Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,439 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
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Santiago de Compostela Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Santiago de Compostela $1,439
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Santiago de Compostela $2,215
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Santiago de Compostela $2,991
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Santiago de Compostela costs roughly 13% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santiago de Compostela 7% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 €11.76

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-30.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 €8.19

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-30.23%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-49.35%

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

$2.69 €2.39

$1.99 ARS 3,020

35.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.60 ARS 2,430

35.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.76

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-16.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-53.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-18.01%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-2.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-14.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.93

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-33.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 €15.12

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

27.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-29.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.40 ARS 2,120

5.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.98 ARS 3,004

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.21 ARS 1,835

61.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.26 ARS 1,910

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-33.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-51.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$4.29 ARS 6,505

39.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.55

$5.70 ARS 8,645

-10.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-33.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-14.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.75 ARS 1,141

58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.89 €29.26

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

20.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 €4.33

$1.57 ARS 2,375

210.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.03 ARS 1,558

27.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.75

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

138.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.42 ARS 2,160

19.01%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

26.64%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-17.53%

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

$155 €138

$195 ARS 296.2K

-20.51%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-13.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 €29.04

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

3.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.56

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

0.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.19 €1.95

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-86.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €8.99

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-2.22%

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

$331 €294

$463 ARS 703.2K

-28.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,249 €7,337

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.1

$120 ARS 181.8K

-26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 €55.9

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-34.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$114 ARS 173.1K

-12.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 €82.1

$139 ARS 211.4K

-33.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$756 ARS 1.1M

-5.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 €459

$520 ARS 788.8K

-0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-34.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-27.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 €2,670

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

10.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,094 €1,863

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

10.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 €1,663

$938 ARS 1.4M

99.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

57.25

-94.83%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 0.8% $4

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 18.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 20.2% $42

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 41.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 36.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 24.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $712 in Santiago de Compostela and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago de Compostela pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $283 per month, with Santiago de Compostela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

5 h behind Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago de Compostela Buenos Aires 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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

Santiago de Compostela vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago de Compostela and Buenos Aires differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,439 vs $1,656 including rent). Santiago de Compostela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Santiago de Compostela, 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: $712 in Santiago de Compostela versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $331 in Santiago de Compostela versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santiago de Compostela but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago de Compostela 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, Santiago de Compostela 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 Santiago de Compostela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.