✦ Compare
Buenos Aires vs
Chicago
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Buenos Aires, AR vs Chicago, IL at a glance — Chicago, IL is 93% more expensive than Buenos Aires, AR overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,900/mo versus $500/mo. Top income tax: 37% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Chicago, IL, you'd need
$144,826 / year
Chicago, IL is 93% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Chicago, IL vs Buenos Aires, AR)
- Housing+152%
- Food & groceries+73%
- Transport+153%
- Utilities+29%
- Healthcare+78%
- Goods & services+63%
Median 1-bed rent
$500 /mo
Buenos Aires, AR overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,900 /mo
Chicago, IL overview →
◎ How Buenos Aires, AR and Chicago, IL compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Buenos Aires, AR | Chicago, IL | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 53 | 103 |
| Housing | 46 | 116 |
| Food | 55 | 95 |
| Transport | 40 | 101 |
| Utilities | 70 | 90 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 98 |
| Goods & services | 60 | 98 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $500/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $350/mo | $1,450/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,000/mo | $3,600/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $2,500 | $5,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,880 | $973 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $15 | $105 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 21% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | — | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 35% | 21% |
| Capital gains | — | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $500/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | — | $1,257/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $14,898✓ | $90,027✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Low | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 45 | 90 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 | UTC-6 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 58 | 66 |
| Safety index | 42 | 48 |
| Healthcare index | 68 | 80 |
| Pollution index | 50 | 45 |
| Internet speed | 60 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 78 |
| Public transport | 72 | 78 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 60 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $60/mo | $450/mo |
| Life expectancy | 78 yr✓ | 79 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +25 °C | -4 °C |
| July avg | +11 °C | +24 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 180 | 189 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,150 mm | 950 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 3 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Argentina vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Buenos Aires vs Chicago — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Buenos Aires
European elegance at bargain prices — steak, tango and café culture, shadowed by chronic inflation.
- Currency
- Argentine peso ($ ARS)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-3
- Internet
- 60 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 42/100
- Climate
- ❄ 25°C · ☀ 11°C · 180 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- C/I · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Palermo · Recoleta · San Telmo
Good to know before you move to Chicago
Big-city amenities and architecture at Midwest prices — the winters, though, are famously brutal.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ -4°C · ☀ 24°C · 189 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Loop · Wicker Park · Lincoln Park
Plan your move to Buenos Aires
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
Plan your move to Chicago
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Buenos Aires to Chicago: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Buenos Aires to Chicago, your cost of living will be roughly 93% more expensive. Chicago’s cost-of-living index is 103 versus 53 for Buenos Aires (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Buenos Aires cheaper than Chicago?
Chicago is about 93% more expensive than Buenos Aires overall — its cost-of-living index is 103 versus 53 for Buenos Aires.
Which is more expensive, Buenos Aires or Chicago?
Chicago is more expensive than Buenos Aires. Its cost-of-living index is 103 vs 53 (US = 100) — about 94% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Buenos Aires or Chicago?
Rent is cheaper in Buenos Aires — about $500/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,900 in Chicago.
How much do you need to earn in Chicago to live like in Buenos Aires?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Buenos Aires is worth about $144,826 in Chicago. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Buenos Aires or Chicago?
Argentina has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 37% in United States.
◷ More comparisons from Buenos Aires
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.