Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester, MN and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,512 in Rochester, MN, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Rochester, MN
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Rochester, MN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Rochester, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,512

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,512 in Rochester, MN versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Rochester, MN $2,512
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,838 in Rochester, MN versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Rochester, MN $3,838
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,164 in Rochester, MN versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Rochester, MN $5,164
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Rochester, MN is roughly 53% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rochester, MN 85% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 $19.97

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

12.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 $11.06

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-15.70%

Cappuccino

$5.83 $5.83

$3.86 ARS 5,863

51.04%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$2.06 ARS 3,133

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.68 ARS 2,542

46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$4.10 ARS 6,218

22.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 $5.67

$4.73 ARS 7,181

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-43.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.60 ARS 3,950

10.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.57 ARS 2,380

107.64%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$2.73 ARS 4,144

33.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 $9.31

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

-14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

21.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 $18.90

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

42.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.80 ARS 4,255

85.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.45 ARS 2,194

194.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.00 ARS 3,040

92.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.20 ARS 1,826

80.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.20 ARS 1,821

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.69 ARS 2,569

60.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.79 ARS 2,711

62.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$4.00 ARS 6,074

145.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$5.53 ARS 8,388

173.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-20.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.78 ARS 4,212

5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.69 ARS 1,049

186.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.25 $42.25

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

51.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.63 ARS 2,471

23.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.97 ARS 1,478

30.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.82 $19.82

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

151.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-39.44%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

16.63%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-19.36%

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

$169 $169

$199 ARS 302.7K

-15.04%

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

$47.11 $47.11

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

101.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.05 $44.05

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

40.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 $53.2

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

6.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.18 $20.18

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

21.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-6.57%

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

$1,352 $1,352

$462 ARS 701.7K

192.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

35.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 $62.4

$120 ARS 181.6K

-47.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.7 $62.7

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 $73.9

$116 ARS 176.4K

-36.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 $86.4

$137 ARS 208.6K

-37.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 $1,645

$750 ARS 1.1M

119.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$514 ARS 780.5K

149.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 $2,035

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

29.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 $2,380

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

99.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,165 $2,165

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

-17.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,961 $1,961

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

4.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,617 $4,617

$924 ARS 1.4M

399.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

57.25

-88.52%

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

Last update for Rochester, MN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rochester, MN

$1.3K 51.1%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 59.9% $770

Groceries & Markets

Rochester, MN

$386 15.4%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 26.3% $102

Eating Out

Rochester, MN

$321 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 14.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester, MN

$261 10.4%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 2.4% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester, MN

$128 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 64% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester, MN

$73 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 2.6% $1.9

Getting Around

Rochester, MN

$59 2.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 36.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,645 in Rochester, MN and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester, MN pays 399% 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: $74.0 in Rochester, MN vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $285 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rochester, MN

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

07:13 7:13 AM

2 h ahead of Rochester, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,328

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Rochester, MN Buenos Aires 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rochester, MN
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

Rochester, MN vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rochester, MN and Buenos Aires differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,512 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 399% higher in Rochester, MN, 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: $1,645 in Rochester, MN versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,352 in Rochester, MN versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Rochester, MN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,512 in Rochester, MN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Rochester, MN. 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, Rochester, MN 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 53% less than in Rochester, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.