Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,130 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
Learn more

El Paso, TX Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,130

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,130 in El Paso, TX versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

El Paso, TX $2,130
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,193 in El Paso, TX versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

El Paso, TX $3,193
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,257 in El Paso, TX versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

El Paso, TX $4,257
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in El Paso, TX is roughly 26% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Paso, TX 59% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 $18.73

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

19.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.19 $12.19

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-5.36%

Cappuccino

$6.19 $6.19

$3.98 ARS 6,029

55.53%

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

$2.30 $2.30

$2.05 ARS 3,103

12.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.84 ARS 5,830

52.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 $6.61

$4.60 ARS 6,970

43.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.46 ARS 3,738

22.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.63 ARS 2,467

50.31%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$2.89 ARS 4,385

24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.94 $11.94

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 $11.76

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

17.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.75 ARS 4,166

30.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-32.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.45 ARS 2,205

77.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$1.99 ARS 3,013

78.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.24 ARS 1,885

74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.27 ARS 1,921

120.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.70 ARS 2,575

3.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-8.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.43 $9.43

$4.18 ARS 6,337

125.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$5.80 ARS 8,790

64.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.77 ARS 4,198

71.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.75 ARS 1,132

96.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.29 $48.29

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

77.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.62 ARS 2,451

4.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.98 ARS 1,481

41.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.39 $27.39

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

254.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-29.41%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

31.16%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-28.33%

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

$163 $163

$216 ARS 326.9K

-24.61%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

174.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

119.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.42 $18.42

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-63.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.56 $8.56

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-49.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 $12.05

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

15.53%

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

$579 $579

$466 ARS 706.7K

24.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,916 $6,916

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-23.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.02 $47.02

$122 ARS 185.2K

-61.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.19 $36.19

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-62.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$117 ARS 177.4K

-12.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 $174

$140 ARS 211.9K

24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 $1,155

$763 ARS 1.2M

51.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 $890

$505 ARS 766.1K

76.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

8.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

24.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,781 $1,781

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-33.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,746 $1,746

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-6.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,336 $3,336

$954 ARS 1.4M

249.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

57.25

-88.63%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: October 6, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Paso, TX

$890 42.3%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 43.2% $385

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$329 15.6%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 13.6% $45

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$319 15.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 12.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$302 14.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 9.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$162 7.7%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 32.5% $53

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 41.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$43 2%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 66.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,155 in El Paso, TX and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Paso, TX pays 250% 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: $77.0 in El Paso, TX vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

3 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Paso, TX Buenos Aires 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, TX
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

El Paso, TX vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX and Buenos Aires differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,130 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 250% higher in El Paso, TX, 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: $1,155 in El Paso, TX versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $579 in El Paso, TX versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in El Paso, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,130 in El Paso, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in El Paso, TX. 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, El Paso, TX 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 26% less than in El Paso, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.