Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Tema versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Tema $738
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Tema versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Tema $1,173
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,608 in Tema versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Tema $1,608
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Tema costs roughly 56% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tema is 45% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 GHS 82.4

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-62.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.88 GHS 327

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-56.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

Cappuccino

$5.05 GHS 59.2

$3.98 ARS 6,027

26.88%

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

$0.90 GHS 10.56

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 GHS 3.55

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 GHS 38.60

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-14.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 GHS 30.61

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-43.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 GHS 37.11

$1.44 ARS 2,180

119.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 GHS 18.81

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-34.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 GHS 24.29

$1.63 ARS 2,466

26.99%

Eggs

$2.30 GHS 27.02

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-20.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 GHS 51.4

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-58.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 GHS 37.14

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-68.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.38 GHS 39.66

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-75.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 GHS 30.66

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-5.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 GHS 25.02

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-2.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 GHS 25.97

$1.45 ARS 2,204

52.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 GHS 40.95

$1.99 ARS 3,012

75.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 GHS 39.91

$1.24 ARS 1,884

174.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 33.06

$1.27 ARS 1,920

122.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 GHS 5.25

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-73.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 GHS 7.84

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-61.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 GHS 14.83

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-69.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 GHS 100

$5.80 ARS 8,787

47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 GHS 24.59

$2.09 ARS 3,162

0.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 GHS 34.74

$2.77 ARS 4,197

6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 GHS 19.70

$0.75 ARS 1,131

124.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 GHS 483

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

51.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 GHS 24.69

$1.62 ARS 2,450

29.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 GHS 4.82

$0.98 ARS 1,480

-58.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 GHS 13.96

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-12.50%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

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

$78.2 GHS 917

$216 ARS 326.8K

-63.73%

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

$15.22 GHS 179

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-40.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 GHS 968

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

163.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.06 GHS 282

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-51.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 GHS 103

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-15.63%

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

$174 GHS 2,046

$466 ARS 706.5K

-62.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,544 GHS 29.8K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-71.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.07 GHS 153

$122 ARS 185.1K

-89.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.40 GHS 181

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-84.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.37 GHS 497

$117 ARS 177.3K

-63.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.20 GHS 378

$140 ARS 211.8K

-76.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 GHS 1,483

$763 ARS 1.2M

-83.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 GHS 836

$505 ARS 765.8K

-85.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 4,999

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-73.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 GHS 2,451

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-82.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,909 GHS 116.2K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

269.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,903 GHS 69.2K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

217.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 GHS 4,913

$954 ARS 1.4M

-56.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-38.86%

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

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$216 28.9%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 31.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$176 23.6%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 54.9% $97

Eating Out

Tema

$143 * 19.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 94.7% $136

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$71 9.6%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 609% $434

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 29.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$46 6.2%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 362% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$42 5.6%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 69.7% $29

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 $126 in Tema and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 128% 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: $28.00 in Tema vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $284 per month, with Tema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

3 h behind Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 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 GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tema Buenos Aires 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

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

Tema and Buenos Aires differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($738 vs $1,685 including rent). Tema is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 128% 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: $126 in Tema versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $174 in Tema versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $738 in Tema versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tema but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Tema 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, Tema 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 Tema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.