Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,711 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, TX Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,711

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,711 in Houston, TX versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Houston, TX $2,711
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,906 in Houston, TX versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Houston, TX $3,906
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,101 in Houston, TX versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Houston, TX $5,101
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 61% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houston, TX 102% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.57 $20.57

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

9.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

15.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 $10.26

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-20.34%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.98 ARS 6,027

33.67%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.05 ARS 3,102

33.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.55 ARS 2,348

45.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.84 ARS 5,828

58.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$4.60 ARS 6,968

77.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.44 ARS 2,180

-43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.46 ARS 3,737

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.63 ARS 2,466

148.47%

Eggs

$3.31 $3.31

$2.89 ARS 4,384

14.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

5.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

27.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 $16.23

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.75 ARS 4,165

46.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-35.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.45 ARS 2,204

114.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.99 ARS 3,012

93.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.24 ARS 1,884

78.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.27 ARS 1,920

117.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.70 ARS 2,574

8.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.73 ARS 2,616

43.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$4.18 ARS 6,335

128.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 $14.44

$5.80 ARS 8,787

148.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.09 ARS 3,162

17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.77 ARS 4,197

10.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.75 ARS 1,131

70.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 $76.3

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

180.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.62 ARS 2,450

75.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.98 ARS 1,480

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 $23.64

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

206.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-29.41%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

27.22%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-21.83%

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

$213 $213

$216 ARS 326.8K

-1.35%

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

$61.1 $61.1

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

138.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

134.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.98 $40.98

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-17.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.54 $20.54

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

20.40%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

45.83%

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

$2,153 $2,153

$466 ARS 706.5K

361.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

145.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.49 $49.49

$122 ARS 185.1K

-59.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 $47.52

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-51.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$117 ARS 177.3K

-11.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 $96.2

$140 ARS 211.8K

-31.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 $1,685

$763 ARS 1.2M

120.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 $1,403

$505 ARS 765.8K

177.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,136 $3,136

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

96.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

86.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,381 $2,381

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-11.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,855 $1,855

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-0.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,353 $4,353

$954 ARS 1.4M

356.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

57.25

-88.30%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houston, TX

$1.4K 51.1%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 64% $898

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$374 13.6%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 24% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$347 12.6%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 21.5% $75

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$326 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 14.4% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$133 4.9%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 60.8% $81

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$92 3.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 60% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$71 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,685 in Houston, TX and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays 356% 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: $74.0 in Houston, TX vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

2 h ahead of Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 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 = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Houston, TX Buenos Aires 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, 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

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

Houston, TX and Buenos Aires differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,711 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 356% higher in Houston, 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: $1,685 in Houston, TX versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,153 in Houston, 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 32% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,711 in Houston, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Houston, 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, Houston, 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 61% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.