Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iqaluit, NU and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Iqaluit, NU
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Iqaluit, NU Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Iqaluit, NU

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,934

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Iqaluit, NU $2,934
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,585 in Iqaluit, NU versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Iqaluit, NU $4,585
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,236 in Iqaluit, NU versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Iqaluit, NU $6,236
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Iqaluit, NU is roughly 77% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iqaluit, NU 117% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.82 CA$38.14

$19.09 ARS 28.9K

40.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 CA$90.1

$65.8 ARS 99.5K

-3.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.91 CA$18.36

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-2.20%

Cappuccino

$7.02 CA$9.98

$3.85 ARS 5,821

82.34%

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

$3.71 CA$5.28

$1.99 ARS 3,010

86.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$1.60 ARS 2,422

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 CA$9.57

$3.93 ARS 5,940

71.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 CA$7.74

$4.61 ARS 6,979

18.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.47

$1.50 ARS 2,264

62.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.63

$2.53 ARS 3,825

0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CA$4.53

$1.61 ARS 2,437

97.52%

Eggs

$3.41 CA$4.85

$2.84 ARS 4,302

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 CA$13.81

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-5.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 CA$18.59

$10.00 ARS 15.1K

30.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 CA$20.59

$13.30 ARS 20.1K

8.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.26

$2.88 ARS 4,351

28.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$2.20 ARS 3,323

-39.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CA$5.09

$1.40 ARS 2,113

155.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.41

$1.98 ARS 2,994

91.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.42

$1.21 ARS 1,829

99.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.08

$1.26 ARS 1,904

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CA$3.37

$1.71 ARS 2,583

38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.25

$1.72 ARS 2,595

-8.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.73

$4.29 ARS 6,484

223.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 CA$18.22

$5.70 ARS 8,617

124.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$2.17 ARS 3,277

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.27

$2.76 ARS 4,174

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$0.75 ARS 1,137

197.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 CA$87.4

$27.27 ARS 41.3K

125.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 CA$9.34

$1.57 ARS 2,367

318.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$1.03 ARS 1,553

33.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 CA$28.73

$7.90 ARS 11.9K

155.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.62

$1.42 ARS 2,153

-19.72%

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

$38.0K CA$54.1K

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

36.03%

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

$30.1K CA$42.8K

$35.0K ARS 52.9M

-13.97%

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

$114 CA$162

$195 ARS 295.2K

-41.70%

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

$38.71 CA$55.0

$25.16 ARS 38.0K

53.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 CA$76.2

$31.54 ARS 47.7K

69.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 CA$57.7

$50.9 ARS 77.0K

-20.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 CA$25.04

$16.73 ARS 25.3K

5.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 CA$11.51

$10.34 ARS 15.6K

-21.76%

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

$755 CA$1,073

$463 ARS 700.9K

62.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.6K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

48.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 CA$74.9

$120 ARS 181.2K

-56.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.18 CA$54.3

$95.5 ARS 144.4K

-60.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 CA$122

$114 ARS 172.6K

-24.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$145

$139 ARS 210.7K

-26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 CA$2,489

$756 ARS 1.1M

131.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 CA$2,417

$520 ARS 786.2K

227.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,877 CA$4,091

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

80.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,448 CA$4,902

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

187.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 CA$6,045

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

56.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,525 CA$5,011

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

85.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 CA$5,879

$938 ARS 1.4M

340.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

57.25

-90.71%

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

Last update for Iqaluit, NU: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iqaluit, NU

$1.7K 58%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 69.4% $1.2K

Eating Out

Iqaluit, NU

$403 13.8%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 30.2% $122

Groceries & Markets

Iqaluit, NU

$358 12.2%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 21% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iqaluit, NU

$206 7%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 22.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Iqaluit, NU

$125 4.3%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 68.1% $85

Getting Around

Iqaluit, NU

$84 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 55.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Iqaluit, NU

$57 1.9%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iqaluit, NU pays 341% 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: $63.0 in Iqaluit, NU vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Iqaluit, NU

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h ahead of Iqaluit, NU

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Iqaluit, NU Buenos Aires 10,970 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Iqaluit, NU
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

Iqaluit, NU vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iqaluit, NU and Buenos Aires differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($2,934 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 341% higher in Iqaluit, NU, 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: $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $755 in Iqaluit, NU versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Iqaluit, NU. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Iqaluit, NU. 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, Iqaluit, NU 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 77% less than in Iqaluit, NU. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.