Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,109 in Scranton, PA, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scranton, PA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
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Scranton, PA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,109

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,109 in Scranton, PA versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Scranton, PA $2,109
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,000 in Scranton, PA versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Scranton, PA $3,000
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,891 in Scranton, PA versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Scranton, PA $3,891
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Scranton, PA is roughly 27% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scranton, PA 56% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 $12.08

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-36.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 $77.1

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

17.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 $5.96

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-54.85%

Cappuccino

$4.48 $4.48

$3.85 ARS 5,841

16.36%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-23.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-38.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.93 ARS 5,959

76.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 $7.66

$4.61 ARS 7,003

66.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-51.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-42.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.61 ARS 2,445

37.89%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$2.84 ARS 4,316

17.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

7.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 $8.81

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.88 ARS 4,366

25.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-40.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.40 ARS 2,120

137.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.98 ARS 3,004

115.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.21 ARS 1,835

139.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.26 ARS 1,910

163.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.71 ARS 2,592

13.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-41.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 $6.59

$4.29 ARS 6,505

53.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 $12.19

$5.70 ARS 8,645

113.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.17 ARS 3,288

40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.76 ARS 4,188

73.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.75 ARS 1,141

130.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 $61.1

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

124.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.57 ARS 2,375

101.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.03 ARS 1,558

94.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.03 $25.03

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

216.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-21.83%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

26.45%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-26.51%

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

$232 $232

$195 ARS 296.2K

18.78%

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

$40.27 $40.27

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

60.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.27 $49.27

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

56.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 $29.52

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 $16.03

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-4.18%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 $12.53

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

21.18%

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

$770 $770

$463 ARS 703.2K

66.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K $17.6K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

100.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$120 ARS 181.8K

-62.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.25 $30.25

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-68.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$114 ARS 173.1K

-36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 $82.9

$139 ARS 211.4K

-40.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$756 ARS 1.1M

67.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 $1,019

$520 ARS 788.8K

96.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 $1,554

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-2.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 $1,481

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

23.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,594 $1,594

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-41.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 $1,538

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-19.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,361 $3,361

$938 ARS 1.4M

258.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

57.25

-88.35%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: 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

Scranton, PA

$1K 48.3%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 49% $500

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$321 15.2%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 21.6% $70

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$300 14.2%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 5.6% $17

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$228 10.8%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 23.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$104 4.9%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 103% $107

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$81 3.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 54.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$55 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 31.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,269 in Scranton, PA and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scranton, PA pays 258% 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: $77.0 in Scranton, PA vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $283 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

10:14 10:14 AM

1 h ahead of Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

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).

ARS to USD in detail →

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Scranton, PA Buenos Aires 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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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

Scranton, PA vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scranton, PA and Buenos Aires differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,109 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 258% higher in Scranton, PA, 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: $1,269 in Scranton, PA versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Scranton, PA 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 6% higher in Scranton, PA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,109 in Scranton, PA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Scranton, PA. 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, Scranton, PA 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 27% less than in Scranton, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.