Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,893 in Quebec City, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,893

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,893 in Quebec City versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Quebec City $1,893
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,839 in Quebec City versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Quebec City $2,839
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,785 in Quebec City versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Quebec City $3,785
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Quebec City is roughly 12% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 41% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.19 CA$30.14

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

13.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.1 CA$91.1

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-0.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 CA$15.60

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-14.83%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.21

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-8.04%

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

$2.07 CA$2.95

$2.05 ARS 3,102

0.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.01

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-9.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 CA$7.93

$3.84 ARS 5,828

45.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 CA$7.91

$4.60 ARS 6,968

20.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CA$3.01

$1.44 ARS 2,180

47.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 CA$4.05

$2.46 ARS 3,737

15.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.25 CA$6.04

$1.63 ARS 2,466

160.74%

Eggs

$3.18 CA$4.52

$2.89 ARS 4,384

10.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 CA$12.62

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-16.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 CA$14.96

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

5.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 CA$14.78

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-24.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.99

$2.75 ARS 4,165

53.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.26

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.26

$1.45 ARS 2,204

155.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.56

$1.99 ARS 3,012

96.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.06

$1.24 ARS 1,884

130.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 CA$3.97

$1.27 ARS 1,920

119.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$1.70 ARS 2,574

58.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-17.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.87 CA$21.16

$4.18 ARS 6,335

255.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 CA$15.88

$5.80 ARS 8,787

92.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.15 CA$4.48

$2.09 ARS 3,162

50.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$2.77 ARS 4,197

22.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.93

$0.75 ARS 1,131

269.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 CA$99.0

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

156.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$1.62 ARS 2,450

79.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.98 ARS 1,480

51.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.24 CA$48.70

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

343.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.78

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-8.09%

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

$28.3K CA$40.2K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

0.97%

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

$21.3K CA$30.3K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-38.33%

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

$100 CA$143

$216 ARS 326.8K

-53.50%

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

$31.82 CA$45.26

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

24.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.74 CA$63.6

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

42.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.56 CA$49.16

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-30.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 CA$21.72

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-10.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.87 CA$15.46

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

4.22%

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

$685 CA$975

$466 ARS 706.5K

47.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,148 CA$13.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

1.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 CA$84.9

$122 ARS 185.1K

-51.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 CA$71.4

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-48.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 CA$128

$117 ARS 177.3K

-23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 CA$153

$140 ARS 211.8K

-22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 CA$1,458

$763 ARS 1.2M

34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 CA$1,101

$505 ARS 765.8K

53.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CA$2,226

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-2.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 CA$1,818

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

7.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,737 CA$6,737

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

76.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 CA$3,884

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

46.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,037 CA$4,320

$954 ARS 1.4M

218.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

57.25

-92.24%

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

Last update for Quebec City: 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

Quebec City

$774 41.2%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 34.7% $269

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$342 18.2%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 16.8% $57

Eating Out

Quebec City

$299 16%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 6.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$177 9.4%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 54.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$138 7.4%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 55% $76

Getting Around

Quebec City

$91 4.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 59.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$56 3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 25.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Quebec City and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays 218% 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: $64.0 in Quebec City vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

1 h ahead of Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 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 = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Quebec City Buenos Aires 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Quebec City vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City and Buenos Aires differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,893 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 218% higher in Quebec City, 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: $1,025 in Quebec City versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $685 in Quebec City 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 20% higher in Quebec City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,893 in Quebec City, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Quebec City. 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, Quebec City 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 12% less than in Quebec City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.