Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,246 in Portmore versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Portmore $1,246
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Portmore versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Portmore $2,073
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,900 in Portmore versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Portmore $2,900
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Portmore costs roughly 25% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portmore is 8% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-46.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-3.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-39.09%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$3.85 ARS 5,841

41.04%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-54.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-58.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-44.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-53.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.50 ARS 2,272

101.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$2.53 ARS 3,837

37.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-36.65%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$2.84 ARS 4,316

27.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-37.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-29.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$2.88 ARS 4,366

107.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$2.20 ARS 3,334

78.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$1.40 ARS 2,120

111.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$1.98 ARS 3,004

52.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$1.21 ARS 1,835

172.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$1.26 ARS 1,910

106.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-7.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-26.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$4.29 ARS 6,505

124.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$5.70 ARS 8,645

97.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$2.17 ARS 3,288

29.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-18.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$0.75 ARS 1,141

205.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

84.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$1.57 ARS 2,375

-38.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$1.03 ARS 1,558

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

-21.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-16.90%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

54.16%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-7.59%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-20.69%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

15.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

66.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

18.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

29.40%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$463 ARS 703.2K

-38.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-64.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$120 ARS 181.8K

-80.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-67.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$114 ARS 173.1K

-31.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-32.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-59.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$520 ARS 788.8K

-58.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-58.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-50.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

175.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

200.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$938 ARS 1.4M

38.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

57.25

-83.49%

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

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 15.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 6.5% $15

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 141% $304

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 46.7% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 106% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 17.6% $15

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 51.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $307 in Portmore and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portmore pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Portmore vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $336 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

2 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portmore Buenos Aires 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
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

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

Portmore and Buenos Aires differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($1,246 vs $1,656 including rent). Portmore is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Portmore, 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: $307 in Portmore versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $285 in Portmore versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,246 in Portmore versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Portmore but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Portmore 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, Portmore 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 Portmore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.