Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro and Buenos Aires

For one person, living costs are similar in San Pedro and in Buenos Aires: $1,707 and $1,656 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,707 in San Pedro versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

San Pedro $1,707
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in San Pedro versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

San Pedro $2,825
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,943 in San Pedro versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

San Pedro $3,943
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in San Pedro is roughly 3% 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 Pedro 26% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 ₡5,563

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-35.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 ₡28.0K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-5.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-10.23%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,964

$3.85 ARS 5,841

13.77%

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

$2.73 ₡1,226

$1.99 ARS 3,020

37.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡829

$1.60 ARS 2,430

15.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,467

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-16.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-4.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$1.50 ARS 2,272

59.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$2.53 ARS 3,837

20.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.61 ARS 2,445

55.28%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,560

$2.84 ARS 4,316

22.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,862

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

5.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,718

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

5.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,355

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,291

$2.88 ARS 4,366

77.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-28.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,153

$1.40 ARS 2,120

242.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,699

$1.98 ARS 3,004

91.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,732

$1.21 ARS 1,835

219.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$1.26 ARS 1,910

196.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-36.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,388

$1.72 ARS 2,603

80.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 ₡2,677

$4.29 ARS 6,505

39.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.99 ₡8,963

$5.70 ARS 8,645

250.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$2.17 ARS 3,288

26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,590

$2.76 ARS 4,188

28.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ₡661

$0.75 ARS 1,141

96.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,119

$1.57 ARS 2,375

58.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.03 ARS 1,558

51.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ₡3,964

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

11.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡676

$1.42 ARS 2,160

6.34%

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

$21.7K ₡9.7M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-22.46%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

1.78%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-51.52%

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

$35.67 ₡16.0K

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

41.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 ₡27.0K

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

91.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 ₡31.2K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

36.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 ₡3,417

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-26.31%

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

$985 ₡441.6K

$463 ARS 703.2K

112.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

96.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 ₡32.0K

$120 ARS 181.8K

-40.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-42.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.9K

$114 ARS 173.1K

13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.9K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-5.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 ₡366.9K

$756 ARS 1.1M

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 ₡273.6K

$520 ARS 788.8K

17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 ₡890.2K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

24.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 ₡649.1K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

20.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

57.25

-84.94%

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

Last update for San Pedro: October 10, 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 Pedro

$610 35.7%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 14.8% $90

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$400 23.5%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 29.3% $117

Eating Out

San Pedro

$231 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 22% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 32.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$174 10.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 21.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$85 5%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 15.6% $13

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 1%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 129% $21

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 $818 in San Pedro and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Pedro vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $400 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

22:25 10:25 PM

01:25 1:25 AM

3 h ahead of San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

San Pedro Buenos Aires 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

San Pedro and Buenos Aires differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,707 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,561 in San Pedro 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: $818 in San Pedro versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $985 in San Pedro 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 Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $62.0 in San Pedro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,707 in San Pedro, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in San Pedro. 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 Pedro 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 3% less than in San Pedro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.