Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shymkent and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $809 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$809

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $809 in Shymkent versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Shymkent $809
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,366 in Shymkent versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Shymkent $1,366
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,924 in Shymkent versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Shymkent $1,924
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Shymkent costs roughly 52% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shymkent is 40% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 ₸4,979

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-40.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.96 ₸15.3K

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-47.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ₸2,915

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-49.69%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ₸1,125

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-37.19%

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

$1.08 ₸486

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-47.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₸227

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₸478

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-72.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₸583

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-71.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ₸654

$1.44 ARS 2,180

0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₸198

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-82.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 ₸787

$1.63 ARS 2,466

7.36%

Eggs

$1.65 ₸743

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-42.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 ₸4,535

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 ₸2,300

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-48.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 ₸3,787

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-38.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 ₸537

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-56.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ₸978

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-0.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₸1,101

$1.45 ARS 2,204

68.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 ₸608

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-32.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ₸229

$1.24 ARS 1,884

-58.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₸181

$1.27 ARS 1,920

-68.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₸416

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-45.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₸355

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-54.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₸1,091

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-42.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 ₸1,981

$5.80 ARS 8,787

-24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ₸479

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-49.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₸682

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-45.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ₸68.0

$0.75 ARS 1,131

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₸375

$1.62 ARS 2,450

-48.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ₸163

$0.98 ARS 1,480

-63.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.79 ₸4,408

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

26.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ₸271

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-55.88%

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

$27.8K ₸12.5M

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-0.82%

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

$29.1K ₸13.1M

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-15.86%

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

$47.16 ₸21.2K

$216 ARS 326.8K

-78.12%

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

$9.06 ₸4,078

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-64.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.10 ₸6,799

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

-51.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 ₸17.5K

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-22.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.55 ₸3,849

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-49.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 ₸2,533

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-46.02%

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

$56.9 ₸25.6K

$466 ARS 706.5K

-87.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.94 ₸16.2K

$122 ARS 185.1K

-70.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.11 ₸14.9K

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-66.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 ₸81.6K

$117 ARS 177.3K

54.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 ₸23.1K

$140 ARS 211.8K

-63.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₸149.8K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ₸88.8K

$505 ARS 765.8K

-60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₸311.9K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-56.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 ₸250.3K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-53.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,109 ₸499.1K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-58.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$975 ₸439.0K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-47.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₸196.9K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-54.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

57.25

-68.12%

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

Last update for Shymkent: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shymkent

$197 24.9%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 156% $308

Groceries & Markets

Shymkent

$182 23%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 56.3% $102

Eating Out

Shymkent

$152 19.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 83.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Shymkent

$136 17.2%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 57.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shymkent

$71 9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 282% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Shymkent

$50 6.3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 41.2% $21

Getting Around

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 1027% $33

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 $333 in Shymkent and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 118% 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: $34.00 in Shymkent vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $284 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

04:31 4:31 AM

9 h behind Shymkent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,222,055

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 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).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shymkent Buenos Aires 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Shymkent
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

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

Shymkent and Buenos Aires differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($809 vs $1,685 including rent). Shymkent is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 118% 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: $333 in Shymkent versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $56.9 in Shymkent versus $466 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 Shymkent – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $809 in Shymkent versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent 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, Shymkent 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 Shymkent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.