Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
Learn more

Makhachkala Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,009 in Makhachkala.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Makhachkala $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,562 in Makhachkala.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Makhachkala $1,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,115 in Makhachkala.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Makhachkala $2,115

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 64% more expensive than in Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Makhachkala is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$10.20 ₽851

87.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$31.73 ₽2,648

107.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$5.48 ₽457

140.88%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.65 ₽221

45.28%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.17 ₽98.0

70.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.61 ₽51.1

162.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.94 ₽162

102.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$2.94 ₽246

56.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.10 ₽91.6

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.71 ₽58.9

256.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.41 ₽118

14.18%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.53 ₽127

85.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$10.99 ₽917

-6.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.39 ₽450

85.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$11.03 ₽921

20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.70 ₽142

69.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.75 ₽146

25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.75 ₽146

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$2.78 ₽232

-28.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.81 ₽67.4

49.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.61 ₽51.1

106.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.23 ₽103

39.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.74 ₽61.8

132.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.33 ₽278

28.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$7.92 ₽661

-28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.10 ₽91.4

97.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.02 ₽168

36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.54 ₽44.80

38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.70 ₽225

-41.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.40 ₽33.48

157.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$5.71 ₽477

38.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.84 ₽70.2

69.05%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-31.78%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$37.4K ₽3.1M

-6.38%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$110 ₽9,172

77.63%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$5.49 ₽458

358.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$8.44 ₽705

273.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$35.62 ₽2,973

42.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$23.57 ₽1,967

-29.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.13 ₽512

68.68%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$348 ₽29.1K

33.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,288 ₽441.3K

66.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$80.1 ₽6,688

49.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$54.1 ₽4,518

76.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$102 ₽8,539

11.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$112 ₽9,353

24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$460 ₽38.4K

64.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$315 ₽26.3K

64.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$891 ₽74.4K

78.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$556 ₽46.4K

115.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,226 ₽185.8K

21.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,492 ₽124.5K

27.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$622 ₽51.9K

50.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

21.45

166.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Makhachkala

$315 31.2% 39.4% $205

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Makhachkala

$206 20.4% 27.5% $78

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Makhachkala

$153 15.1% 45.8% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Makhachkala

$124 12.3% 50.8% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Makhachkala

$157 15.6% 25.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Makhachkala

$48 4.8% 33.1% $24

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Makhachkala

$6.9 * 0.7% 81.5% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $460 in Makhachkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 51% 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 $32.00 in Makhachkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $206 per month, with Makhachkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

604,266

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Makhachkala 13,740 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Makhachkala differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,009 including rent). Makhachkala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 51% 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 $460 in Makhachkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $348 in Makhachkala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Makhachkala – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,009 in Makhachkala versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Makhachkala but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala 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 Makhachkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.