Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Bacau

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $913 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bacau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $913 in Bacau, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Bacau $913

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,548 in Bacau, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Bacau $1,548

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,182 in Bacau, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Bacau $2,182

Buenos Aires costs about 81% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Buenos Aires sits 23% above the global median, while Bacau is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$14.05 RON 66.5

35.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$85.1 RON 402

-22.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.39 RON 34.96

78.62%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.98 RON 9.37

94.44%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.94 RON 9.16

2.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.90 RON 8.97

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.48 RON 11.75

58.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.16 RON 14.96

45.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.22 RON 5.76

22.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.65 RON 3.09

289.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.64 RON 7.74

-1.83%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$3.39 RON 16.03

-16.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.79 RON 36.87

32.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.43 RON 25.67

84.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$8.42 RON 39.86

57.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.14 RON 5.41

152.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.49 RON 7.06

47.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.55 RON 7.32

-9.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.74 RON 8.24

13.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.72 RON 3.43

68.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.65 RON 3.07

93.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.76 RON 3.59

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.68 RON 3.23

152.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.47 RON 25.87

-21.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$5.08 RON 24.02

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.94 RON 4.46

130.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.22 RON 5.78

126.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.74 RON 3.51

1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$29.14 RON 138

-6.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.62 RON 2.92

153.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.67 RON 3.17

53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.08 RON 33.51

11.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.80 RON 8.50

-21.11%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$28.9K RON 136.6K

-3.20%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.9K RON 117.9K

40.39%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$106 RON 502

83.89%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$7.51 RON 35.53

235.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$4.83 RON 22.86

553.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$25.72 RON 122

97.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$15.83 RON 74.9

5.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.44 RON 30.45

60.56%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$591 RON 2,794

-21.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$4,858 RON 23.0K

80.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$82.9 RON 392

44.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$31.49 RON 149

203.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$59.6 RON 282

91.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$83.6 RON 395

66.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$400 RON 1,891

89.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$235 RON 1,113

120.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$546 RON 2,584

191.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$399 RON 1,889

200.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,818 RON 8,604

49.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,199 RON 5,673

58.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$933 RON 4,415

0.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.97

721.38%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bacau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Bacau

$235 25.8% 54.7% $285

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Bacau

$176 19.3% 37.8% $107

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Bacau

$192 21.1% 31.7% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Bacau

$118 13% 53% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Bacau

$116 12.7% 45.1% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Bacau

$39 4.2% 46.1% $33

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Bacau

$36 4% 2.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $400 in Bacau. 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 1% 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 $85.0 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $283 in Buenos Aires vs $176 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

01:26 1:26 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

144,307

💱 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 Bacau 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Bacau

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 Bacau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,369 in Bacau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacau, 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 $85.0 in Bacau. 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 $913 in Bacau. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacau, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Bacau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bacau. 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.