Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muscat and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Muscat: $1,565 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Muscat
Learn more

Muscat Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Muscat

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,565

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,565 in Muscat versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Muscat $1,565
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,341 in Muscat versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Muscat $2,341
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,116 in Muscat versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Muscat $3,116
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Muscat costs roughly 7% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Muscat 17% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.23 OMR 2.01

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-72.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.68 OMR 15.27

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-38.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 OMR 2.94

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-40.68%

Cappuccino

$4.97 OMR 1.91

$3.98 ARS 6,027

24.87%

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

$0.85 OMR 0.33

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-58.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-82.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$3.84 ARS 5,828

236.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.23 OMR 5.09

$4.60 ARS 6,968

187.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 OMR 0.87

$1.44 ARS 2,180

56.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 OMR 0.45

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-52.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$1.63 ARS 2,466

15.95%

Eggs

$2.91 OMR 1.12

$2.89 ARS 4,384

0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.23 OMR 2.78

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-32.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 OMR 2.64

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-31.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 OMR 4.09

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-22.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 OMR 1.41

$2.75 ARS 4,165

33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-10.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$1.45 ARS 2,204

65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 OMR 0.48

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-36.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.24 ARS 1,884

-1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.27 ARS 1,920

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$1.70 ARS 2,574

9.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 OMR 0.27

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-59.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 OMR 2.45

$4.18 ARS 6,335

52.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 OMR 5.98

$5.80 ARS 8,787

167.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.00 OMR 2.31

$2.09 ARS 3,162

187.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$2.77 ARS 4,197

273.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 OMR 0.50

$0.75 ARS 1,131

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 OMR 29.70

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

184.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 OMR 1.27

$1.62 ARS 2,450

103.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.99

$0.98 ARS 1,480

161.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

1.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 OMR 0.24

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-53.68%

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

$25.7K OMR 9,904

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-8.14%

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

$23.0K OMR 8,861

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-33.33%

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

$177 OMR 68.1

$216 ARS 326.8K

-17.88%

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

$30.49 OMR 11.74

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

19.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.56

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

128.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 OMR 23.53

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

22.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.78 OMR 11.46

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

74.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 OMR 4.02

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

0.19%

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

$282 OMR 108

$466 ARS 706.5K

-39.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K OMR 4,003

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

14.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 OMR 22.17

$122 ARS 185.1K

-52.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 OMR 16.71

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-55.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 OMR 35.11

$117 ARS 177.3K

-22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 OMR 33.05

$140 ARS 211.8K

-38.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 OMR 265

$763 ARS 1.2M

-9.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 OMR 174

$505 ARS 765.8K

-10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 OMR 497

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-19.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 OMR 315

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-30.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,815 OMR 1,084

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

5.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 OMR 619

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-13.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 OMR 636

$954 ARS 1.4M

73.00%

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 Muscat: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muscat

$453 29.3%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 11.5% $52

Groceries & Markets

Muscat

$291 18.8%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 2.4% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muscat

$279 18%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 2.4% $6.6

Eating Out

Muscat

$220 14.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 26.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Muscat

$125 8.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 71.2% $89

Getting Around

Muscat

$98 6.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 62.8% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Muscat

$82 5.3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 13.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Muscat and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muscat pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Muscat vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $291 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Muscat

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

7 h behind Muscat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,090,797 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Muscat Buenos Aires 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Muscat
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

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

Muscat and Buenos Aires differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,565 vs $1,685 including rent). Muscat is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Muscat, 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: $690 in Muscat versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $282 in Muscat versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,565 in Muscat versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Muscat but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Muscat 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, Muscat 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 Muscat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.