Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Buenos Aires

For one person, living costs are similar in San Salvador and in Buenos Aires: $1,666 and $1,685 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,666

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,666 in San Salvador versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

San Salvador $1,666
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,465 in San Salvador versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

San Salvador $2,465
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in San Salvador versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

San Salvador $3,263
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in San Salvador costs roughly 1% 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 Salvador 24% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.72 $6.72

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-64.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.39 $45.39

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-29.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 $7.07

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-45.11%

Cappuccino

$3.53 $3.53

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-11.31%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-44.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-46.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-23.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.44 ARS 2,180

29.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.46 ARS 3,737

17.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.63 ARS 2,466

-14.11%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$2.89 ARS 4,384

6.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-26.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-30.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.75 ARS 4,165

84.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-36.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.45 ARS 2,204

74.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.99 ARS 3,012

70.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.24 ARS 1,884

131.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.27 ARS 1,920

158.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-42.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-43.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 $4.07

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-2.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$5.80 ARS 8,787

110.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.09 ARS 3,162

4.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.77 ARS 4,197

3.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.75 ARS 1,131

-54.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.66 $37.66

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

38.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 $6.04

$1.62 ARS 2,450

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.98 ARS 1,480

209.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.11 $20.11

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

160.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-5.15%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-11.63%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-21.89%

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

$130 $130

$216 ARS 326.8K

-39.48%

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

$21.57 $21.57

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-15.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.03 $43.03

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 $31.99

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-35.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.57 $21.57

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

26.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 $5.06

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-51.49%

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

$165 $165

$466 ARS 706.5K

-64.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,640 $4,640

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-48.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 $68.2

$122 ARS 185.1K

-44.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.79 $46.79

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-51.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$117 ARS 177.3K

2.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$140 ARS 211.8K

-16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$763 ARS 1.2M

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 $755

$505 ARS 765.8K

49.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 $1,343

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

13.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,813 $2,813

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

5.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 $1,845

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-0.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 $372

$954 ARS 1.4M

-60.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

57.25

-85.15%

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

Last update for San Salvador: October 6, 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 Salvador

$755 46.1%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 33.1% $250

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$287 17.5%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 0.9% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$195 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 39.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 35.4% $56

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 95.9% $137

Getting Around

San Salvador

$60 3.7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 39.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$42 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 67.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $906 in San Salvador and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 156% 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: $45.00 in San Salvador vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

01:41 1:41 AM

3 h ahead of San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 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 = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

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San Salvador Buenos Aires 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Salvador vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Salvador and Buenos Aires differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,666 vs $1,685 including rent). San Salvador is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 156% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $906 in San Salvador versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $165 in San Salvador versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,666 in San Salvador versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Salvador but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes San Salvador 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 Salvador 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 Salvador gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.