Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,130 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mortsel
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,130
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,646
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,130 in Mortsel versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

  • Mortsel $2,130
  • Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,214 in Mortsel versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

  • Mortsel $3,214
  • Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,298 in Mortsel versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

  • Mortsel $4,298
  • Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Mortsel is roughly 29% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mortsel 57% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.95 €19.53
$17.81 ARS 27.0K
23.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106 €94.6
$65.2 ARS 98.9K
63.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.26 €11.80
$13.12 ARS 19.9K
1.07%
Cappuccino
$4.24 €3.77
$3.86 ARS 5,863
9.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 €3.01
$2.06 ARS 3,133
64.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 €2.60
$1.68 ARS 2,542
73.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.33 €4.74
$4.10 ARS 6,218
30.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.62 €5.00
$4.73 ARS 7,181
18.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.51 ARS 2,285
-10.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.75 €2.45
$2.60 ARS 3,950
5.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.57 ARS 2,380
37.58%
Eggs
$3.99 €3.55
$2.73 ARS 4,144
46.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.39 €15.47
$10.86 ARS 16.5K
60.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.95 €10.63
$10.07 ARS 15.3K
18.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.09 €20.54
$13.22 ARS 20.1K
74.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.77 €2.47
$2.80 ARS 4,255
-1.07%
Banana (1kg)
$2.33 €2.07
$2.09 ARS 3,170
11.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.64 €2.35
$1.45 ARS 2,194
82.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.85 €2.53
$2.00 ARS 3,040
42.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$1.20 ARS 1,826
80.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 €1.67
$1.20 ARS 1,821
56.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.69 ARS 2,569
-19.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 €0.90
$1.79 ARS 2,711
-43.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.18 €11.72
$4.00 ARS 6,074
229.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.79 €7.82
$5.53 ARS 8,388
58.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.74
$2.12 ARS 3,219
-8.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 €2.01
$2.78 ARS 4,212
-18.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.02 €2.69
$0.69 ARS 1,049
337.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.0 €52.5
$27.90 ARS 42.3K
111.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.56 €4.95
$1.63 ARS 2,471
241.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.73 €2.43
$0.97 ARS 1,478
181.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.72 €21.98
$7.89 ARS 12.0K
213.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.82
$1.42 ARS 2,156
44.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.6K
$23.3K ARS 35.4M
52.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K €29.9K
$31.9K ARS 48.5M
5.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 €197
$199 ARS 302.7K
11.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.75 €18.46
$23.36 ARS 35.4K
-11.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.34 €41.22
$31.44 ARS 47.7K
47.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.60 €31.66
$49.81 ARS 75.6K
-28.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.83 €17.64
$16.63 ARS 25.2K
19.24%
Cinema Ticket
$15.09 €13.42
$10.80 ARS 16.4K
39.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$565 €502
$462 ARS 701.7K
22.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.0K €18.7K
$8,790 ARS 13.3M
138.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 €98.0
$120 ARS 181.6K
-7.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.79 €42.51
$94.6 ARS 143.6K
-49.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 €92.7
$116 ARS 176.4K
-10.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$148 €132
$137 ARS 208.6K
7.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$914 €813
$750 ARS 1.1M
21.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$812 €722
$514 ARS 780.5K
57.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 €1,251
$1,567 ARS 2.4M
-10.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,194 €1,062
$1,196 ARS 1.8M
-0.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,134 €3,677
$2,632 ARS 4.0M
57.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,946 €2,620
$1,874 ARS 2.8M
57.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mortsel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,323 €2,066
$924 ARS 1.4M
151.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
57.25
-93.96%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mortsel
$812
Buenos Aires
$514 36.7% $298
Groceries & Markets
Mortsel
$359
Buenos Aires
$285 20.7% $74
Eating Out
Mortsel
$329
Buenos Aires
$273 17.1% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mortsel
$289
Buenos Aires
$254 11.9% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Mortsel
$185
Buenos Aires
$211 14.1% $26
Getting Around
Mortsel
$90
Buenos Aires
$37 58.9% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Mortsel
$66
Buenos Aires
$71 8.6% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $914 in Mortsel and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mortsel pays 151% 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: $106 in Mortsel vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $285 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Mortsel
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
23:07 11:07 PM
18:07 6:07 PM
5 h behind Mortsel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
24,525
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mortsel Buenos Aires 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mortsel
  • 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
Mortsel vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mortsel and in Buenos Aires?
Mortsel and Buenos Aires differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,130 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Mortsel or Buenos Aires?
Average pay runs 151% higher in Mortsel, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Mortsel and in Buenos Aires?
Rent for a central apartment: $914 in Mortsel versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mortsel and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $565 in Mortsel versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Mortsel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,130 in Mortsel, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Mortsel. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mortsel and Buenos Aires?
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.
Is Mortsel or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Mortsel 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.
Where should expats move: Mortsel or Buenos Aires?
Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Mortsel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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