Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael and Buenos Aires

For one person, living costs are similar in San Rafael and in Buenos Aires: $1,732 and $1,656 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/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: $1,732 in San Rafael versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

San Rafael $1,732
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in San Rafael versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

San Rafael $2,736
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,739 in San Rafael versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

San Rafael $3,739
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in San Rafael is roughly 5% 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 Rafael 28% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 ₡5,496

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-35.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.7K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-6.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 ₡5,119

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-13.48%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,973

$3.85 ARS 5,841

14.29%

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

$2.73 ₡1,225

$1.99 ARS 3,020

37.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡841

$1.60 ARS 2,430

16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-14.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,038

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-1.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,044

$1.50 ARS 2,272

55.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,352

$2.53 ARS 3,837

19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,084

$1.61 ARS 2,445

50.31%

Eggs

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.84 ARS 4,316

23.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,712

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ₡4,597

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 ₡6,378

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

6.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,282

$2.88 ARS 4,366

76.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-28.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,098

$1.40 ARS 2,120

234.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$1.98 ARS 3,004

94.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,741

$1.21 ARS 1,835

220.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,653

$1.26 ARS 1,910

192.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-36.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₡1,403

$1.72 ARS 2,603

81.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,739

$4.29 ARS 6,505

42.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,031

$5.70 ARS 8,645

253.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,254

$2.17 ARS 3,288

29.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,606

$2.76 ARS 4,188

29.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡527

$0.75 ARS 1,141

57.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$1.57 ARS 2,375

59.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.03 ARS 1,558

52.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,803

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

7.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.42 ARS 2,160

8.45%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-20.13%

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

$35.5K ₡15.9M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

1.61%

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

$93.5 ₡41.9K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-52.11%

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

$36.26 ₡16.3K

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

44.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

85.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 ₡28.3K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

23.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-27.47%

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

$991 ₡444.6K

$463 ARS 703.2K

113.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

91.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$120 ARS 181.8K

-41.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.0K

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-41.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$114 ARS 173.1K

13.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₡332.0K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-2.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 ₡291.2K

$520 ARS 788.8K

24.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ₡927.9K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

30.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

6.35%

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 Rafael: 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 Rafael

$649 37.5%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 19.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$398 23%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 28.8% $115

Eating Out

San Rafael

$229 13.2%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 22.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$188 10.9%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 33.9% $64

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.1%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 20.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$78 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 8.2% $6.4

Getting Around

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 146% $22

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 $740 in San Rafael and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in San Rafael vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

3 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

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 19, 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 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Rafael Buenos Aires 5,640 km ≈ 8 h 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

San Rafael and Buenos Aires differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,732 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 $2,599 in San Rafael 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: $740 in San Rafael versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $991 in San Rafael 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 Rafael. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,732 in San Rafael, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in San Rafael. 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 Rafael 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 5% less than in San Rafael. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.