Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,664 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Rock Island, IL $2,664
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,843 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Rock Island, IL $3,843
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,023 in Rock Island, IL versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Rock Island, IL $5,023
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Rock Island, IL is roughly 62% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rock Island, IL 97% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

12.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

3.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-2.13%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.86 ARS 5,863

52.85%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$2.06 ARS 3,133

52.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.68 ARS 2,542

42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$4.10 ARS 6,218

72.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.73 ARS 7,181

68.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-37.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.60 ARS 3,950

35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.57 ARS 2,380

169.43%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.73 ARS 4,144

35.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

38.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

30.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

51.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.80 ARS 4,255

68.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.45 ARS 2,194

255.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.00 ARS 3,040

139.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.20 ARS 1,826

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.20 ARS 1,821

160.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.69 ARS 2,569

27.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.79 ARS 2,711

35.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

$4.00 ARS 6,074

168.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$5.53 ARS 8,388

180.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.12 ARS 3,219

25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.78 ARS 4,212

56.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.69 ARS 1,049

163.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.63 ARS 2,471

142.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.97 ARS 1,478

105.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.24 $44.24

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

460.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-29.58%

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

$31.2K $31.2K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

33.61%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-19.75%

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

$267 $267

$199 ARS 302.7K

33.83%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

123.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.6 $80.6

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

156.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 $45.16

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-9.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

40.00%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$462 ARS 701.7K

271.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

170.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$120 ARS 181.6K

-46.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-46.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$116 ARS 176.4K

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$137 ARS 208.6K

-12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$750 ARS 1.1M

141.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$514 ARS 780.5K

140.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 $2,614

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

66.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

69.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 $2,912

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

10.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

21.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

57.25

-88.31%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 58.5% $724

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 33.9% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$400 15%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 36.4% $146

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 20.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 36.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 5.3% $4

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 75.4% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,812 in Rock Island, IL and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Rock Island, IL vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $285 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

2 h ahead of Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

ARS to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Rock Island, IL Buenos Aires 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, IL
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

Rock Island, IL vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rock Island, IL and Buenos Aires differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,664 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Rock Island, IL 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,812 in Rock Island, IL versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,719 in Rock Island, IL 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 Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $67.0 in Rock Island, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Rock Island, IL. 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, Rock Island, IL 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 62% less than in Rock Island, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.