Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mashhad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $745 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$745

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $745 in Mashhad.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Mashhad $745

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,114 in Mashhad.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Mashhad $1,114

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,483 in Mashhad.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Mashhad $1,483

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 122% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Mashhad is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$4.17 IQD 6,301

357.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$29.37 IQD 44.4K

124.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

96.14%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$2.67 IQD 4,034

44.19%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.33 IQD 492

503.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.22 IQD 333

627.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.26 IQD 4,921

20.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.37 IQD 5,091

36.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.89 IQD 1,346

68.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.68 IQD 1,035

272.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.33 IQD 2,005

21.05%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$0.82 IQD 1,242

246.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$3.36 IQD 5,071

206.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$1.97 IQD 2,981

407.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$3.09 IQD 4,668

330.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.01 IQD 1,521

185.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$0.92 IQD 1,385

139.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$0.91 IQD 1,373

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.68 IQD 1,026

191.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.56 IQD 845

116.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.60 IQD 900

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.29 IQD 432

489.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.21 IQD 322

719.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$0.83 IQD 1,254

416.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.88 IQD 17.9K

-52.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.98 IQD 2,989

9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.96 IQD 2,965

40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.46 IQD 690

63.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$21.64 IQD 32.7K

26.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.01 IQD 3,031

-21.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$1.30 IQD 1,965

-20.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$6.39 IQD 9,659

23.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$0.53 IQD 805

167.92%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

66.43%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

109.15%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$192 IQD 289.6K

1.84%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$17.37 IQD 26.2K

44.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$36.33 IQD 54.9K

-13.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$34.10 IQD 51.5K

49.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$10.02 IQD 15.1K

3.19%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$147 IQD 221.6K

215.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$2,968 IQD 4.5M

196.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$25.05 IQD 37.9K

378.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$28.34 IQD 42.8K

236.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$60.1 IQD 90.8K

89.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$41.28 IQD 62.4K

237.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$150 IQD 226.4K

404.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$118 IQD 178.6K

339.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$402 IQD 606.7K

296.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$286 IQD 432.6K

318.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$717 IQD 1.1M

278.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$639 IQD 965.4K

197.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

4.12

1289.56%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Mashhad

$118 15.9% 77.3% $402

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Mashhad

$115 15.5% 59.3% $168

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Mashhad

$111 14.9% 60.7% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Mashhad

$245 32.9% 2.6% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Mashhad

$70 9.3% 67% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Mashhad

$54 7.3% 24.4% $17

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Mashhad

$32 4.3% 13.5% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $150 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $29.00 in Mashhad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $115 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

13,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Mashhad 12,930 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Mashhad

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 Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Mashhad differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $745 including rent). Mashhad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,118 in Mashhad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $150 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $147 in Mashhad. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 146% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $745 in Mashhad versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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 Mashhad 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 Mashhad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.