Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,371 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan de Pasto 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 San Juan de Pasto and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

San Juan de Pasto $1,371
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in San Juan de Pasto versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

San Juan de Pasto $2,031
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,691 in San Juan de Pasto versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

San Juan de Pasto $2,691
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in San Juan de Pasto costs roughly 17% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan de Pasto 2% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.63 COP 21.0K

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-65.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.64 COP 144.7K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-30.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 COP 31.6K

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-24.55%

Cappuccino

$2.57 COP 8,146

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-33.25%

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

$1.56 COP 4,948

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-21.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,715

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-46.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 COP 9,733

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 COP 12.9K

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-12.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-4.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,629

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-4.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,795

$1.61 ARS 2,445

13.66%

Eggs

$3.33 COP 10.6K

$2.84 ARS 4,316

17.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.27 COP 23.1K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-29.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 COP 35.1K

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

10.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 COP 42.5K

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

0.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.3K

$2.88 ARS 4,366

24.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,426

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 COP 6,359

$1.40 ARS 2,120

43.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,640

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-10.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,481

$1.21 ARS 1,835

16.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 COP 4,041

$1.26 ARS 1,910

0.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 COP 3,566

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-34.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 COP 3,555

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 COP 11.6K

$4.29 ARS 6,505

-14.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 COP 42.6K

$5.70 ARS 8,645

135.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,635

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-32.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 COP 8,670

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,390

$0.75 ARS 1,141

42.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 COP 5,102

$1.57 ARS 2,375

2.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 COP 7,590

$1.03 ARS 1,558

132.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 COP 28.7K

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

14.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 COP 3,770

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-16.20%

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

$22.6K COP 71.7M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-19.11%

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

$32.0K COP 101.4M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-8.56%

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

$124 COP 392.5K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-36.58%

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

$13.01 COP 41.2K

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-48.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.19 COP 92.5K

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-7.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 COP 135.3K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-16.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 COP 19.6K

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-40.14%

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

$682 COP 2.2M

$463 ARS 703.2K

47.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,774 COP 21.5M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-22.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 COP 288.5K

$120 ARS 181.8K

-24.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 COP 193.8K

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-35.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 COP 486.6K

$114 ARS 173.1K

34.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.0K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 COP 2.2M

$756 ARS 1.1M

-6.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 COP 1.6M

$520 ARS 788.8K

-0.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 COP 3.4M

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-31.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 COP 2.5M

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-34.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-25.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,580 COP 5.0M

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-16.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

57.25

-79.77%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$518 37.8%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 0.3% $1.4

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$284 20.7%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 0.2% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$183 13.4%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 15% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$166 12.1%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 51.8% $86

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$147 10.7%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 91.8% $135

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$55 4%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 30.1% $17

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$18 * 1.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 107% $19

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 $706 in San Juan de Pasto and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

00:22 12:22 AM

2 h ahead of San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Buenos Aires 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan de Pasto
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

San Juan de Pasto vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan de Pasto and Buenos Aires differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,371 vs $1,656 including rent). San Juan de Pasto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,057 in San Juan de Pasto and $2,484 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: $706 in San Juan de Pasto versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $682 in San Juan de Pasto versus $463 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 San Juan de Pasto – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in San Juan de Pasto but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes San Juan de Pasto 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, San Juan de Pasto 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 San Juan de Pasto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.