Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mahdia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $557 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $557 in Mahdia.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Mahdia $557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $881 in Mahdia.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Mahdia $881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,206 in Mahdia.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Mahdia $1,206

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 198% more expensive than in Mahdia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Mahdia is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$2.48 TND 7.44

669.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$20.01 TND 59.9

228.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$4.84 TND 14.49

172.73%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$0.96 TND 2.89

301.04%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.57 TND 1.72

249.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.19 TND 0.56

742.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.03 TND 3.07

281.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.51 TND 4.52

205.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.43 TND 1.30

248.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.26 TND 0.78

873.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.38 TND 4.13

16.67%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.53 TND 4.58

85.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$11.75 TND 35.19

-12.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.96 TND 14.87

101.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$14.46 TND 43.29

-8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.86 TND 8.56

0.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.86 TND 8.55

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.44 TND 4.32

-2.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.72 TND 2.15

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.65 TND 1.94

86.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.34 TND 1.03

270.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.43 TND 1.29

297.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.31 TND 0.94

454.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.53 TND 10.56

21.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$3.35 TND 10.04

70.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.63 TND 4.88

33.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.25 TND 3.75

120.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.32 TND 0.95

134.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$13.33 TND 39.92

104.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$0.31 TND 0.93

406.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.26 TND 0.77

296.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.88 TND 2.64

61.36%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$40.9K TND 122.5K

-31.64%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$40.1K TND 120.0K

-12.74%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$56.3 TND 169

246.53%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$7.15 TND 21.41

251.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$20.10 TND 60.2

56.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$20.52 TND 61.5

148.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$7.69 TND 23.03

117.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.80 TND 20.36

52.06%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$109 TND 326

325.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$985 TND 2,951

792.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$37.98 TND 114

215.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$32.80 TND 98.2

191.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$76.9 TND 230

48.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$23.51 TND 70.4

492.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$130 TND 390

480.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$100 TND 301

418.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$292 TND 875

444.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$175 TND 523

585.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$675 TND 2,022

301.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$201 TND 602

846.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$232 TND 695

304.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.33

454.21%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mahdia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Mahdia

$100 18% 80.7% $419

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Mahdia

$188 33.8% 33.5% $95

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Mahdia

$57 10.3% 79.7% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Mahdia

$84 15% 66.8% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Mahdia

$77 13.8% 63.5% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Mahdia

$34 6.1% 52.3% $37

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Mahdia

$16 2.9% 56.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $130 in Mahdia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 304% 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 $20.00 in Mahdia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $188 per month, with Mahdia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

79,545

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Mahdia 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Mahdia

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 Mahdia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Mahdia differ by about 198% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $557 including rent). Mahdia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 304% 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 $130 in Mahdia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $109 in Mahdia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $557 in Mahdia versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mahdia but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mahdia 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 Mahdia 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 Mahdia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 198% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.