Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,251 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,251 in Iasi.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Iasi $1,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,834 in Iasi.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Iasi $1,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,417 in Iasi.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Iasi $2,417

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 35% more expensive than in Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Iasi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$10.54 RON 50.2

77.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$41.58 RON 198

55.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$6.96 RON 33.17

85.06%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$2.95 RON 14.07

34.92%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$2.29 RON 10.89

-10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$1.78 RON 8.46

-12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$3.06 RON 14.58

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$3.69 RON 17.59

24.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.50 RON 7.14

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$1.33 RON 6.34

84.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.98 RON 9.44

-17.68%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$3.35 RON 15.95

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$8.21 RON 39.11

29.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.61 RON 31.52

51.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.76 RON 46.50

40.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$1.37 RON 6.53

100.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.62 RON 7.74

34.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$1.66 RON 7.92

-12.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$2.16 RON 10.28

-7.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$0.84 RON 4.02

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$0.83 RON 3.95

53.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.11 RON 5.30

53.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.94 RON 4.46

84.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$6.26 RON 29.82

-33.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$6.87 RON 32.76

-15.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.31 RON 6.22

59.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$2.06 RON 9.84

34.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$0.86 RON 4.08

-12.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$27.82 RON 133

-2.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$0.86 RON 4.12

88.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$0.85 RON 4.05

15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$8.30 RON 39.57

-6.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.90 RON 9.08

-28.42%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$28.5K RON 135.7K

-1.62%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$27.3K RON 130.2K

26.42%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$183 RON 870

18.11%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$7.40 RON 35.28

246.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$8.66 RON 41.28

262.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$44.73 RON 213

11.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$15.73 RON 75.0

8.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$8.15 RON 38.86

27.98%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$412 RON 1,962

13.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$6,959 RON 33.2K

30.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$73.9 RON 352

65.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$39.35 RON 188

147.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$95.1 RON 453

23.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$92.0 RON 438

51.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$539 RON 2,567

41.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$427 RON 2,036

18.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$874 RON 4,163

82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$668 RON 3,185

77.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,932 RON 14.0K

-8.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,910 RON 9,103

-2.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,117 RON 5,324

-14.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

7.18

697.35%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Iasi

$427 34.1% 15.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Iasi

$215 17.2% 24.4% $69

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Iasi

$180 14.3% 35.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Iasi

$199 15.9% 27.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Iasi

$135 10.8% 36.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 13.6% $9.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 0.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $539 in Iasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iasi pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $42.00 in Iasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $215 per month, with Iasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

290,422

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Iasi 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Iasi

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 Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Iasi differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,251 including rent). Iasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Iasi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $539 in Iasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $412 in Iasi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,251 in Iasi versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iasi but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Iasi 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 Iasi 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 Iasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.