Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Toronto $2,530
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Toronto $3,646
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Toronto $4,761
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Toronto is roughly 50% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-5.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

20.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-18.71%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$3.98 ARS 6,027

2.51%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$2.05 ARS 3,102

3.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.55 ARS 2,348

13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$3.84 ARS 5,828

60.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

$4.60 ARS 6,968

49.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.44 ARS 2,180

68.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$2.46 ARS 3,737

11.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.63 ARS 2,466

36.81%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$2.89 ARS 4,384

19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-16.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

14.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$2.75 ARS 4,165

36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-47.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$1.45 ARS 2,204

144.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$1.99 ARS 3,012

115.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$1.24 ARS 1,884

49.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$1.27 ARS 1,920

31.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.70 ARS 2,574

30.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-30.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$4.18 ARS 6,335

232.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

$5.80 ARS 8,787

145.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$2.09 ARS 3,162

5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-12.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$0.75 ARS 1,131

222.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

307.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$1.62 ARS 2,450

79.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$0.98 ARS 1,480

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

185.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-10.29%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-1.36%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-42.60%

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

$122 CA$173

$216 ARS 326.8K

-43.46%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

25.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

52.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

36.23%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

20.90%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$466 ARS 706.5K

78.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

157.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$122 ARS 185.1K

-56.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-58.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$117 ARS 177.3K

-17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$140 ARS 211.8K

-12.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$763 ARS 1.2M

109.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$505 ARS 765.8K

184.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

66.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

76.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

199.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

252.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$954 ARS 1.4M

292.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

57.25

-92.19%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 64.8% $930

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 16.5% $56

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 1% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 35% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 52.6% $74

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 71.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 10.2% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 292% 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 Toronto vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h ahead of Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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 CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Buenos Aires 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Toronto and Buenos Aires differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($2,530 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 292% higher in Toronto, 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: $1,598 in Toronto versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $834 in Toronto 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 20% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Toronto. 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, Toronto 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 50% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.