Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mindelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $391 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $391 in Mindelo.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Mindelo $391

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $903 in Mindelo.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Mindelo $903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,414 in Mindelo.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Mindelo $1,414

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 331% more expensive than in Mindelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Mindelo is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$9.09 CVE 895

106.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$55.5 CVE 5,465

16.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$1.14 CVE 112

249.12%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$1.26 CVE 124

62.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.99 CVE 97.7

56.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$2.66 CVE 262

44.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$1.54 CVE 152

198.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.50 CVE 148

-4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$1.14 CVE 112

115.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$0.79 CVE 77.9

106.33%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$2.63 CVE 259

9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$15.99 CVE 1,573

-33.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$17.45 CVE 1,717

-21.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$2.23 CVE 219

23.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.96 CVE 193

11.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$2.83 CVE 278

-48.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$3.01 CVE 296

-33.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$0.82 CVE 81.0

51.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$1.72 CVE 169

-26.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.00 CVE 98.0

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.75 CVE 74.3

130.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$4.97 CVE 489

-15.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$8.19 CVE 806

-29.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.91 CVE 188

9.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$2.06 CVE 203

34.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$0.45 CVE 44.33

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$29.95 CVE 2,947

-9.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$1.56 CVE 154

3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$1.49 CVE 146

-34.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$10.28 CVE 1,011

-24.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.75 CVE 172

-22.29%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$3.07 CVE 302

455.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$359 CVE 35.4K

344.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$256 CVE 25.2K

362.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mindelo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Mindelo

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Mindelo

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Mindelo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Mindelo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Mindelo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Mindelo

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Mindelo

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $56.0 in Mindelo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $239 per month, with Mindelo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

2 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

70,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Mindelo 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Mindelo

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 Mindelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Mindelo differ by about 331% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $391 including rent). Mindelo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $587 in Mindelo 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Mindelo – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Mindelo runs roughly 10% less than in Buenos Aires. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $391 in Mindelo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mindelo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mindelo 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 Mindelo 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 Mindelo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 331% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.