Buenos Aires at a glance
- Buenos Aires is the most expensive of Argentina's 9 priced cities: $1,325 a month in essentials, 100% above Rosario at $664.
- The average net salary of $842 covers that 0.6×.
- 96.7 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at department level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.9 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 9 Argentina cities we track, so every row says whether Buenos Aires is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,325 | $900 | 1.47× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $511 | $318 | 1.61× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $736 | $460 | 1.60× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $158 | $144 | $14 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $390 | $284 | 1.37× as much |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $238 | $109 | 2.18× as much |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $28 | $37 | 1.32× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $842 | $717 | $126 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,204 | $666 | 1.81× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,572 | $810 | 1.94× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Buenos Aires, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $19.02 | $13.54 | 1.40× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $70.00 | $50.00 | 1.40× as much |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $13.25 | $10.00 | 1.32× as much |
| Cappuccino, regular | $4.06 | $3.17 | 1.28× as much |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $4.00 | $3.50 | $0.50 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $5.00 | $3.25 | 1.54× as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.08 | $1.73 | $0.35 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $1.75 | $1.60 | $0.15 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.45 | $1.36 | $0.09 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $2.68 | $1.82 | 1.47× as much |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.57 | $1.98 | 1.26× as much |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.90 | $2.50 | $0.40 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $10.46 | $8.77 | $1.69 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $9.40 | $6.60 | 1.42× as much |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.73 | $2.33 | $0.40 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.08 | $2.00 | $0.08 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.02 | $2.05 | $0.03 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.06 | $0.97 | $0.09 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.06 | $1.03 | $0.03 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.68 | $1.68 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.71 | $1.00 | 1.41× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $27.50 | $23.75 | $3.75 |
| Taxi start | $1.66 | $1.61 | $0.05 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.00 | $1.00 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.31 | $1.15 | $0.17 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $209.13 | $98.08 | 2.13× as much |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $29.12 | $23.56 | $5.56 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $22.05 | $16.67 | 1.32× as much |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $51.55 | $29.33 | 1.76× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $11.13 | $7.79 | 1.43× as much |
Dating-age sex ratio
Buenos Aires has 96.7 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (department level). That is the 4th-highest of 9 Argentina cities we track. Argentina's national figure is 103.8, so Buenos Aires runs 7 below the country as a whole.
Every Argentina region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Buenos Aires ranks against every city we track
Buenos Aires sits ahead of 76% of the 898 cities we track on clean air. On women aged 20–39 it is ahead of 71% of 892. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 9% of 562.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Buenos Aires sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Need the full Argentina model?
Open the gated deep-dive for city shortlist, cost detail, weather, visa, tax, dating-market signals, and subregion rankings.
Unlock Argentina deep-dive
Photo: Deensel, CC BY 2.0.
