Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,597 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Merrillville, IN $2,597
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Merrillville, IN $3,672
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Merrillville, IN $4,748
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 58% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 92% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 $55.9

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-14.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-24.70%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$3.86 ARS 5,863

19.95%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$2.06 ARS 3,133

6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.68 ARS 2,542

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$4.10 ARS 6,218

10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.73 ARS 7,181

24.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-50.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.60 ARS 3,950

22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.57 ARS 2,380

189.17%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.73 ARS 4,144

69.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

65.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.80 ARS 4,255

105.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-46.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.45 ARS 2,194

202.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.00 ARS 3,040

174.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.20 ARS 1,826

206.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.20 ARS 1,821

266.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.69 ARS 2,569

44.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-29.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$4.00 ARS 6,074

184.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$5.53 ARS 8,388

120.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.78 ARS 4,212

23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.69 ARS 1,049

192.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.63 ARS 2,471

203.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.97 ARS 1,478

92.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 $50.3

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

536.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-34.51%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

19.42%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-15.38%

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

$233 $233

$199 ARS 302.7K

16.58%

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

$50.9 $50.9

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

117.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

87.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-4.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

38.70%

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

$1,397 $1,397

$462 ARS 701.7K

201.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

132.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$120 ARS 181.6K

-55.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 $40.39

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-57.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$116 ARS 176.4K

-8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$137 ARS 208.6K

-30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$750 ARS 1.1M

101.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$514 ARS 780.5K

167.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

53.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

79.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

-4.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

17.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

57.25

-88.59%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 62.6% $860

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 27.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 25.7% $88

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 6.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 58.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$77 3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 7.8% $6.1

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 65.8% $15

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 $1,510 in Merrillville, IN and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Merrillville, IN vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $285, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

2 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Merrillville, IN Buenos Aires 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and Buenos Aires differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($2,597 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,895 in Merrillville, IN and $2,468 in Buenos Aires to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Merrillville, IN versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,397 in Merrillville, IN versus $462 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 Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $56.0 in Merrillville, IN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. 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, Merrillville, IN 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 58% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.