Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ragama and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $503 in Ragama versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Ragama $503
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $814 in Ragama versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Ragama $814
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,125 in Ragama versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Ragama $1,125
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Ragama costs roughly 69% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ragama is 63% below, Buenos Aires is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 LKR 1,237

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-79.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 LKR 8,154

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-62.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 LKR 2,528

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-41.84%

Cappuccino

$2.50 LKR 828

$3.86 ARS 5,863

-35.23%

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

$0.72 LKR 239

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-65.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.7

$1.68 ARS 2,542

-85.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 711

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-47.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 990

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-36.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 LKR 470

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-5.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 LKR 155

$2.60 ARS 3,950

-81.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 226

$1.57 ARS 2,380

-56.69%

Eggs

$1.73 LKR 573

$2.73 ARS 4,144

-36.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.87 LKR 4,593

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

27.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 LKR 1,571

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-52.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.33 LKR 2,428

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

-44.55%

Apples (1kg)

$6.69 LKR 2,217

$2.80 ARS 4,255

138.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-61.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,414

$1.45 ARS 2,194

194.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 423

$2.00 ARS 3,040

-36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$1.20 ARS 1,826

-14.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 254

$1.20 ARS 1,821

-35.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 296

$1.69 ARS 2,569

-47.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 149

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-74.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 LKR 3,350

$4.00 ARS 6,074

152.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.09 LKR 4,336

$5.53 ARS 8,388

136.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 653

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-7.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 974

$2.78 ARS 4,212

5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$1.63 ARS 2,471

-77.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.97 ARS 1,478

-63.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

-88.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 459

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-2.82%

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

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

90.97%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

25.42%

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

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

$199 ARS 302.7K

-70.16%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,416

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

-81.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.08 LKR 6,982

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

-32.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 LKR 1,474

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-58.80%

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

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

$462 ARS 701.7K

-91.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

-86.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.21 LKR 6,030

$120 ARS 181.6K

-84.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.89 LKR 5,595

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-82.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$116 ARS 176.4K

-31.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

$137 ARS 208.6K

-69.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

57.25

-77.83%

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

Last update for Ragama: October 20, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ragama

$233 46.4%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 22.1% $52

Eating Out

Ragama

$103 20.6%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 164% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ragama

$85 16.9%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 200% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Ragama

$71 14%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 198% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 702% $63

Getting Around

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 1670% $35

Accommodation & Living

Ragama

- * 0%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25.00 in Ragama vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $285 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ragama

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

01:25 1:25 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

8 h 30 min behind Ragama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ragama Buenos Aires 14,770 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Ragama
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

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

Ragama and Buenos Aires differ by about 227% in total monthly costs ($503 vs $1,646 including rent). Ragama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $754 in Ragama and $2,468 in Buenos Aires to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $37.59 in Ragama versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ragama – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $503 in Ragama versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama 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, Ragama 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 Ragama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.