Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Port Elizabeth $1,233
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,847 in Port Elizabeth versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Port Elizabeth $1,847
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,461 in Port Elizabeth versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Port Elizabeth $2,461
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Port Elizabeth costs roughly 27% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Elizabeth is 8% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 R 175

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-43.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 R 707

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-33.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 R 99.3

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-53.26%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R 35.03

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-46.73%

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

$1.04 R 17.24

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-49.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-53.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.50

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-28.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.5

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-33.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.74

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.10

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-57.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.78

$1.63 ARS 2,467

-11.66%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.33

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-2.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 142

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-19.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.2

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-45.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 R 137

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-39.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.80

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-23.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.46

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-29.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.56

$1.45 ARS 2,205

11.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.43

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-10.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$1.24 ARS 1,885

39.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.46

$1.27 ARS 1,921

11.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.27

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-24.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.70

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-41.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 R 51.6

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-25.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.6

$5.80 ARS 8,790

-16.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R 20.63

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-40.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.06

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-34.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R 17.96

$0.75 ARS 1,132

45.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 R 595

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

32.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 R 35.03

$1.62 ARS 2,451

30.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.20

$0.98 ARS 1,481

-48.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

9.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.36 ARS 2,058

6.62%

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

$35.4K R 584.3K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

26.42%

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

$34.0K R 561.2K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-1.50%

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

$123 R 2,024

$216 ARS 326.9K

-43.09%

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

$35.08 R 579

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

36.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.22 R 746

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

44.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 R 526

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-36.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.73 R 375

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

33.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 R 175

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

1.73%

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

$176 R 2,902

$466 ARS 706.7K

-62.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,192 R 102.2K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-31.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 R 1,164

$122 ARS 185.2K

-42.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 R 631

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-60.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,807

$117 ARS 177.4K

-6.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 R 1,593

$140 ARS 211.9K

-30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R 10.1K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-19.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,891

$505 ARS 766.1K

-17.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 R 13.3K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 R 11.4K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-41.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$750 R 12.4K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-72.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 R 8,754

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-71.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,612 R 26.6K

$954 ARS 1.4M

68.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

57.25

-79.14%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: 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

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 20.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 34.3% $70

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 44.4% $87

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 79.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 51.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 33.1% $18

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 18.7% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Port Elizabeth and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Elizabeth pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Port Elizabeth vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $284 per month, with Port Elizabeth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

5 h behind Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

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

Port Elizabeth Buenos Aires 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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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

Port Elizabeth vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Elizabeth and Buenos Aires differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,233 vs $1,685 including rent). Port Elizabeth is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Port Elizabeth, 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: $612 in Port Elizabeth versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $176 in Port Elizabeth 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 44% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,233 in Port Elizabeth versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Elizabeth but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Port Elizabeth 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, Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.