Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Lisbon $2,202
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Lisbon $3,274
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Lisbon $4,346
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Lisbon is roughly 34% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-4.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-4.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-16.01%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$3.86 ARS 5,863

-19.17%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$2.06 ARS 3,133

10.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.68 ARS 2,542

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-20.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.60 ARS 3,950

-28.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.57 ARS 2,380

-1.91%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.73 ARS 4,144

48.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

18.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-21.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

33.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.80 ARS 4,255

-19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.45 ARS 2,194

30.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.00 ARS 3,040

28.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.20 ARS 1,826

54.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.20 ARS 1,821

64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.69 ARS 2,569

-14.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-56.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.00 ARS 6,074

67.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$5.53 ARS 8,388

2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-35.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.78 ARS 4,212

-24.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.69 ARS 1,049

236.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

59.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.63 ARS 2,471

142.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.97 ARS 1,478

8.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

117.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.42 ARS 2,156

54.23%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

44.76%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

19.80%

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

$164 €146

$199 ARS 302.7K

-17.87%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

-20.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-7.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

12.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-9.72%

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

$684 €608

$462 ARS 701.7K

47.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

100.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$120 ARS 181.6K

-13.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-51.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$116 ARS 176.4K

-14.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$137 ARS 208.6K

-9.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$750 ARS 1.1M

111.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$514 ARS 780.5K

127.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

81.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

66.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

196.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

135.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$924 ARS 1.4M

73.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

57.25

-93.28%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 56% $655

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 4.3% $12

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 10.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 18.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 25% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 9.2% $6

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 40.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 73% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $285 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

22:28 10:28 PM

4 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Buenos Aires 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

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

Lisbon and Buenos Aires differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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, Lisbon 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 34% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.