0M

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

13.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 F CFA 34.0K

$122 ARS 185.2K

-52.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.29 F CFA 27.1K

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-52.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 F CFA 49.1K

$117 ARS 177.4K

-28.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 F CFA 55.6K

$140 ARS 211.9K

-31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 F CFA 482.2K

$763 ARS 1.2M

7.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 F CFA 255.4K

$505 ARS 766.1K

-13.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 F CFA 1.0M

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 F CFA 535.6K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-22.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,961 F CFA 2.9M

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

85.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 F CFA 872.9K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-19.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 F CFA 200.9K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-64.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

57.25

-84.72%

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

Last update for Dakar: 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

Dakar

$436 30.9%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 15.7% $69

Groceries & Markets

Dakar

$294 20.8%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 3.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dakar

$258 18.2%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 5.7% $15

Eating Out

Dakar

$145 10.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 93% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Dakar

$128 9%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 68.1% $87

Getting Around

Dakar

$92 6.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 60.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Dakar

$62 4.4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 14.4% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $824 in Dakar and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 178% 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: $53.0 in Dakar vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Dakar

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

05:48 5:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

3 h behind Dakar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,396,800 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dakar Buenos Aires 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dakar
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

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

Dakar and Buenos Aires differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,429 vs $1,685 including rent). Dakar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 178% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $824 in Dakar versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $325 in Dakar versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,429 in Dakar versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dakar but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Dakar 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, Dakar 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 Dakar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.