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Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires

🙂 Solo nomad: Rio de Janeiro is 39.8% cheaper than Buenos Aires without rent, and 31.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rio de Janeiro is 38.8% cheaper than Buenos Aires without rent, and 33.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.43 R$39.78
$15.12 ARS 21.9K
-50.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.44 R$195
$60.7 ARS 88K
-39.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.44 R$34.51
$12.08 ARS 17.5K
-46.69%
Cappuccino
$2 R$10.7
$3.89 ARS 5,646
-48.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 R$6.86
$2.1 ARS 3,044
-39.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 R$4.59
$1.46 ARS 2,120
-41.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.85 R$9.89
$3.64 ARS 5,276
-49.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 R$14.63
$4.04 ARS 5,870
-32.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 R$6.22
$1.53 ARS 2,227
-24.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.7 R$9.09
$2.48 ARS 3,593
-31.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R$7.86
$2.3 ARS 3,339
-36.09%
Eggs
$2.01 R$10.75
$3.2 ARS 4,648
-37.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.04 R$43.06
$12.12 ARS 17.6K
-33.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.55 R$18.99
$7.85 ARS 11.4K
-54.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.31 R$44.49
$9.34 ARS 13.6K
-11.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.41 R$12.9
$2.59 ARS 3,752
-6.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 R$8.33
$2.11 ARS 3,061
-26.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 R$8.08
$1.25 ARS 1,821
20.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 R$8.44
$2.56 ARS 3,722
-38.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R$6.74
$1.51 ARS 2,190
-16.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 R$5.96
$1.54 ARS 2,238
-27.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 R$3.62
$1.78 ARS 2,580
-61.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.6 R$3.24
$1.45 ARS 2,098
-58.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2 R$10.69
$3.17 ARS 4,597
-36.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.38 R$39.54
$5.92 ARS 8,586
24.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 R$6.57
$2.27 ARS 3,294
-45.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 R$11.11
$3.05 ARS 4,423
-32.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 R$6.67
$0.67 ARS 976
85.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.66 R$207
$15.92 ARS 23.1K
142.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 R$5.79
$1.63 ARS 2,366
-33.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.65 R$3.47
$0.87 ARS 1,261
-25.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.69 R$41.2
$6.06 ARS 8,802
26.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.07 R$5.71
$1.16 ARS 1,683
-7.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K R$110.9K
$24.6K ARS 35.7M
-15.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K R$145.4K
$28.8K ARS 41.8M
-5.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 R$544
$112 ARS 163K
-9.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.03 R$64.5
$21.32 ARS 30.9K
-43.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.2 R$103
$28.53 ARS 41.4K
-32.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.04 R$140
$41.52 ARS 60.3K
-37.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.41 R$131
$11.42 ARS 16.6K
113.75%
Cinema Ticket
$6.48 R$34.7
$9.12 ARS 13.2K
-28.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 R$2,978
$326 ARS 473.8K
70.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K R$61.9K
$5,263 ARS 7.6M
119.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.55 R$244
$109 ARS 157.6K
-58.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.67 R$223
$85 ARS 123.3K
-50.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 R$406
$125 ARS 181K
-39.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$61.2 R$328
$130 ARS 188.1K
-52.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$441 R$2,361
$657 ARS 953.4K
-32.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 R$1,777
$446 ARS 647.8K
-25.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$843 R$4,517
$1,189 ARS 1.7M
-29.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$571 R$3,057
$809 ARS 1.2M
-29.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,327 R$12.5K
$2,681 ARS 3.9M
-13.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,233 R$6,605
$2,014 ARS 2.9M
-38.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rio de Janeiro
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$469 R$2,512
$791 ARS 1.1M
-40.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.33
52.71
-78.51%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: November 30, 2025

Last update for Buenos Aires: December 1, 2025

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