Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Markham versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Markham $2,416
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Markham versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Markham $3,465
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,514 in Markham versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Markham $4,514
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Markham is roughly 46% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Markham 79% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.70

$19.09 ARS 28.9K

-9.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CA$76.0

$65.8 ARS 99.5K

-18.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.89

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-20.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.42

$3.85 ARS 5,821

-1.04%

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

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.99 ARS 3,010

-14.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.60 ARS 2,422

-26.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$3.93 ARS 5,940

-8.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.99

$4.61 ARS 6,979

21.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.76

$1.50 ARS 2,264

29.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.53 ARS 3,825

-12.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.61 ARS 2,437

18.01%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.25

$2.84 ARS 4,302

5.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.64

$10.00 ARS 15.1K

17.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CA$9.68

$13.30 ARS 20.1K

-48.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.25

$2.88 ARS 4,351

28.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$2.20 ARS 3,323

-42.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$1.40 ARS 2,113

66.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.63

$1.98 ARS 2,994

64.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$1.21 ARS 1,829

69.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.79

$1.26 ARS 1,904

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$1.71 ARS 2,583

67.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.72 ARS 2,595

-13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$19.11

$4.29 ARS 6,484

213.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$5.70 ARS 8,617

154.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$2.17 ARS 3,277

10.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.54

$2.76 ARS 4,174

15.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$0.75 ARS 1,137

305.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$127

$27.27 ARS 41.3K

227.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$1.57 ARS 2,367

110.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,553

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 CA$26.44

$7.90 ARS 11.9K

135.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.42 ARS 2,153

-20.42%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

0.59%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$35.0K ARS 52.9M

-48.17%

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

$125 CA$178

$195 ARS 295.2K

-35.76%

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

$26.20 CA$37.26

$25.16 ARS 38.0K

4.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.69 CA$65.0

$31.54 ARS 47.7K

44.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.62 CA$60.6

$50.9 ARS 77.0K

-16.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.26

$16.73 ARS 25.3K

27.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.49

$10.34 ARS 15.6K

-1.45%

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

$870 CA$1,237

$463 ARS 700.9K

87.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$39.0K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

212.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 CA$61.4

$120 ARS 181.2K

-63.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 CA$52.9

$95.5 ARS 144.4K

-61.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$130

$114 ARS 172.6K

-20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$139 ARS 210.7K

-24.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 CA$2,210

$756 ARS 1.1M

105.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 CA$1,978

$520 ARS 786.2K

167.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 CA$3,838

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 CA$3,179

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

86.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 CA$8,382

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

117.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 CA$7,549

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

179.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 CA$4,453

$938 ARS 1.4M

234.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

57.25

-92.03%

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

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 57.6%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 62.6% $871

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$279 * 11.5%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 1.7% $4.7

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 9.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$197 8.2%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 27.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$124 5.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 69.5% $87

Getting Around

Markham

$105 * 4.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 64.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 13.7% $8.6

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 $1,554 in Markham and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 234% 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: $53.0 in Markham vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $283 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

1 h ahead of Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Markham Buenos Aires 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

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

Markham and Buenos Aires differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($2,416 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 234% higher in Markham, 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: $1,554 in Markham versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $870 in Markham versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Markham pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,416 in Markham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Markham. 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, Markham 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 46% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.