Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Longyearbyen versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Longyearbyen $2,733
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Longyearbyen versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Longyearbyen $4,180
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,627 in Longyearbyen versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Longyearbyen $5,627
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Longyearbyen is roughly 65% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Longyearbyen 102% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 NOK 189

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

5.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

60.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 NOK 169

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

36.36%

Cappuccino

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$3.85 ARS 5,841

77.92%

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

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$1.99 ARS 3,020

207.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 NOK 52.5

$1.60 ARS 2,430

248.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 NOK 70.0

$3.93 ARS 5,959

89.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 NOK 84.3

$4.61 ARS 7,003

94.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.57

$1.50 ARS 2,272

60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 NOK 34.95

$2.53 ARS 3,837

46.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 NOK 40.78

$1.61 ARS 2,445

168.94%

Eggs

$4.97 NOK 46.82

$2.84 ARS 4,316

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 NOK 134

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

38.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 NOK 191

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

103.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.52 NOK 297

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

136.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 NOK 60.5

$2.88 ARS 4,366

122.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.03

$2.20 ARS 3,334

15.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$1.40 ARS 2,120

389.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 NOK 62.7

$1.98 ARS 3,004

236.36%

Potato (1kg)

$5.49 NOK 51.7

$1.21 ARS 1,835

353.72%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.66

$1.26 ARS 1,910

259.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 NOK 42.50

$1.71 ARS 2,592

163.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.23

$1.72 ARS 2,603

105.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.34 NOK 163

$4.29 ARS 6,505

304.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.45 NOK 136

$5.70 ARS 8,645

153.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$2.17 ARS 3,288

63.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.93

$2.76 ARS 4,188

53.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 49.65

$0.75 ARS 1,141

602.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 811

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

216.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 NOK 85.3

$1.57 ARS 2,375

477.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.93

$1.03 ARS 1,558

74.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.7 NOK 694

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

832.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.05

$1.42 ARS 2,160

50.00%

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

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

79.82%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

18.15%

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

$242 NOK 2,274

$195 ARS 296.2K

23.74%

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

$32.99 NOK 311

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

31.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

71.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-0.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 NOK 341

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

116.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 NOK 140

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

43.62%

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

$200 NOK 1,887

$463 ARS 703.2K

-56.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

61.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 981

$120 ARS 181.8K

-13.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 NOK 530

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-41.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,179

$114 ARS 173.1K

9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,447

$139 ARS 211.4K

10.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

$756 ARS 1.1M

45.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 NOK 9,569

$520 ARS 788.8K

95.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

24.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

41.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

128.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

111.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

$938 ARS 1.4M

212.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

57.25

-91.37%

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

Last update for Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 48.9% $497

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 51.7% $303

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 29.3% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$329 12%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 23.3% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 6.7% $13

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 70.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 10.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,104 in Longyearbyen and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Longyearbyen pays 213% 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: $106 in Longyearbyen vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $283 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

5 h behind Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 NOK in detail →

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Between locations

Longyearbyen Buenos Aires 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

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

Longyearbyen and Buenos Aires differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($2,733 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 213% higher in Longyearbyen, 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: $1,104 in Longyearbyen versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $200 in Longyearbyen 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 107% higher in Longyearbyen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,733 in Longyearbyen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Longyearbyen. 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, Longyearbyen 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 65% less than in Longyearbyen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.