Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,441 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,441 in Saint-Etienne versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Saint-Etienne $1,441
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,272 in Saint-Etienne versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Saint-Etienne $2,272
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,103 in Saint-Etienne versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Saint-Etienne $3,103
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Saint-Etienne costs roughly 13% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint-Etienne 7% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.88

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-12.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-13.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

2.12%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.81

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-47.27%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.99 ARS 3,020

73.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.60 ARS 2,430

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$3.93 ARS 5,959

30.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$4.61 ARS 7,003

19.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-12.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-54.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.61 ARS 2,445

34.78%

Eggs

$3.04 €2.71

$2.84 ARS 4,316

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 €15.49

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

69.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 €9.73

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 €14.61

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

23.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.88 ARS 4,366

19.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.20 ARS 3,334

18.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.40 ARS 2,120

73.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.98 ARS 3,004

42.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.21 ARS 1,835

32.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.26 ARS 1,910

35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-33.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.72 ARS 2,603

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 €10.87

$4.29 ARS 6,505

184.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 €8.99

$5.70 ARS 8,645

77.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.17 ARS 3,288

58.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.76 ARS 4,188

22.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.75 ARS 1,141

141.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.38 €35.03

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

44.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.57 ARS 2,375

72.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.42 ARS 2,160

45.77%

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

$19.9K €17.7K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-28.63%

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

$32.5K €28.9K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-7.00%

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

$168 €150

$195 ARS 296.2K

-13.76%

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

$29.15 €25.93

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

15.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 €16.71

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-40.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.48 €27.11

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-40.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.63 €5.90

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-60.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-4.26%

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

$984 €875

$463 ARS 703.2K

112.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

79.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 €62.8

$120 ARS 181.8K

-41.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.10 €26.77

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-68.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$114 ARS 173.1K

-9.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$139 ARS 211.4K

10.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 €468

$756 ARS 1.1M

-30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 €326

$520 ARS 788.8K

-29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 €786

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-44.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-40.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,679 €1,494

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-38.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 €1,451

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-14.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,205 €1,961

$938 ARS 1.4M

135.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

57.25

-93.59%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 41.7% $153

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 17.2% $59

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 10.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$216 15%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 16.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 31.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 42.4% $21

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 25% $12

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 $526 in Saint-Etienne and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint-Etienne pays 135% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Saint-Etienne vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

5 h behind Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Buenos Aires 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
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

Saint-Etienne vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne and Buenos Aires differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,441 vs $1,656 including rent). Saint-Etienne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 135% higher in Saint-Etienne, 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: $526 in Saint-Etienne versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $984 in Saint-Etienne versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,441 in Saint-Etienne versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saint-Etienne but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Etienne 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, Saint-Etienne 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 Saint-Etienne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.