Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Arad

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Arad

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Arad actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Buenos Aires $1,656
Arad $873

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

Buenos Aires $2,697
Arad $1,366

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

Buenos Aires $3,737
Arad $1,858

Buenos Aires costs about 90% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$8.16 RON 38.63

133.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$32.35 RON 153

103.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.15 RON 33.83

84.62%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.63 RON 12.45

46.39%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.48 RON 7.00

34.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.59 RON 7.53

0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.14 RON 10.15

83.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.48 RON 11.71

85.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.12 RON 5.32

33.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.22 RON 5.76

107.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.72 RON 8.16

-6.40%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.57 RON 12.17

10.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.17 RON 33.94

43.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.87 RON 23.03

105.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$10.13 RON 47.93

31.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.60 RON 7.59

80.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.70 RON 8.05

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.69 RON 8.02

-17.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.40 RON 6.60

41.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.76 RON 3.59

59.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.85 RON 4.04

48.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.18 RON 5.60

44.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.77 RON 3.63

123.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.95 RON 28.14

-27.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.73 RON 27.10

-0.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.22 RON 5.78

77.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.78 RON 8.40

55.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.87 RON 4.11

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$29.34 RON 139

-7.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.79 RON 3.71

98.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.07 RON 5.06

-3.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$10.40 RON 49.22

-24.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.84 RON 8.72

-22.83%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$27.8K RON 131.8K

0.36%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.9K RON 117.8K

40.40%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$125 RON 590

56.57%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$8.19 RON 38.74

207.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$7.28 RON 34.42

333.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$34.12 RON 161

49.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$30.83 RON 146

-45.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$5.27 RON 24.91

96.20%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$159 RON 752

191.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$3,847 RON 18.2K

128.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$42.29 RON 200

183.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$21.47 RON 102

344.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$70.9 RON 335

60.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$72.6 RON 343

91.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$332 RON 1,571

127.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$222 RON 1,052

133.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$529 RON 2,505

200.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$412 RON 1,951

190.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,420 RON 6,719

91.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,062 RON 5,027

78.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$919 RON 4,349

2.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

7.35

678.91%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Arad

$222 25.5% 57.2% $298

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Arad

$188 21.5% 33.7% $95

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Arad

$146 16.8% 48.1% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Arad

$140 16% 44.4% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Arad

$93 10.7% 55.8% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Arad

$45 5.1% 37.6% $27

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Arad

$39 4.5% 5.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $332 in Arad. 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 $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

16:03 4:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

159,074

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Buenos Aires
Arad

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

Buenos Aires vs Arad: 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 $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,310 in Arad. 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 $66.0 in Buenos Aires and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,656 in Buenos Aires and $873 in Arad. 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.