Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,227 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
Learn more

Monteria Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,227

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,227 in Monteria versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Monteria $1,227
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,997 in Monteria versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Monteria $1,997
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,767 in Monteria versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Monteria $2,767
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Monteria costs roughly 26% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monteria is 9% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 COP 18.2K

$19.09 ARS 28.9K

-69.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.91 COP 133.3K

$65.8 ARS 99.6K

-36.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 COP 32.8K

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-21.89%

Cappuccino

$2.57 COP 8,178

$3.85 ARS 5,823

-33.25%

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

$2.57 COP 8,188

$1.99 ARS 3,011

29.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,209

$1.60 ARS 2,423

41.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 COP 10.5K

$3.93 ARS 5,942

-16.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 COP 16.4K

$4.61 ARS 6,982

11.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 COP 6,052

$1.50 ARS 2,265

26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 COP 8,857

$2.53 ARS 3,826

9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,537

$1.61 ARS 2,438

-11.18%

Eggs

$4.83 COP 15.4K

$2.84 ARS 4,303

70.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.98 COP 25.4K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-22.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 COP 30.1K

$10.00 ARS 15.1K

-5.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.49 COP 42.9K

$13.30 ARS 20.1K

1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 COP 10.1K

$2.88 ARS 4,353

9.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,951

$2.20 ARS 3,324

-43.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,580

$1.40 ARS 2,114

47.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,751

$1.98 ARS 2,995

-8.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,332

$1.21 ARS 1,830

38.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 COP 5,020

$1.26 ARS 1,905

25.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 COP 3,887

$1.71 ARS 2,584

-28.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 COP 3,698

$1.72 ARS 2,596

-32.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$4.29 ARS 6,486

-5.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.66 COP 46.6K

$5.70 ARS 8,619

157.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,630

$2.17 ARS 3,278

-32.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 COP 7,443

$2.76 ARS 4,175

-15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,777

$0.75 ARS 1,137

58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 COP 5,006

$1.57 ARS 2,368

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.03 ARS 1,554

257.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.57 COP 30.4K

$7.90 ARS 11.9K

21.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,132

$1.42 ARS 2,154

-8.45%

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

$23.5K COP 74.8M

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

-15.83%

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

$34.4K COP 109.3M

$35.0K ARS 52.9M

-1.70%

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

$78.0 COP 248.1K

$195 ARS 295.3K

-60.04%

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

$14.49 COP 46.1K

$25.16 ARS 38.1K

-42.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.19 COP 80.1K

$31.54 ARS 47.7K

-20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.38 COP 138.0K

$50.9 ARS 77.0K

-14.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.3K

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.2K

$10.34 ARS 15.6K

-20.31%

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

$618 COP 2.0M

$463 ARS 701.1K

33.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,835 COP 18.6M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-33.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 COP 240.1K

$120 ARS 181.3K

-36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 COP 176.2K

$95.5 ARS 144.5K

-41.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 420.5K

$114 ARS 172.6K

15.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 COP 345.9K

$139 ARS 210.8K

-21.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 COP 2.3M

$756 ARS 1.1M

-2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 COP 1.3M

$520 ARS 786.5K

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 COP 3.3M

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-35.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 COP 2.9M

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-23.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,174 COP 6.9M

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-19.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,691 COP 5.4M

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-11.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-73.80%

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

Last update for Monteria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monteria

$411 33.5%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 26.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Monteria

$293 23.8%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 3.2% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Monteria

$167 13.6%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 26.1% $44

Eating Out

Monteria

$154 12.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 83.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monteria

$118 9.6%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 114% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Monteria

$60 4.9%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 19.6% $12

Getting Around

Monteria

$25 * 2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 49.5% $12

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 $736 in Monteria and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Monteria vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Monteria

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h ahead of Monteria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

454,032

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,694 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monteria Buenos Aires 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Monteria
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

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

Monteria and Buenos Aires differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,227 vs $1,656 including rent). Monteria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,840 in Monteria and $2,484 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: $736 in Monteria versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $618 in Monteria 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 Monteria – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,227 in Monteria versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monteria but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Monteria 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, Monteria 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 Monteria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.