Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Male: $1,524 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Buenos Aires despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,524 in Male.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Male $1,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,454 in Male.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Male $2,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,385 in Male.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Male $3,385

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 11% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Male 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.86 MVR 90.3

219.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$38.10 MVR 587

69.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.73 MVR 150

32.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.73 MVR 72.9

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 MVR 73.7

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.49 MVR 53.8

14.04%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.63 MVR 25.14

25.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.31 MVR 4.80

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.98 MVR 30.50

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.60 MVR 24.74

53.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.21 MVR 18.59

34.71%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.94 MVR 29.89

48.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$10.48 MVR 162

1.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.01 MVR 92.7

66.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.67 MVR 149

42.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$4.05 MVR 62.5

-32.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$3.13 MVR 48.26

-30.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-63.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.66 MVR 41.00

-25.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.02 MVR 31.10

-38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.88 MVR 28.95

-32.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.12 MVR 32.75

-19.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.61 MVR 9.47

183.61%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.24 MVR 189

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 MVR 41.39

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MVR 29.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$15.01 MVR 231

-72.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.63 MVR 9.74

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$30.22 MVR 466

-10.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$1.98 MVR 30.56

-18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$1.90 MVR 29.35

-48.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$10.18 MVR 157

-24.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$0.99 MVR 15.24

37.37%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$32.9K MVR 506.6K

-14.74%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$28.8K MVR 443.6K

20.04%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$117 MVR 1,808

83.87%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$30.56 MVR 471

-16.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$71.8 MVR 1,107

-56.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$72.0 MVR 1,110

-30.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$34.45 MVR 531

-50.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$9.90 MVR 153

5.35%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$185 MVR 2,860

151.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,048 MVR 47.0K

197.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$39.25 MVR 605

211.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$49.98 MVR 771

94.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$85.8 MVR 1,323

36.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$51.5 MVR 794

171.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$948 MVR 14.6K

-19.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$709 MVR 10.9K

-28.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$2,035 MVR 31.4K

-21.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,524 MVR 23.5K

-22.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,282 MVR 35.2K

17.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,391 MVR 21.5K

33.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$837 MVR 12.9K

14.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

308.93%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Male: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Male

$709 46.5% 40.4% $204

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Male

$233 15.3% 18% $51

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Male

$126 8.2% 54.9% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Male

$220 14.4% 19.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Male

$102 6.7% 52.4% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Male

$92 6% 29.8% $21

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Male

$44 2.9% 20.8% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $948 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 14% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $38.00 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $233 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

15:34 3:34 PM

8 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.28 MVR (100 MVR = 5.79 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Male 14,030 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Male differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,524 including rent). Male is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 14% 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $948 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $185 in Male. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,524 in Male versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Male but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Male 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 Male 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 Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.