Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $3,240 in Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Portland, ME
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Portland, ME Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,240

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,240 in Portland, ME versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Portland, ME $3,240
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,789 in Portland, ME versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Portland, ME $4,789
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,339 in Portland, ME versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Portland, ME $6,339
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Portland, ME is roughly 97% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portland, ME 139% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.68 $24.68

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

38.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

84.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-7.32%

Cappuccino

$6.04 $6.04

$3.86 ARS 5,863

56.48%

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

$3.18 $3.18

$2.06 ARS 3,133

54.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.68 ARS 2,542

46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$4.10 ARS 6,218

90.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$4.73 ARS 7,181

66.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-29.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.60 ARS 3,950

83.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.38 $8.38

$1.57 ARS 2,380

433.76%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.73 ARS 4,144

47.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.75 $18.75

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

72.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

21.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.80 ARS 4,255

72.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-18.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.45 ARS 2,194

317.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$2.00 ARS 3,040

247.00%

Potato (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$1.20 ARS 1,826

435.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.20 ARS 1,821

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.69 ARS 2,569

87.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.79 ARS 2,711

38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.42 $12.42

$4.00 ARS 6,074

210.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.91 $14.91

$5.53 ARS 8,388

169.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.78 ARS 4,212

-8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.69 ARS 1,049

182.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

116.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.63 ARS 2,471

19.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.97 ARS 1,478

55.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.12 $11.12

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

40.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-26.06%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

17.00%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-16.81%

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

$227 $227

$199 ARS 302.7K

13.95%

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

$69.1 $69.1

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

195.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

144.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.8 $65.8

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

32.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.03 $40.03

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

140.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.27 $14.27

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

32.13%

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

$815 $815

$462 ARS 701.7K

76.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K $32.9K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

274.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$120 ARS 181.6K

-55.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.9 $78.9

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-16.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$116 ARS 176.4K

-11.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$137 ARS 208.6K

-2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 $2,210

$750 ARS 1.1M

194.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 $1,675

$514 ARS 780.5K

225.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,348 $3,348

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

113.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,693 $2,693

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

125.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,171 $4,171

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

58.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,954 $3,954

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

110.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,584 $4,584

$924 ARS 1.4M

395.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

57.25

-88.65%

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

Last update for Portland, ME: October 18, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portland, ME

$1.7K 51.7%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 69.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Portland, ME

$470 14.5%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 39.4% $185

Eating Out

Portland, ME

$384 11.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 28.8% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, ME

$373 11.5%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 31.9% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, ME

$166 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 26.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, ME

$94 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 24.3% $23

Getting Around

Portland, ME

$78 2.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 52.2% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,210 in Portland, ME and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portland, ME pays 396% 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: $120 in Portland, ME vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $285 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, ME

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portland, ME Buenos Aires 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Portland, ME
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

Portland, ME vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portland, ME and Buenos Aires differ by about 97% in total monthly costs ($3,240 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 396% higher in Portland, ME, 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: $2,210 in Portland, ME versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Portland, ME versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Portland, ME. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $3,240 in Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Portland, ME. 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, Portland, ME 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 97% less than in Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.