Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,036 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Pietermaritzburg $1,036
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,560 in Pietermaritzburg versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Pietermaritzburg $1,560
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,083 in Pietermaritzburg versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Pietermaritzburg $2,083
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Pietermaritzburg costs roughly 39% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pietermaritzburg is 23% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 R 130

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-57.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 588

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-44.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 R 92.6

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-56.44%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.86

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-42.46%

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

$1.16 R 19.12

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-43.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.08

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-37.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 R 36.89

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-44.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.88

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.45

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-59.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.78

$1.63 ARS 2,467

6.75%

Eggs

$3.20 R 52.7

$2.89 ARS 4,385

10.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.93 R 114

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-34.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 R 81.8

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-50.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.57 R 108

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-52.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.40

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-26.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-12.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.35

$1.45 ARS 2,205

51.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.00

$1.99 ARS 3,013

3.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.92

$1.24 ARS 1,885

41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.93

$1.27 ARS 1,921

37.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R 25.31

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.98

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-36.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R 49.69

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-27.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.94 R 65.0

$5.80 ARS 8,790

-32.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-33.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.70

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-35.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 R 46.92

$0.75 ARS 1,132

278.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 R 323

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-27.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 R 27.23

$1.62 ARS 2,451

1.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 R 17.60

$0.98 ARS 1,481

9.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.49

$1.36 ARS 2,058

4.41%

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

$26.7K R 440.1K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-4.76%

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

$26.2K R 432.5K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-24.08%

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

$206 R 3,398

$216 ARS 326.9K

-4.47%

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

$31.68 R 523

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

23.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.96 R 610

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

17.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.95 R 725

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-11.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 R 50.1

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-82.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-54.75%

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

$181 R 2,993

$466 ARS 706.7K

-61.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,207 R 85.9K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-42.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$122 ARS 185.2K

-54.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.93 R 560

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-65.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,910

$117 ARS 177.4K

-1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 R 1,137

$140 ARS 211.9K

-50.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 R 3,607

$763 ARS 1.2M

-71.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 R 3,670

$505 ARS 766.1K

-55.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,593

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-63.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,698

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-65.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,971 R 98.5K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

122.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$149 R 2,455

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-91.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,074 R 17.7K

$954 ARS 1.4M

12.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

57.25

-79.62%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.4%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 0.7% $2

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$222 21.4%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 127% $283

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$195 18.8%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 45.5% $89

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 111% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$123 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 73.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 32.4% $17

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 3.4% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $219 in Pietermaritzburg and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pietermaritzburg pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36.00 in Pietermaritzburg vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $284 per month, with Pietermaritzburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

5 h behind Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Buenos Aires 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
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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

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

Pietermaritzburg and Buenos Aires differ by about 63% in total monthly costs ($1,036 vs $1,685 including rent). Pietermaritzburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Pietermaritzburg, 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: $219 in Pietermaritzburg versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $181 in Pietermaritzburg 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 46% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,036 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pietermaritzburg but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Pietermaritzburg 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, Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.