Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,388 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,388

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Ottawa versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Ottawa $2,388
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,474 in Ottawa versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Ottawa $3,474
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,559 in Ottawa versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Ottawa $4,559
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Ottawa is roughly 42% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ottawa 78% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.59 CA$26.49

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 CA$110

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

19.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$15.12

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-17.70%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.61

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-1.01%

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

$2.01 CA$2.87

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-1.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.53

$1.55 ARS 2,349

14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.94

$3.84 ARS 5,830

45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.82

$4.60 ARS 6,970

34.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CA$3.27

$1.44 ARS 2,181

59.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CA$4.42

$2.46 ARS 3,738

26.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.63 ARS 2,467

96.93%

Eggs

$3.47 CA$4.95

$2.89 ARS 4,385

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-1.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 CA$15.91

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

11.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 CA$25.20

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

28.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.36

$2.75 ARS 4,166

36.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-36.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.37

$1.45 ARS 2,205

160.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.05

$1.99 ARS 3,013

77.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.78

$1.24 ARS 1,885

113.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$1.27 ARS 1,921

89.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 CA$3.76

$1.70 ARS 2,575

54.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.27

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-8.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.49 CA$20.65

$4.18 ARS 6,337

246.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 CA$16.82

$5.80 ARS 8,790

103.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$2.09 ARS 3,163

24.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$2.77 ARS 4,198

18.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.94

$0.75 ARS 1,132

269.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 CA$134

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

245.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$1.62 ARS 2,451

67.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.15

$0.98 ARS 1,481

54.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.16 CA$27.31

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

148.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.71

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-11.76%

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

$27.8K CA$39.7K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-0.65%

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

$21.1K CA$30.0K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-38.99%

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

$136 CA$194

$216 ARS 326.9K

-36.86%

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

$36.63 CA$52.2

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

43.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 CA$71.8

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

60.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.79 CA$65.3

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-8.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.77 CA$39.59

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

62.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.82 CA$18.28

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

22.91%

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

$913 CA$1,301

$466 ARS 706.7K

95.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$23.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

78.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 CA$87.3

$122 ARS 185.2K

-49.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.63 CA$55.1

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-60.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$151

$117 ARS 177.4K

-9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 CA$139

$140 ARS 211.9K

-30.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 CA$2,124

$763 ARS 1.2M

95.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 CA$1,719

$505 ARS 766.1K

138.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 CA$3,141

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

37.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 CA$2,617

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

54.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,287 CA$6,111

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

60.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,457 CA$6,353

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

139.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,712 CA$5,292

$954 ARS 1.4M

288.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

57.25

-92.77%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.2%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 58.1% $701

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$366 15.3%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 22.5% $82

Eating Out

Ottawa

$283 11.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 1.5% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$223 9.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 22.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$137 5.7%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 57% $78

Getting Around

Ottawa

$115 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 68.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$71 3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,490 in Ottawa and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays 289% 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: $77.0 in Ottawa vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

1 h ahead of Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Ottawa Buenos Aires 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Ottawa and Buenos Aires differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($2,388 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 289% higher in Ottawa, 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: $1,490 in Ottawa versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $913 in Ottawa 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 29% higher in Ottawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,388 in Ottawa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Ottawa. 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, Ottawa 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 42% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.