Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ushuaia and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $956 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
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Ushuaia Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$956

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ushuaia and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ushuaia and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $956 per month in Ushuaia vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ushuaia $956
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,570 per month in Ushuaia vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ushuaia $1,570
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,184 per month in Ushuaia vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ushuaia $2,184
Cape Town $3,306

Ushuaia is about 37% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Ushuaia sits 29% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.70 ARS 16.5K

$12.01 R 198

-10.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.29 ARS 53.0K

$42.92 R 707

-20.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 ARS 14.1K

$6.15 R 101

48.29%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ARS 4,225

$2.37 R 39.04

15.61%

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

$1.65 ARS 2,547

$1.27 R 20.96

29.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ARS 2,278

$0.94 R 15.46

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ARS 3,166

$2.96 R 48.77

-30.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ARS 4,613

$3.69 R 60.8

-18.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ARS 1,941

$1.32 R 21.73

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ARS 2,439

$1.21 R 19.87

30.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 ARS 3,043

$2.20 R 36.26

-10.45%

Eggs

$2.26 ARS 3,492

$3.10 R 51.1

-27.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 ARS 15.4K

$8.73 R 144

13.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 ARS 9,533

$6.89 R 114

-10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.49 ARS 14.7K

$9.26 R 153

2.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 3,001

$1.83 R 30.08

6.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 ARS 3,263

$1.95 R 32.12

8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,953

$1.66 R 27.32

-24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 ARS 3,928

$2.14 R 35.19

18.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 ARS 1,744

$1.58 R 26.01

-28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,916

$1.47 R 24.29

-15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ARS 2,011

$1.35 R 22.18

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ARS 2,276

$1.14 R 18.85

28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 ARS 4,795

$3.58 R 59.0

-13.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.13 ARS 7,926

$6.05 R 99.7

-15.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 3,045

$1.39 R 22.95

41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ARS 4,770

$2.18 R 35.90

41.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ARS 1,265

$1.40 R 23.02

-41.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ARS 2,289

$0.93 R 15.26

59.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ARS 1,310

$0.90 R 14.83

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 ARS 9,046

$4.96 R 81.7

18.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,692

$1.54 R 25.37

-28.57%

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

$27.2K ARS 42.0M

$35.4K R 582.8K

-23.06%

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

$30.9K ARS 47.7M

$33.4K R 549.9K

-7.39%

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

$66.6 ARS 102.8K

$117 R 1,929

-43.12%

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

$17.47 ARS 27.0K

$25.71 R 424

-32.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.32 ARS 34.5K

$39.41 R 649

-43.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.69 ARS 39.7K

$51.6 R 850

-50.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.83 ARS 21.4K

$11.35 R 187

21.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ARS 9,537

$8.89 R 146

-30.60%

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

$219 ARS 338.8K

$308 R 5,069

-28.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,683 ARS 4.1M

$8,141 R 134.2K

-67.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 ARS 112.1K

$57.4 R 946

26.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.5 ARS 105.8K

$31.75 R 523

115.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 175.7K

$116 R 1,911

-1.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ARS 172.7K

$101 R 1,660

11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 ARS 519.7K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-67.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ARS 361.1K

$669 R 11.0K

-65.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 ARS 1.1M

$1,861 R 30.7K

-63.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ARS 825.8K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-62.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,909 ARS 2.9M

$2,410 R 39.7K

-20.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,297 ARS 2.0M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-17.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

10.89

437.19%

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

Last update for Ushuaia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ushuaia

$234 24.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 186% $435

Groceries & Markets

Ushuaia

$230 24%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 2.8% $6.5

Eating Out

Ushuaia

$174 18.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ushuaia

$165 17.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 16.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ushuaia

$106 11.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 71.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Ushuaia

$38 4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 82.4% $31

Getting Around

Ushuaia

$9 * 0.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 697% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Ushuaia versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Ushuaia versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $230 in Ushuaia vs $223 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:52 5:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

5 h ahead of Ushuaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,538

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ushuaia Cape Town 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ushuaia
Cape Town

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

Ushuaia vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 60% more than Ushuaia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,435 per month in Ushuaia and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ushuaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $956 in Ushuaia and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Ushuaia about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $219 per month in Ushuaia and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ushuaia, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Ushuaia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ushuaia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.