Cost of Living · AR vs ES
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $913 in Argentina vs $1,382 in Spain — 51.42% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 14.49%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 14.58%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 14.6%
Closest to Argentina prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +61.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +61.16%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +61.16%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Argentina | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $578 | $931 (860 EUR) | +61.16% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $462 | $745 (688 EUR) | +61.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,056 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | +61.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $7.53 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | +45.55% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $31.39 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | +45.49% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.98 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | +40.76% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.58 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | +32.76% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.70 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | +31.18% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.80 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | +31.67% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.31 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | +31.26% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.12 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | +31.6% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.55 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | +31.37% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.37 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | +31.4% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.06 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | +31.13% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.51 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | +45.42% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.83 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | +14.58% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.09 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | +45.45% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.22 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | +31.15% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $29.45 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | +40.61% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.25 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | +40% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.67 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | +46.11% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.75 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | +46.67% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.69 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | +14.49% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $90.60 | $127 (118 EUR) | +40.62% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $31.71 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | +40.62% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $20.39 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | +40.61% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $20.93 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | +45.48% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.86 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | +45.39% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $12.56 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | +45.46% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $40.07 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | +14.6% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $65.57 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | +14.6% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $105 | $152 (141 EUR) | +45.49% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Spain than Argentina?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $913 in Argentina — 51.42% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $2.51 in Argentina.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to Argentina?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $578/month in Argentina (+61.16%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.