Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
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Los Alamos, NM Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,652 in Los Alamos, NM versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,240 in Los Alamos, NM versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Los Alamos, NM $2,240
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Los Alamos, NM costs roughly 36% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Los Alamos, NM is 21% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 $17.10

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-10.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.29 $40.29

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-38.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-23.94%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.85 ARS 5,841

28.57%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.99 ARS 3,020

23.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$3.93 ARS 5,959

51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$4.61 ARS 7,003

55.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-10.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.61 ARS 2,445

173.91%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.84 ARS 4,316

41.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

12.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

33.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.88 ARS 4,366

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-35.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.40 ARS 2,120

103.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.98 ARS 3,004

128.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.21 ARS 1,835

-9.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.26 ARS 1,910

159.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.71 ARS 2,592

15.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-71.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.54 $10.54

$4.29 ARS 6,505

145.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$5.70 ARS 8,645

144.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.17 ARS 3,288

9.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.76 ARS 4,188

28.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.57 ARS 2,375

123.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.03 ARS 1,558

91.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.94 $31.94

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

304.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-34.51%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

9.94%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-29.91%

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

$158 $158

$195 ARS 296.2K

-19.26%

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

$40.32 $40.32

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

60.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

130.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 $13.21

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

27.76%

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

$1,490 $1,490

$463 ARS 703.2K

221.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

188.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.08 $20.08

$120 ARS 181.8K

-83.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-54.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$114 ARS 173.1K

-7.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$139 ARS 211.4K

-13.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$756 ARS 1.1M

42.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

21.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

20.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,380 $3,380

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

77.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,229 $8,229

$938 ARS 1.4M

777.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

57.25

-88.52%

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

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$338 31.7%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 16.2% $55

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$286 26.9%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 1.5% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$271 25.4%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 6.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$130 12.3%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 61.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 171% $45

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 177% $24

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Alamos, NM pays 778% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

3 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Alamos, NM Buenos Aires 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Alamos, NM and Buenos Aires differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,065 vs $1,656 including rent). Los Alamos, NM is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 778% higher in Los Alamos, NM, 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: $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,490 in Los Alamos, NM versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Alamos, NM but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Los Alamos, NM 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, Los Alamos, NM 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 Los Alamos, NM gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.