Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Union, SC and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,296 in Union, SC, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Union, SC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Union, SC
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Union, SC Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Union, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,296

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,296 in Union, SC versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Union, SC $2,296
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,597 in Union, SC versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Union, SC $3,597
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,897 in Union, SC versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Union, SC $4,897
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Union, SC is roughly 40% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Union, SC 69% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 $9.15

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-48.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

51.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 $8.51

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-35.14%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$3.86 ARS 5,863

54.92%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$2.06 ARS 3,133

13.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.68 ARS 2,542

15.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 $2.80

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-27.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.60 ARS 3,950

25.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.57 ARS 2,380

56.05%

Eggs

$3.30 $3.30

$2.73 ARS 4,144

20.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

-17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

32.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.80 ARS 4,255

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-37.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.45 ARS 2,194

123.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.00 ARS 3,040

122.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.20 ARS 1,826

97.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.20 ARS 1,821

76.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.69 ARS 2,569

3.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-27.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 $8.35

$4.00 ARS 6,074

108.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$5.53 ARS 8,388

58.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.78 ARS 4,212

85.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.69 ARS 1,049

202.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.63 ARS 2,471

183.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.97 ARS 1,478

211.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.96 $34.96

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

343.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.42 ARS 2,156

-35.92%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

19.86%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-20.98%

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

$177 $177

$199 ARS 302.7K

-11.23%

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

$64.9 $64.9

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

177.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.72 $45.72

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

45.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.73 $41.73

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-16.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

21.94%

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

$2,585 $2,585

$462 ARS 701.7K

458.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

161.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.21 $47.21

$120 ARS 181.6K

-60.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.96 $20.96

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-77.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$116 ARS 176.4K

-26.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.0 $99.0

$137 ARS 208.6K

-27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,390 $1,390

$750 ARS 1.1M

85.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 $1,259

$514 ARS 780.5K

144.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 $2,203

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

40.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,419 $2,419

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

102.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,700 $2,700

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

2.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

13.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,496 $2,496

$924 ARS 1.4M

170.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-93.01%

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

Last update for Union, SC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Union, SC

$1.3K 54.8%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 59.1% $744

Groceries & Markets

Union, SC

$332 14.4%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 14.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Union, SC

$288 12.5%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 11.6% $33

Eating Out

Union, SC

$208 9.1%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 31.1% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Union, SC

$114 5%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 85.2% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Union, SC

$68 3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 4.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Union, SC

$28 * 1.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 32.4% $9.1

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 $1,390 in Union, SC and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union, SC pays 170% 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: $99.0 in Union, SC vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $285 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Union, SC

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

1 h ahead of Union, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Union, SC Buenos Aires 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Union, SC
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

Union, SC vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Union, SC and Buenos Aires differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,296 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 170% higher in Union, SC, 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: $1,390 in Union, SC versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,585 in Union, SC versus $462 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 Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $99.0 in Union, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,296 in Union, SC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Union, SC. 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, Union, SC 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 40% less than in Union, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.