Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $873 per month in Arad vs $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Arad $873
Buenos Aires $1,656

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Arad vs $2,697 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Arad $1,366
Buenos Aires $2,697

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Arad vs $3,737 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Arad $1,858
Buenos Aires $3,737

Arad is about 47% cheaper than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arad sits 35% below the global median, while Buenos Aires is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 RON 38.63

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-57.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 RON 153

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-50.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-45.83%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.45

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-31.69%

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

$1.48 RON 7.00

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-25.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.53

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.15

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-45.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 RON 11.71

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-46.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-25.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 RON 5.76

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-51.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.16

$1.61 ARS 2,445

6.83%

Eggs

$2.57 RON 12.17

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-9.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.17 RON 33.94

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-30.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 RON 23.03

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-51.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 RON 47.93

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-23.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-44.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-22.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.02

$1.40 ARS 2,120

20.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.60

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-29.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$1.21 ARS 1,835

-37.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.26 ARS 1,910

-32.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 RON 5.60

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-30.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-55.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 RON 28.14

$4.29 ARS 6,505

38.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 RON 27.10

$5.70 ARS 8,645

0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-43.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.40

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-35.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.11

$0.75 ARS 1,141

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.34 RON 139

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

7.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.71

$1.57 ARS 2,375

-49.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.03 ARS 1,558

3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 RON 49.22

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

31.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.42 ARS 2,160

29.58%

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

$27.8K RON 131.8K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-0.36%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-28.77%

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

$125 RON 590

$195 ARS 296.2K

-36.13%

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

$8.19 RON 38.74

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-67.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 RON 34.42

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-76.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.12 RON 161

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-32.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 146

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

84.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 RON 24.91

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-49.03%

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

$159 RON 752

$463 ARS 703.2K

-65.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,847 RON 18.2K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-56.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.29 RON 200

$120 ARS 181.8K

-64.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.47 RON 102

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-77.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 RON 335

$114 ARS 173.1K

-37.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 RON 343

$139 ARS 211.4K

-47.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 RON 1,571

$756 ARS 1.1M

-56.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 RON 1,052

$520 ARS 788.8K

-57.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,505

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-66.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 RON 1,951

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-65.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,420 RON 6,719

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-47.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,062 RON 5,027

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-44.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,349

$938 ARS 1.4M

-1.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

57.25

-87.16%

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

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$222 25.5%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 134% $298

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$188 21.5%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 50.8% $95

Eating Out

Arad

$146 16.8%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 92.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 16%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 79.8% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$93 10.7%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 126% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$45 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 60.4% $27

Getting Around

Arad

$39 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 5.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Arad versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Buenos Aires, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $283 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

6 h behind Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Buenos Aires 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Arad
Buenos Aires

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

Arad vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires costs about 90% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,310 per month in Arad and $2,484 in Buenos Aires. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad and $66.0 in Buenos Aires. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $873 in Arad and $1,656 in Buenos Aires. That's a gap of about 90%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Buenos Aires makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.