Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $635 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
Learn more

Cahul Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $635 in Cahul.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Cahul $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $927 in Cahul.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Cahul $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,219 in Cahul.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Cahul $1,219

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 161% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Cahul is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$8.54 MDL 152

123.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$23.42 MDL 416

180.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.36 MDL 184

27.41%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.67 MDL 29.62

130.54%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.10 MDL 19.60

80.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.58 MDL 10.39

175.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.97 MDL 35.05

99.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.80 MDL 32.05

156.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.21 MDL 21.41

23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.46 MDL 8.13

450.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.55 MDL 27.58

3.87%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.15 MDL 38.13

32.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.65 MDL 118

54.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.69 MDL 83.3

113.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.09 MDL 108

118.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.00 MDL 17.74

188.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.26 MDL 40.16

-2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.89 MDL 33.62

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.28 MDL 40.46

-13.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.77 MDL 13.69

57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.48 MDL 8.51

162.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.46 MDL 8.18

271.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.55 MDL 9.76

212.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.31 MDL 58.8

29.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.54 MDL 80.7

25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.41 MDL 25.07

53.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.94 MDL 34.54

42.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.27 MDL 4.78

177.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.87 MDL 51.0

-45.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.26 MDL 4.62

296.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.69 MDL 101

38.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.57 MDL 27.84

-9.55%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$33.4K MDL 593.4K

-16.35%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$23.8K MDL 422.6K

46.95%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$225 MDL 3,990

-13.11%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$8.06 MDL 143

212.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$11.01 MDL 196

186.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.74 MDL 137

33.59%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$111 MDL 1,978

316.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,302 MDL 94.2K

65.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$44.70 MDL 794

168.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$55.5 MDL 985

105.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$51.1 MDL 908

172.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$500 MDL 8,884

87.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

615.63%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Cahul

$162 25.6% 42.7% $121

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Cahul

$140 22% 50.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Cahul

$244 38.4% 3.2% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Cahul

$68 * 10.7% 67.7% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 78.4% $56

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cahul

$5.3 * 0.8% 85.8% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Buenos Aires pays 87% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $23.00 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $162 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

39,500

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Cahul 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cahul differ by about 161% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $635 including rent). Cahul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $111 in Cahul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cahul – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $635 in Cahul versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Cahul are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cahul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.