Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $3,511 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,511

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,511 in Salem, MA versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Salem, MA $3,511
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,880 in Salem, MA versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Salem, MA $4,880
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,248 in Salem, MA versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Salem, MA $6,248
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Salem, MA is roughly 113% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Salem, MA 159% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.63 $24.63

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

38.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.2 $98.2

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

50.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-14.63%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.86 ARS 5,863

30.57%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$2.06 ARS 3,133

19.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.68 ARS 2,542

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$4.10 ARS 6,218

98.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 $7.19

$4.73 ARS 7,181

52.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.60 ARS 3,950

36.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.57 ARS 2,380

182.17%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.73 ARS 4,144

58.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

16.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 $17.43

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

31.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.80 ARS 4,255

64.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$1.45 ARS 2,194

189.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.00 ARS 3,040

137.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.20 ARS 1,826

134.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.20 ARS 1,821

141.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.69 ARS 2,569

50.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.79 ARS 2,711

24.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 $11.02

$4.00 ARS 6,074

175.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$5.53 ARS 8,388

176.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.78 ARS 4,212

23.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.69 ARS 1,049

173.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.09 $40.09

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

43.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.63 ARS 2,471

84.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.97 ARS 1,478

58.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.85 $31.85

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

303.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-37.32%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

10.91%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-15.93%

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

$179 $179

$199 ARS 302.7K

-10.34%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

154.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 $63.8

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

102.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.17 $42.17

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-15.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$14.49 $14.49

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

34.17%

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

$1,266 $1,266

$462 ARS 701.7K

173.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

169.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 $84.2

$120 ARS 181.6K

-29.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 $56.8

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-40.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$116 ARS 176.4K

-15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 $98.1

$137 ARS 208.6K

-28.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 $2,339

$750 ARS 1.1M

211.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$514 ARS 780.5K

320.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,928 $3,928

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

150.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,135 $3,135

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

162.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,748 $2,748

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

4.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

24.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,532 $9,532

$924 ARS 1.4M

931.23%

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 Salem, MA: 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

Salem, MA

$2.2K 61.6%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 76.2% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$401 11.4%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 29% $117

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$365 10.4%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 25.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$302 8.6%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 15.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$152 4.3%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 39% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$71 2%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$58 1.7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 36.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,339 in Salem, MA and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays 931% 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: $98.0 in Salem, MA vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $285 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

1 h ahead of Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

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

Salem, MA Buenos Aires 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salem, MA and Buenos Aires differ by about 113% in total monthly costs ($3,511 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 931% higher in Salem, MA, 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: $2,339 in Salem, MA versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,266 in Salem, MA 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 41% higher in Salem, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $3,511 in Salem, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. 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, Salem, MA 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 113% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.