Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lome and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Lome: $557 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Lome
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Lome Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Lome

🇹🇬 Togo

$557

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Lome versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Lome $557
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $980 in Lome versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Lome $980
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,404 in Lome versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Lome $1,404
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Lome costs roughly 67% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lome is 58% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 F CFA 1,718

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-84.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.61 F CFA 17.9K

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-52.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.64 F CFA 3,301

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-56.21%

Cappuccino

$5.65 F CFA 3,307

$3.98 ARS 6,029

41.96%

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

$4.22 F CFA 2,470

$2.05 ARS 3,103

105.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 F CFA 407

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 F CFA 560

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 F CFA 1,018

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-62.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 F CFA 1,302

$1.44 ARS 2,181

54.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 F CFA 795

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-44.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 F CFA 872

$1.63 ARS 2,467

-8.59%

Eggs

$2.04 F CFA 1,194

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.70 F CFA 3,334

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-58.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 F CFA 1,710

$2.75 ARS 4,166

6.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 976

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-23.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 F CFA 1,489

$1.99 ARS 3,013

28.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 F CFA 1,024

$1.24 ARS 1,885

41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 F CFA 692

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-7.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-52.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

Wine (Bottle)

$4.85 F CFA 2,835

$5.80 ARS 8,790

-16.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 F CFA 640

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-47.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 F CFA 820

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-49.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 F CFA 714

$0.98 ARS 1,481

24.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 F CFA 2,482

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-45.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 F CFA 720

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-9.56%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

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

$146 F CFA 85.6K

$216 ARS 326.9K

-32.16%

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

$21.33 F CFA 12.5K

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-16.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 F CFA 24.7K

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

34.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 F CFA 35.4K

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

21.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.77 F CFA 5,132

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-48.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.22 F CFA 2,467

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-59.54%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 F CFA 699.6K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-25.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 F CFA 172.2K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-75.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$295 F CFA 172.7K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-69.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Lome: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lome

$210 37.4%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 30% $63

Groceries & Markets

Lome

$140 * 25%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 103% $144

Eating Out

Lome

$136 24.3%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 105% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Lome

$69 12.3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 2.6% $1.8

Getting Around

Lome

$6.1 * 1.1%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 501% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Lome

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Accommodation & Living

Lome

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Buenos Aires pays 223% 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: $31.00 in Lome vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $140 vs $284 per month, with Lome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇬 Lome

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

3 h behind Lome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

837,437 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 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 XOF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lome Buenos Aires 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lome
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

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

Lome and Buenos Aires differ by about 203% in total monthly costs ($557 vs $1,685 including rent). Lome is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 223% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Lome – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $557 per month in Lome versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires – a 203% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $557 in Lome versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lome but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Lome 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, Lome 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 Lome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 203% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.