Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Calarasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Calarasi: $358 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Calarasi
Learn more

Calarasi Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Calarasi

🇲🇩 Moldova

$358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $358 in Calarasi.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Calarasi $358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $585 in Calarasi.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Calarasi $585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $811 in Calarasi.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Calarasi $811

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 363% more expensive than in Calarasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Calarasi is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.15 MDL 198

71.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$22.51 MDL 400

192.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.93 MDL 123

90.48%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.42 MDL 25.19

171.13%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.75 MDL 13.24

165.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.47 MDL 8.31

240.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.09 MDL 19.42

260.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.42 MDL 25.22

224.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.99 MDL 17.59

51.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.36 MDL 6.31

602.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.93 MDL 34.20

47.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.94 MDL 34.42

13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.63 MDL 11.18

92.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.52 MDL 9.20

230.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.10 MDL 19.54

42.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.68 MDL 29.75

-15.48%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$20.5K MDL 364.8K

70.24%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$58.4 MDL 1,038

234.02%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$6.57 MDL 117

282.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$10.12 MDL 180

211.66%

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

$3.41 MDL 60.5

203.23%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$33.26 MDL 591

260.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$32.87 MDL 584

190.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$108 MDL 1,922

5.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$33.44 MDL 594

316.57%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calarasi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Calarasi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Calarasi

$41 * 11.4% 85.6% $242

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Calarasi

$140 39.2% 50.2% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Calarasi

$75 21% 70.2% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Calarasi

$94 26.2% 55.7% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Calarasi

$6.8 * 1.9% 90.5% $65

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Calarasi

$1.1 * 0.3% 97% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $23.00 in Calarasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $41.00 per month, with Calarasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇩 Calarasi

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

16,100

💱 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 Calarasi 12,530 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Calarasi

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 Calarasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Calarasi differ by about 363% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $358 including rent). Calarasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $536 in Calarasi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Calarasi – 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.

All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $358 in Calarasi – a 363% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $358 in Calarasi versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Calarasi but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Calarasi 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 Calarasi 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 Calarasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 363% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.