Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostia and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $1,756 in Ostia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ostia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,756 in Ostia versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Ostia $1,756
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Ostia versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Ostia $2,594
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,432 in Ostia versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Ostia $3,432
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Ostia is roughly 6% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ostia 30% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.69

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.10

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-13.94%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-41.56%

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

$2.33 €2.07

$1.99 ARS 3,020

17.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.93 ARS 5,959

38.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.27

$4.61 ARS 7,003

4.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.50 ARS 2,272

11.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.61 ARS 2,445

86.34%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$2.84 ARS 4,316

59.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.27

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

44.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

24.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 €17.44

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

47.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-10.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.40 ARS 2,120

66.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.98 ARS 3,004

20.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.21 ARS 1,835

19.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.26 ARS 1,910

26.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-22.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-70.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$4.29 ARS 6,505

54.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.70 ARS 8,645

-4.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-28.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-9.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.75 ARS 1,141

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.01 €34.70

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

43.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$1.57 ARS 2,375

181.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.03 ARS 1,558

20.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.16 €20.60

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

193.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.42 ARS 2,160

51.41%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

26.21%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

1.27%

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

$197 €175

$195 ARS 296.2K

0.73%

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

$9.61 €8.55

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-61.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.13 €27.69

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.93

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

10.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 €9.96

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-33.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 €9.85

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

7.06%

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

$449 €400

$463 ARS 703.2K

-3.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,805 €7,832

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

0.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 €64.2

$120 ARS 181.8K

-39.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 €32.60

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-61.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.2

$114 ARS 173.1K

-25.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$139 ARS 211.4K

-10.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$756 ARS 1.1M

12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €599

$520 ARS 788.8K

29.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 €1,005

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 €881

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-17.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,992 €1,772

$938 ARS 1.4M

112.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

57.25

-93.89%

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

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostia

$673 38.3%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 22.8% $153

Groceries & Markets

Ostia

$324 18.4%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 12.5% $40

Eating Out

Ostia

$244 13.9%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 15.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostia

$237 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 6.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ostia

$143 8.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 47.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Ostia

$78 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 8.5% $6.7

Getting Around

Ostia

$56 3.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 34.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $853 in Ostia and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ostia pays 112% 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: $66.0 in Ostia vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ostia

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

21:51 9:51 PM

5 h behind Ostia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,400

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Ostia Buenos Aires 11,130 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Ostia
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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

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

Ostia and Buenos Aires differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,756 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 112% higher in Ostia, 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: $853 in Ostia versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $449 in Ostia versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Ostia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,756 in Ostia, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Ostia. 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, Ostia 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 6% less than in Ostia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.