Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, Argentina and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,353 a month against $1,624 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,353

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,353 in San Rafael versus $1,624 in Buenos Aires.

San Rafael $1,353
Buenos Aires $1,624

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in San Rafael versus $2,637 in Buenos Aires.

San Rafael $2,224
Buenos Aires $2,637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,096 in San Rafael versus $3,650 in Buenos Aires.

San Rafael $3,096
Buenos Aires $3,650

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 ARS 17.0K

$17.72 ARS 27.4K

-37.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

$66.0 ARS 102.0K

-22.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.49 ARS 22.4K

$13.07 ARS 20.2K

10.86%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ARS 6,857

$3.96 ARS 6,126

12.12%

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

$2.43 ARS 3,760

$2.01 ARS 3,103

20.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,932

$1.61 ARS 2,490

18.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 ARS 6,015

$4.03 ARS 6,229

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ARS 6,768

$4.66 ARS 7,203

-6.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,148

$1.42 ARS 2,193

-2.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ARS 3,376

$2.58 ARS 3,979

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 ARS 4,297

$1.59 ARS 2,452

74.84%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,921

$2.64 ARS 4,075

20.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.27 ARS 22.1K

$10.40 ARS 16.1K

37.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ARS 9,446

$10.33 ARS 16.0K

-40.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 ARS 17.1K

$13.39 ARS 20.7K

-17.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 ARS 3,639

$2.71 ARS 4,188

-12.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,447

$2.07 ARS 3,197

7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ARS 2,109

$1.31 ARS 2,018

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ARS 5,149

$1.98 ARS 3,059

68.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 ARS 3,129

$1.25 ARS 1,932

62.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,352

$1.19 ARS 1,841

27.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ARS 3,092

$1.63 ARS 2,525

22.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 ARS 3,967

$1.83 ARS 2,824

40.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ARS 4,138

$4.14 ARS 6,392

-35.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 ARS 7,838

$5.79 ARS 8,945

-12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,785

$2.05 ARS 3,172

-12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ARS 4,740

$2.64 ARS 4,073

16.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,508

$0.69 ARS 1,070

42.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ARS 45.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ARS 3,105

$1.50 ARS 2,316

34.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,584

$0.80 ARS 1,232

28.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ARS 7,610

$7.47 ARS 11.5K

-34.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,880

$1.43 ARS 2,208

-14.69%

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

$27.4K ARS 42.3M

$23.8K ARS 36.8M

14.97%

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

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

$31.8K ARS 49.1M

1.88%

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

$146 ARS 226.0K

$196 ARS 303.4K

-25.52%

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

$17.25 ARS 26.7K

$23.20 ARS 35.8K

-25.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.80 ARS 36.8K

$31.52 ARS 48.7K

-24.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.51 ARS 48.7K

$47.93 ARS 74.0K

-34.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

$16.90 ARS 26.1K

24.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 ARS 11.2K

$10.91 ARS 16.9K

-33.55%

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

$174 ARS 268.8K

$504 ARS 778.5K

-65.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,125 ARS 6.4M

$13.7K ARS 21.1M

-69.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 193.3K

$117 ARS 180.9K

6.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$142 ARS 219.9K

$97.4 ARS 150.6K

46.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 ARS 218.5K

$115 ARS 176.9K

23.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ARS 243.8K

$141 ARS 217.9K

11.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 ARS 788.8K

$725 ARS 1.1M

-29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ARS 519.9K

$498 ARS 769.9K

-32.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 ARS 1.6M

$1,492 ARS 2.3M

-29.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 ARS 1.3M

$1,137 ARS 1.8M

-27.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,749 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 ARS 2.0M

$1,902 ARS 2.9M

-33.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$945 ARS 1.5M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

56.86

3.76%

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

Last update for San Rafael: November 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$336 24.9%

Buenos Aires

$498 30.7% 48.1% $162

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$287 21.2%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.4% 1.4% $4

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$255 18.9%

Buenos Aires

$212 13% 17% $43

Eating Out

San Rafael

$230 17%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.8% 18.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$187 13.9%

Buenos Aires

$251 15.5% 34% $64

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$46 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$70 4.3% 51.6% $24

Getting Around

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8%

Buenos Aires

$38 2.3% 243% $27

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 $511 in San Rafael and $725 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51 in San Rafael vs $66 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

Same time as San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,850

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

San Rafael Buenos Aires 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,353 in San Rafael and $1,624 in Buenos Aires, so San Rafael is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,029 in San Rafael and $2,436 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: $511 in San Rafael versus $725 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $174 in San Rafael versus $504 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,353 per month in San Rafael versus $1,624 in Buenos Aires – San Rafael is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. San Rafael is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Rafael and Buenos Aires are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.