Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetta and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $418 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$418

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $418 in Quetta versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Quetta $418
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $625 in Quetta versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Quetta $625
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $833 in Quetta versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Quetta $833
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Quetta costs roughly 75% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quetta is 69% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 PKR 1,029

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-80.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.99 PKR 3,041

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-83.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 PKR 1,216

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-66.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 493

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 PKR 1,414

Cappuccino

$1.59 PKR 439

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-58.70%

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

$0.39 PKR 107

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-80.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 PKR 60.0

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-86.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 PKR 208

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 156

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-77.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 PKR 352

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-21.12%

Eggs

$1.17 PKR 323

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-58.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.95 PKR 1,370

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-51.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 PKR 818

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-70.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.14 PKR 1,422

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-61.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 PKR 271

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-65.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 PKR 147

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-75.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 PKR 209

$1.40 ARS 2,120

-45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 PKR 140

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-74.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.32 PKR 89.2

$1.21 ARS 1,835

-73.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 145

$1.26 ARS 1,910

-58.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 117

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-75.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-76.74%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.85 PKR 512

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PKR 259

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 PKR 673

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 PKR 563

$4.29 ARS 6,505

-52.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 PKR 37.02

$0.75 ARS 1,141

-82.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.56 PKR 2,924

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

-61.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 PKR 286

$1.57 ARS 2,375

-34.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 PKR 118

$1.03 ARS 1,558

-58.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 507

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

-76.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 PKR 316

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-19.72%

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

$19.2K PKR 5.3M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-31.34%

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

$24.1K PKR 6.7M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-31.09%

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

$101 PKR 28.1K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-48.07%

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

$7.92 PKR 2,191

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-68.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.49 PKR 4,565

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-47.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.73 PKR 1,587

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-88.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.93 PKR 2,194

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-52.60%

Cinema Ticket

$3.17 PKR 877

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-69.34%

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

$35.15 PKR 9,727

$463 ARS 703.2K

-92.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,026 PKR 284.0K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-88.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.14 PKR 2,252

$120 ARS 181.8K

-93.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.53 PKR 6,511

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-75.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 PKR 19.1K

$114 ARS 173.1K

-39.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.48 PKR 9,543

$139 ARS 211.4K

-75.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$73.1 PKR 20.2K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-90.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.3 PKR 13.9K

$520 ARS 788.8K

-90.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$163 PKR 45.2K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-89.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.8 PKR 27.6K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-91.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$381 PKR 105.4K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-85.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$218 PKR 60.2K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-88.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 PKR 76.3K

$938 ARS 1.4M

-70.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-77.29%

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

Last update for Quetta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetta

$126 30.1%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 100% $126

Groceries & Markets

Quetta

$90 21.6%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 215% $193

Eating Out

Quetta

$64 15.4%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 338% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Quetta

$61 14.6%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 246% $150

Accommodation & Living

Quetta

$50 12%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 935% $470

Getting Around

Quetta

$14 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 159% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Quetta

$12 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 493% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $73.1 in Quetta and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 240% 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: $11.00 in Quetta vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90.0 vs $283 per month, with Quetta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Quetta

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

8 h behind Quetta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,001,205

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.21 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 311 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.21 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 PKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Quetta Buenos Aires 14,930 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetta
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

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

Quetta and Buenos Aires differ by about 297% in total monthly costs ($418 vs $1,656 including rent). Quetta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 240% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $73.1 in Quetta versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $35.15 in Quetta versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 215% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $418 in Quetta versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quetta but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Quetta 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, Quetta 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 Quetta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 297% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.