Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Barlad

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
Learn more

Barlad Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,646 per month in Buenos Aires vs $975 in Barlad, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Barlad $975

A couple spends around $2,680 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,521 in Barlad, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Barlad $1,521

A family of three spends $3,714 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,066 in Barlad, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Barlad $2,066

Buenos Aires costs about 69% more than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 21% above the global median, while Barlad is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$8.96 RON 42.41

98.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$41.38 RON 196

57.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$7.20 RON 34.06

82.22%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.41 RON 11.40

60.17%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.85 RON 8.75

11.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.54 RON 7.27

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.17 RON 10.25

88.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$2.69 RON 12.72

75.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.34 RON 6.34

12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$1.12 RON 5.31

132.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.40 RON 6.63

12.14%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$3.39 RON 16.02

-19.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$7.51 RON 35.53

44.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$5.22 RON 24.69

92.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$10.04 RON 47.49

31.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$1.04 RON 4.92

169.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.63 RON 7.73

28.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.38 RON 6.54

5.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$1.76 RON 8.31

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.79 RON 3.75

51.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.77 RON 3.65

55.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$0.84 RON 3.99

101.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.89 RON 4.20

101.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$6.64 RON 31.41

-39.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$5.58 RON 26.38

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.20 RON 5.68

76.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$1.62 RON 7.67

71.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.51 RON 2.40

35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$19.88 RON 94.0

40.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$0.72 RON 3.42

126.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.73 RON 3.46

32.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$6.99 RON 33.08

12.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.75 RON 8.30

-18.86%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$26.5K RON 125.3K

-11.91%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$25.1K RON 118.7K

27.35%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$158 RON 748

26.18%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$8.87 RON 41.95

163.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$8.36 RON 39.58

276.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$34.02 RON 161

46.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$18.05 RON 85.4

-7.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$6.61 RON 31.28

63.39%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$465 RON 2,202

-0.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$7,715 RON 36.5K

13.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$62.0 RON 293

93.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$34.81 RON 165

171.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$72.7 RON 344

59.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$86.2 RON 408

59.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$407 RON 1,927

84.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$269 RON 1,271

91.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$651 RON 3,081

140.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$505 RON 2,387

137.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,755 RON 8,305

49.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,263 RON 5,976

48.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

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 19, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 47.8% $246

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 33.2% $94

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 44.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Barlad

$175 18% 31% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 45.4% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 33.8% $24

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 29.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $750 in Buenos Aires versus $407 in Barlad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Buenos Aires versus $41.00 in Barlad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $190 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

77,518

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Barlad 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires, $975 in Barlad – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,468 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,462 in Barlad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 40% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $462 per month in Buenos Aires and $465 in Barlad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Buenos Aires at $1,646. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Buenos Aires has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,646 in Buenos Aires. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Barlad. 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.