Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,312 in London, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,312

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,312 in London versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

London $2,312
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,278 in London versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

London $3,278
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,243 in London versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

London $4,243
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in London is roughly 37% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 73% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$30.24

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

13.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 CA$89.3

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-2.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 CA$17.61

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-4.04%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.20

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-8.29%

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

$2.18 CA$3.10

$2.05 ARS 3,103

6.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 CA$2.94

$1.55 ARS 2,349

32.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 CA$9.22

$3.84 ARS 5,830

68.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.23

$4.60 ARS 6,970

40.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 CA$2.78

$1.44 ARS 2,181

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$2.46 ARS 3,738

6.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.62

$1.63 ARS 2,467

141.72%

Eggs

$3.74 CA$5.34

$2.89 ARS 4,385

29.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.83 CA$14.02

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-7.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.28 CA$16.08

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 CA$21.40

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

9.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 CA$6.04

$2.75 ARS 4,166

54.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.84

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 CA$5.49

$1.45 ARS 2,205

165.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.79

$1.99 ARS 3,013

104.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 CA$4.53

$1.24 ARS 1,885

155.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.31

$1.27 ARS 1,921

137.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 CA$3.68

$1.70 ARS 2,575

51.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.09

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-15.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 CA$17.08

$4.18 ARS 6,337

186.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.50 CA$17.82

$5.80 ARS 8,790

115.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.43

$2.09 ARS 3,163

14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.09

$2.77 ARS 4,198

3.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.22

$0.75 ARS 1,132

201.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 CA$110

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

185.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 CA$3.58

$1.62 ARS 2,451

54.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 CA$2.29

$0.98 ARS 1,481

63.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.83 CA$31.11

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

182.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-13.97%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-0.85%

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

$22.7K CA$32.4K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-34.12%

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

$135 CA$193

$216 ARS 326.9K

-37.35%

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

$39.06 CA$55.7

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

52.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 CA$80.3

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

79.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 CA$52.7

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-25.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.27 CA$40.29

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

65.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 CA$14.84

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-0.19%

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

$407 CA$579

$466 ARS 706.7K

-12.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K CA$28.8K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

123.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 CA$74.1

$122 ARS 185.2K

-57.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 CA$54.3

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-60.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 CA$118

$117 ARS 177.4K

-29.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 CA$129

$140 ARS 211.9K

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 CA$1,810

$763 ARS 1.2M

66.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 CA$1,636

$505 ARS 766.1K

127.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 CA$2,870

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

25.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 CA$2,428

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

43.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 CA$4,904

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

28.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,519 CA$5,015

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

89.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,882 CA$4,108

$954 ARS 1.4M

201.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

57.25

-91.76%

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

Last update for London: 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

London

$1.1K 49.4%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 56% $642

Groceries & Markets

London

$358 15.4%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 20.7% $74

Eating Out

London

$313 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 10.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$230 9.9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 18.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

London

$119 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 80.7% $96

Getting Around

London

$97 4.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 62.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 22.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,270 in London and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 202% 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 London vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

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 = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

London Buenos Aires 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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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

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

London and Buenos Aires differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($2,312 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 202% higher in London, 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: $1,270 in London versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $407 in London 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 26% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,312 in London, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in London. 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, London 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 37% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.