Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,827

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,827
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,818 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,818
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,809 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,809
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Ras al-Khaimah is roughly 8% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ras al-Khaimah 36% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.51 AED 49.61

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-27.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.50 AED 149

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-37.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 AED 28.76

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-39.21%

Cappuccino

$5.69 AED 20.92

$3.98 ARS 6,029

42.96%

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

$1.10 AED 4.02

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-46.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.63

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-71.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.28 AED 37.74

$3.84 ARS 5,830

167.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.69 AED 35.60

$4.60 ARS 6,970

110.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 AED 6.05

$1.44 ARS 2,181

14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 AED 7.68

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-15.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 AED 6.85

$1.63 ARS 2,467

14.72%

Eggs

$2.37 AED 8.71

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.79 AED 46.97

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

20.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 AED 36.15

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-1.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 AED 57.7

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 AED 7.35

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 AED 6.16

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$1.45 ARS 2,205

6.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 AED 4.94

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-32.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 AED 3.42

$1.24 ARS 1,885

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 AED 3.26

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-29.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 AED 6.43

$1.70 ARS 2,575

2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 AED 1.72

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-72.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 AED 24.43

$4.18 ARS 6,337

59.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.50 AED 49.59

$5.80 ARS 8,790

132.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 AED 9.80

$2.09 ARS 3,163

27.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 AED 10.66

$2.77 ARS 4,198

4.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 AED 8.19

$0.75 ARS 1,132

197.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 AED 417

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

318.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 AED 5.96

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 AED 3.11

$0.98 ARS 1,481

-13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 AED 30.12

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

6.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 AED 3.20

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-36.03%

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

$45.9K AED 168.6K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

63.91%

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

$22.1K AED 81.2K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-36.01%

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

$123 AED 451

$216 ARS 326.9K

-43.07%

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

$44.63 AED 164

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

74.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 AED 292

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

153.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 AED 207

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

13.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.03 AED 151

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

140.50%

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 AED 48.37

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

26.27%

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

$291 AED 1,070

$466 ARS 706.7K

-37.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,569 AED 16.8K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-49.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.8 AED 304

$122 ARS 185.2K

-32.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 AED 193

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-46.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 AED 425

$117 ARS 177.4K

-0.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 AED 429

$140 ARS 211.9K

-16.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 AED 2,848

$763 ARS 1.2M

1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 AED 2,379

$505 ARS 766.1K

28.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 AED 5,967

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

1.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 AED 4,690

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

7.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,978 AED 18.3K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

85.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,927 AED 7,078

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

3.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,587 AED 5,828

$954 ARS 1.4M

66.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

57.25

-91.41%

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

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: 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

Ras al-Khaimah

$648 35.3%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 22% $143

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.6%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 0.4% $1.2

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$277 15.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$247 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 10.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$166 9%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 29.4% $49

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 71.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 14.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $775 in Ras al-Khaimah and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ras al-Khaimah pays 66% 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: $41.00 in Ras al-Khaimah vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

09:47 9:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

7 h behind Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ras al-Khaimah Buenos Aires 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
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

Ras al-Khaimah vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ras al-Khaimah and Buenos Aires differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,827 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 66% higher in Ras al-Khaimah, 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: $775 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $291 in Ras al-Khaimah 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 0% higher in Ras al-Khaimah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,827 in Ras al-Khaimah, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Ras al-Khaimah. 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, Ras al-Khaimah 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 8% less than in Ras al-Khaimah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.