Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, NC and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,773 in Wilmington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, NC
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Wilmington, NC Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Wilmington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,773

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,773 in Wilmington, NC versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Wilmington, NC $2,773
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,103 in Wilmington, NC versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Wilmington, NC $4,103
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,433 in Wilmington, NC versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Wilmington, NC $5,433
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Wilmington, NC is roughly 65% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wilmington, NC 107% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-19.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 $78.9

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

22.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 $11.20

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-13.04%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$3.98 ARS 6,029

39.95%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$2.05 ARS 3,103

26.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.55 ARS 2,349

59.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.84 ARS 5,830

26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$4.60 ARS 6,970

52.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-31.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.46 ARS 3,738

63.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.63 ARS 2,467

269.33%

Eggs

$5.11 $5.11

$2.89 ARS 4,385

76.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 $11.52

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

8.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.78 $14.78

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

47.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.91 $24.91

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

81.30%

Apples (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.75 ARS 4,166

138.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-17.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.45 ARS 2,205

379.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.15 $6.15

$1.99 ARS 3,013

209.05%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.24 ARS 1,885

229.03%

Onion (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$1.27 ARS 1,921

379.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.70 ARS 2,575

35.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.73 ARS 2,617

81.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.18 ARS 6,337

93.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.60 $14.60

$5.80 ARS 8,790

151.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-2.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.77 ARS 4,198

114.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.75 ARS 1,132

241.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 $80.4

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

196.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 $7.04

$1.62 ARS 2,451

334.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.98 ARS 1,481

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-26.47%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

29.00%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-26.14%

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

$283 $283

$216 ARS 326.9K

31.30%

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

$56.3 $56.3

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

119.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

137.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 $68.3

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

37.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.89 $3.89

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-77.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

41.80%

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

$1,295 $1,295

$466 ARS 706.7K

177.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$122 ARS 185.2K

-42.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.04 $42.04

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-56.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$117 ARS 177.4K

-13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.0 $71.0

$140 ARS 211.9K

-49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$763 ARS 1.2M

103.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 $1,255

$505 ARS 766.1K

148.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,303 $2,303

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

44.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 $2,056

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

73.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,811 $2,811

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

4.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,688 $2,688

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

44.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,942 $3,942

$954 ARS 1.4M

313.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

57.25

-88.52%

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

Last update for Wilmington, NC: 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

Wilmington, NC

$1.3K 45.1%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 59.8% $750

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, NC

$503 18.1%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 43.5% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, NC

$414 14.9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 34.2% $141

Eating Out

Wilmington, NC

$280 10.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 0.4% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, NC

$128 4.6%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 67.6% $86

Getting Around

Wilmington, NC

$107 3.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 65.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, NC

$98 3.5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 27.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Wilmington, NC and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilmington, NC pays 313% 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: $79.0 in Wilmington, NC vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $503 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, NC

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h ahead of Wilmington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

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Wilmington, NC Buenos Aires 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, NC
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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

Wilmington, NC vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wilmington, NC and Buenos Aires differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($2,773 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 313% higher in Wilmington, NC, 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: $1,553 in Wilmington, NC versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,295 in Wilmington, NC 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 77% higher in Wilmington, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,773 in Wilmington, NC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Wilmington, NC. 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, Wilmington, NC 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 65% less than in Wilmington, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.