Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Maseru

For one person, living is cheaper in Maseru: $658 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
Learn more

Maseru Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $658 in Maseru.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Maseru $658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,123 in Maseru.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Maseru $1,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,588 in Maseru.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Maseru $1,588

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 156% more expensive than in Maseru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Maseru is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$9.06 LSL 149

106.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$23.68 LSL 391

172.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.35 LSL 138

54.25%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.01 LSL 33.20

98.01%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.05 LSL 17.27

95.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.80 LSL 13.18

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.75 LSL 28.89

119.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.46 LSL 40.61

86.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.18 LSL 19.47

22.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.80 LSL 13.14

207.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.78 LSL 29.34

-8.43%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.53 LSL 25.23

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$6.71 LSL 111

58.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.32 LSL 104

58.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.20 LSL 102

121.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$1.92 LSL 31.60

43.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.30 LSL 37.95

-5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.64 LSL 43.54

-45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.36 LSL 39.02

-15.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.59 LSL 26.25

-22.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.62 LSL 26.75

-21.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.52 LSL 25.10

11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.78 LSL 12.88

121.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$5.03 LSL 83.0

-16.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$7.31 LSL 121

-20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.03 LSL 16.99

102.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.52 LSL 25.15

82.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.77 LSL 12.68

-2.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$30.06 LSL 496

-9.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.73 LSL 12.05

121.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.63 LSL 10.36

55.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$3.65 LSL 60.3

111.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.33 LSL 22.02

2.26%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$20.9K LSL 344.3K

34.23%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$16.4K LSL 270.6K

110.57%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$14.63 LSL 241

75.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$37.63 LSL 621

-16.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$23.17 LSL 382

115.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$51.2 LSL 845

809.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$1,181 LSL 19.5K

666.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$46.25 LSL 763

164.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$55.2 LSL 911

76.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$105 LSL 1,736

11.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$151 LSL 2,493

-7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$92.4 LSL 1,525

726.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$55.8 LSL 920

805.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$426 LSL 7,025

275.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$173 LSL 2,851

585.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$377 LSL 6,219

610.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$514 LSL 8,481

261.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$631 LSL 10.4K

51.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

8.5

573.53%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Maseru: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Maseru

$56 8.4% 89% $449

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Maseru

$195 29.3% 31.2% $89

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Maseru

$143 21.4% 48.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Maseru

$52 * 7.8% 80.8% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Maseru

$161 24.1% 24.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Maseru

$23 * 3.5% 67.2% $48

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Maseru

$37 5.6% 1% $0.4

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $92.4 in Maseru. 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $24.00 in Maseru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $195 per month, with Maseru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇱🇸 Maseru

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

227,880 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Lesotho Loti LSL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 LSL = 6.06 USD

100 LSL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LSL, 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).

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 LSL (100 LSL = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 LSL (100 LSL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Maseru 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Maseru

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 Maseru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Maseru differ by about 156% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $658 including rent). Maseru 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $92.4 in Maseru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $51.2 in Maseru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $658 in Maseru versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maseru but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Maseru 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 Maseru 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 Maseru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.