Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mecca and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $936 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$936

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Mecca versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Mecca $936
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,453 in Mecca versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Mecca $1,453
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Mecca versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Mecca $1,970
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Mecca costs roughly 43% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mecca is 31% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.57 SAR 17.14

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-76.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.89 SAR 101

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-59.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 SAR 26.52

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-46.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 SAR 5.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

Cappuccino

$2.61 SAR 9.79

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-32.21%

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

$0.67 SAR 2.51

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-66.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.86

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-85.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.50 ARS 2,272

16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 SAR 3.85

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-59.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

$1.61 ARS 2,445

31.06%

Eggs

$2.52 SAR 9.46

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-11.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 SAR 22.20

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-42.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.08 SAR 30.33

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-19.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 SAR 48.59

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-27.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-28.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.40 ARS 2,120

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 SAR 5.52

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-25.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.21 ARS 1,835

-7.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.26 ARS 1,910

3.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.86

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-70.93%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 SAR 25.56

$4.29 ARS 6,505

58.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 SAR 5.03

$0.75 ARS 1,141

78.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

$1.57 ARS 2,375

54.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

$1.03 ARS 1,558

69.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.15 SAR 49.33

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

66.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-55.63%

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

$47.5K SAR 178.2K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

69.89%

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

$21.1K SAR 79.3K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-39.59%

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

$66.9 SAR 251

$195 ARS 296.2K

-65.75%

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

$35.35 SAR 133

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

40.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 SAR 237

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

100.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 SAR 303

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

58.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.52 SAR 160

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

154.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.96 SAR 44.88

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

15.67%

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

$775 SAR 2,907

$463 ARS 703.2K

67.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K SAR 60.8K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

84.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.57 SAR 50.9

$120 ARS 181.8K

-88.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 SAR 214

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-40.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.67 SAR 149

$114 ARS 173.1K

-65.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 SAR 200

$139 ARS 211.4K

-61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 SAR 2,001

$756 ARS 1.1M

-29.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 SAR 1,088

$520 ARS 788.8K

-44.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SAR 3,114

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-47.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 SAR 1,963

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-56.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,375 SAR 23.9K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

134.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 SAR 8,624

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

20.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 SAR 4,063

$938 ARS 1.4M

15.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

57.25

-90.83%

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

Last update for Mecca: 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

Mecca

$290 31%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 79.2% $230

Groceries & Markets

Mecca

$193 20.6%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 46.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mecca

$165 17.7%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 52.3% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mecca

$105 11.2%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 31.6% $33

Eating Out

Mecca

$93 9.9%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 204% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Mecca

$74 7.9%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 187% $137

Getting Around

Mecca

$17 * 1.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 123% $20

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 $533 in Mecca and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mecca pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27.00 in Mecca vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $283 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Mecca

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

6 h behind Mecca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,675,368

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mecca Buenos Aires 12,070 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mecca
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

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

Mecca and Buenos Aires differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($936 vs $1,656 including rent). Mecca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% higher in Mecca, 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: $533 in Mecca versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $775 in Mecca 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 Mecca – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $936 in Mecca versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mecca but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mecca 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, Mecca 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 Mecca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.