Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,224 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kingston outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,224 in Kingston versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Kingston $2,224
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Kingston versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Kingston $3,051
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,879 in Kingston versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Kingston $3,879
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Kingston is roughly 32% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 66% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 CA$20.97

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-21.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 CA$89.3

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-2.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 CA$15.92

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-13.28%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$5.00

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-11.81%

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

$2.01 CA$2.87

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-1.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.37

$3.84 ARS 5,830

52.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 CA$8.93

$4.60 ARS 6,970

36.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.44 ARS 2,181

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$1.63 ARS 2,467

101.84%

Eggs

$2.90 CA$4.14

$2.89 ARS 4,385

0.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 CA$14.64

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-3.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$16.12

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.24

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-27.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.75 ARS 4,166

5.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-47.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 CA$5.00

$1.45 ARS 2,205

142.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$1.99 ARS 3,013

78.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.71

$1.24 ARS 1,885

166.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.19

$1.27 ARS 1,921

76.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$1.70 ARS 2,575

53.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.26

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-8.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 CA$19.10

$4.18 ARS 6,337

220.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CA$17.33

$5.80 ARS 8,790

109.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$2.09 ARS 3,163

3.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 CA$4.68

$2.77 ARS 4,198

18.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.54

$0.75 ARS 1,132

230.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 CA$80.0

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

106.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.62 ARS 2,451

89.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.14

$0.98 ARS 1,481

53.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.06 CA$44.27

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

302.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-16.18%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-1.60%

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

$18.7K CA$26.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-45.82%

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

$120 CA$171

$216 ARS 326.9K

-44.30%

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

$38.49 CA$54.9

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

50.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

101.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.06 CA$40.00

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-43.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 CA$12.60

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-48.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 CA$14.84

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-0.19%

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

$514 CA$733

$466 ARS 706.7K

10.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.7

$122 ARS 185.2K

-57.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 CA$46.39

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-66.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 CA$114

$117 ARS 177.4K

-31.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 CA$122

$140 ARS 211.9K

-38.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 CA$2,188

$763 ARS 1.2M

101.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 CA$1,684

$505 ARS 766.1K

133.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 CA$3,260

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

43.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 CA$2,201

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

30.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,384 CA$4,824

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,449 CA$3,491

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

31.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 CA$4,246

$954 ARS 1.4M

212.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

57.25

-91.95%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 57.2% $676

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$326 14.7%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 12.7% $41

Eating Out

Kingston

$248 11.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 12.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$222 10%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 22.9% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$112 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 91.1% $102

Getting Around

Kingston

$77 3.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 52.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$49 2.2%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 44.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,535 in Kingston and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 212% 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 Kingston vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $326 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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 CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Kingston Buenos Aires 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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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

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

Kingston and Buenos Aires differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,224 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 212% higher in Kingston, 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: $1,535 in Kingston versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $514 in Kingston 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 15% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,224 in Kingston, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Kingston. 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, Kingston 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 32% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.