Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,793 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Moscow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,793 in Moscow.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Moscow $1,793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,813 in Moscow.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Moscow $2,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,833 in Moscow.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Moscow $3,833

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 6% less than in Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Moscow 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$11.81 ₽1,004

58.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$57.9 ₽4,925

11.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.25 ₽617

77.66%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$3.64 ₽310

9.34%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$1.65 ₽140

24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$0.81 ₽68.7

91.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$4.72 ₽401

-18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$5.42 ₽461

-15.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.25 ₽106

15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$1.00 ₽85.4

146.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.71 ₽146

-4.68%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$1.91 ₽163

51.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$14.59 ₽1,241

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.65 ₽566

50.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$14.46 ₽1,229

-4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$2.03 ₽173

35.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.86 ₽158

17.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$2.03 ₽173

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$3.93 ₽334

-49.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$0.93 ₽78.7

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$0.70 ₽59.8

81.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.55 ₽132

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.96 ₽81.4

80.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$3.41 ₽290

22.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$11.56 ₽983

-49.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.20 ₽102

74.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$2.49 ₽212

11.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$0.95 ₽80.9

-21.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$40.22 ₽3,419

-32.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$3.56 ₽302

-54.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$0.86 ₽72.9

13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$11.77 ₽1,001

-34.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$0.90 ₽76.1

51.11%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$38.7K ₽3.3M

-27.63%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$38.0K ₽3.2M

-9.16%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$191 ₽16.2K

12.96%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$8.72 ₽741

193.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$9.98 ₽848

214.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$42.15 ₽3,584

18.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$45.14 ₽3,838

-62.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$9.31 ₽792

12.03%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$811 ₽68.9K

-42.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$27.0K ₽2.3M

-66.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$110 ₽9,356

10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$63.4 ₽5,386

53.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$146 ₽12.4K

-20.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$184 ₽15.6K

-23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,469 ₽124.9K

-48.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$820 ₽69.7K

-38.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$3,026 ₽257.3K

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,494 ₽127.1K

-20.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$9,853 ₽837.7K

-72.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$4,613 ₽392.2K

-59.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$1,741 ₽148.0K

-45.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

19.56

192.69%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Moscow

$820 44.7% 62.3% $315

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Moscow

$263 14.3% 7.6% $22

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Moscow

$204 11.1% 26.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Moscow

$210 11.4% 23.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Moscow

$226 12.3% 5.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Moscow

$61 3.3% 14% $9.9

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Moscow

$52 2.8% 41.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,469 in Moscow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays 82% 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 $58.0 in Moscow for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $263 per month, with Moscow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

13:15 1:15 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.89 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.02 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.27 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Moscow 13,480 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Moscow

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 Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Moscow differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,793 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Moscow. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $1,469 in Moscow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $811 in Moscow. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Moscow pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,793 in Moscow, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Moscow. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Moscow 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Moscow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.