Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $726 in Mombasa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Mombasa $726
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,140 in Mombasa versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Mombasa $1,140
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,553 in Mombasa versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Mombasa $1,553
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Mombasa costs roughly 57% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mombasa is 46% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 KES 343

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-85.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.75 KES 3,210

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-61.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 KES 1,343

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-19.57%

Cappuccino

$2.75 KES 357

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-30.90%

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

$0.68 KES 88.1

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-66.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-66.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-40.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 KES 432

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KES 128

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 69.3

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-78.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 KES 197

$1.63 ARS 2,467

-6.75%

Eggs

$1.75 KES 227

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-39.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 KES 1,802

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

30.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 KES 639

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-50.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.42 KES 703

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-60.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 KES 282

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-21.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-47.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 KES 230

$1.45 ARS 2,205

22.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.6

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-64.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.8

$1.24 ARS 1,885

-40.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 KES 136

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-17.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.0

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-64.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 KES 59.4

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-73.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 KES 517

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-4.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 KES 1,259

$5.80 ARS 8,790

67.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 KES 250

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 KES 377

$2.77 ARS 4,198

4.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.75 ARS 1,132

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.24 KES 5,089

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

44.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$1.62 ARS 2,451

95.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 229

$0.98 ARS 1,481

79.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 KES 583

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-41.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$1.36 ARS 2,058

16.91%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-56.73%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-64.79%

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

$76.8 KES 9,958

$216 ARS 326.9K

-64.38%

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

$9.20 KES 1,194

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-64.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.52 KES 4,478

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

10.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.03 KES 2,339

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-63.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 KES 2,515

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

13.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 KES 1,974

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

45.93%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$466 ARS 706.7K

-81.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,377 KES 697.4K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-40.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.31 KES 1,727

$122 ARS 185.2K

-89.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.57 KES 1,760

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-86.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.10 KES 2,996

$117 ARS 177.4K

-80.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 KES 5,969

$140 ARS 211.9K

-67.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 KES 30.0K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-69.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.3K

$505 ARS 766.1K

-68.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 KES 69.8K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-66.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 KES 48.5K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-68.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,456 KES 707.6K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

103.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,836 KES 497.6K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

106.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$318 KES 41.3K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-66.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-77.29%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$186 26%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 52.5% $98

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 222% $348

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 126% $152

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 158% $171

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 32.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 45.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 396% $171

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $231 in Mombasa and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 200% 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: $25.00 in Mombasa vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $284 per month, with Mombasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

6 h behind Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Buenos Aires 10,490 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
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

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

Mombasa and Buenos Aires differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($726 vs $1,685 including rent). Mombasa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 200% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $231 in Mombasa versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $85.5 in Mombasa versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $726 in Mombasa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mombasa but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mombasa 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, Mombasa 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 Mombasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.