Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Lugoj

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $772 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
Learn more

Lugoj Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $772 in Lugoj.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Lugoj $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,207 in Lugoj.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Lugoj $1,207

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,642 in Lugoj.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Lugoj $1,642

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 114% more expensive than in Lugoj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Lugoj is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$9.36 RON 44.29

103.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$32.83 RON 155

100.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.24 RON 24.79

151.91%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.75 RON 8.29

120.00%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.55 RON 7.32

28.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.44 RON 6.79

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.14 RON 10.14

83.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.95 RON 9.24

136.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.62 RON 7.67

-7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.90 RON 4.24

181.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$0.65 RON 3.06

147.69%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.26 RON 5.97

125.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$3.29 RON 15.57

213.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$3.94 RON 18.63

153.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$4.20 RON 19.88

216.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.07 RON 5.04

169.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.29 RON 6.09

70.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.66 RON 7.84

-15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.65 RON 3.09

204.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.62 RON 2.92

95.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.66 RON 3.12

90.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.98 RON 4.62

74.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.61 RON 2.91

181.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.68 RON 22.15

-8.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$4.16 RON 19.68

37.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.24 RON 5.86

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.70 RON 8.06

62.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.66 RON 3.10

13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$20.60 RON 97.5

32.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.81 RON 3.83

93.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.91 RON 4.29

13.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$8.57 RON 40.56

-7.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.91 RON 9.04

-25.65%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$28.1K RON 133.0K

-0.58%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.8K RON 117.5K

40.77%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$53.3 RON 252

266.44%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$8.65 RON 40.91

190.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$9.58 RON 45.31

229.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$20.93 RON 99.0

143.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$24.75 RON 117

-32.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$9.36 RON 44.27

10.47%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$578 RON 2,734

-19.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$9,518 RON 45.0K

-7.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$88.9 RON 421

34.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$46.93 RON 222

103.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$97.7 RON 462

16.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$107 RON 507

30.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$182 RON 860

316.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$211 RON 997

146.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$313 RON 1,483

407.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$316 RON 1,497

278.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,301 RON 6,155

108.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,055 RON 4,993

80.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$936 RON 4,429

0.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.8

741.91%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lugoj: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Lugoj

$211 27.3% 59.4% $309

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Lugoj

$130 16.9% 54% $153

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Lugoj

$138 17.9% 51% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Lugoj

$72 9.3% 71.6% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Lugoj

$153 19.9% 27.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Lugoj

$40 5.1% 44.6% $32

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Lugoj

$29 3.7% 22.8% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $182 in Lugoj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 0% 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 $33.00 in Lugoj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $130 per month, with Lugoj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

49,742

💱 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 →

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Buenos Aires Lugoj 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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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 Lugoj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Lugoj differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $772 including rent). Lugoj is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $182 in Lugoj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $578 in Lugoj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 117% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $772 in Lugoj versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lugoj but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Lugoj 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 Lugoj 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 Lugoj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.