Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,197 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,197

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,197 in San Juan versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

San Juan $2,197
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in San Juan versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

San Juan $3,317
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,436 in San Juan versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

San Juan $4,436
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in San Juan is roughly 30% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 64% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.95 $18.95

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

1.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

26.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 $9.01

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-30.05%

Cappuccino

$3.63 $3.63

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-8.79%

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

$1.92 $1.92

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-6.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.60 ARS 6,970

11.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.44 ARS 2,181

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.46 ARS 3,738

47.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.63 ARS 2,467

47.24%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$2.89 ARS 4,385

152.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

17.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-4.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.75 ARS 4,166

82.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.18 ARS 3,300

17.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.45 ARS 2,205

233.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.99 ARS 3,013

135.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.24 ARS 1,885

197.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.27 ARS 1,921

206.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.70 ARS 2,575

97.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-4.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 $11.90

$4.18 ARS 6,337

184.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 $15.42

$5.80 ARS 8,790

165.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.09 ARS 3,163

42.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.77 ARS 4,198

41.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.75 ARS 1,132

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.65 $29.65

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

9.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.62 ARS 2,451

56.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.98 ARS 1,481

56.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.18 $41.18

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

433.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-9.56%

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

$39.7K $39.7K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

41.85%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-18.77%

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

$323 $323

$216 ARS 326.9K

49.89%

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

$70.0 $70.0

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

173.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

123.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.55 $41.55

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-16.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 $7.78

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-54.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 $10.57

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

1.34%

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

$814 $814

$466 ARS 706.7K

74.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

36.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$122 ARS 185.2K

-54.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-36.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$117 ARS 177.4K

-8.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$140 ARS 211.9K

-19.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$763 ARS 1.2M

134.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 $847

$505 ARS 766.1K

67.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,872 $2,872

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

79.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 $1,496

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

26.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,513 $7,513

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

180.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,351 $3,351

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

80.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 $2,674

$954 ARS 1.4M

180.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

57.25

-88.56%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$847 37.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 40.4% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$463 20.7%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 41.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$412 18.4%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 31.1% $128

Eating Out

San Juan

$261 11.6%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$152 6.8%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 41.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$63 2.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 12.7% $8

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 14.8% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,791 in San Juan and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Juan pays 180% 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: $82.0 in San Juan vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

09:30 9:30 AM

1 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

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San Juan Buenos Aires 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Juan and Buenos Aires differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,197 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 180% higher in San Juan, 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: $1,791 in San Juan versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $814 in San Juan versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in San Juan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,197 in San Juan, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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, San Juan 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 30% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.