Cost of Living · ES vs AR
🇪🇸 Barcelona vs 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,382 in Spain vs $913 in Argentina — 33.96% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Argentina
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -37.95%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -37.95%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -37.95%
Closest to Spain prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -12.66%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -12.72%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -12.74%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Spain | Argentina | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $931 | $578 (716,629 ARS) | -37.95% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $745 | $462 (573,310 ARS) | -37.95% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,702 | $1,056 (1,310,413 ARS) | -37.95% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.96 | $7.53 (9,344 ARS) | -31.3% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.67 | $31.39 (38,950 ARS) | -31.27% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.01 | $4.98 (6,179 ARS) | -28.96% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.58 (720 ARS) | -24.68% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.23 | $1.70 (2,109 ARS) | -23.77% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.37 | $1.80 (2,234 ARS) | -24.05% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.97 | $5.31 (6,589 ARS) | -23.82% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.79 | $2.12 (2,631 ARS) | -24.01% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.35 | $2.55 (3,164 ARS) | -23.88% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.37 | $6.37 (7,904 ARS) | -23.89% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.39 | $1.06 (1,315 ARS) | -23.74% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.65 | $2.51 (3,115 ARS) | -31.23% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.68 | $5.83 (7,234 ARS) | -12.72% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.04 | $2.09 (2,593 ARS) | -31.25% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.60 | $1.22 (1,514 ARS) | -23.75% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.41 | $29.45 (36,543 ARS) | -28.88% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.75 | $1.25 (1,551 ARS) | -28.57% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.44 | $1.67 (2,072 ARS) | -31.56% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $0.75 (931 ARS) | -31.82% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.69 (856 ARS) | -12.66% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $127 | $90.60 (112,421 ARS) | -28.89% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.59 | $31.71 (39,347 ARS) | -28.89% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.67 | $20.39 (25,301 ARS) | -28.88% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.45 | $20.93 (25,971 ARS) | -31.26% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.52 | $5.86 (7,271 ARS) | -31.22% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.27 | $12.56 (15,585 ARS) | -31.25% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $45.92 | $40.07 (49,721 ARS) | -12.74% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.14 | $65.57 (81,363 ARS) | -12.74% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $152 | $105 (129,830 ARS) | -31.27% |
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 cheaper is Argentina than Spain?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $913 in Argentina versus $1,382 in Spain — 33.96% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Argentina?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.51 in Argentina (≈ 3114.54 ARS), versus about $3.65 in Spain.
- How much is rent in Argentina compared to Spain?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $578/month in Argentina versus $931/month in Spain (-37.95%). 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.