Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mutare

For one person, living is cheaper in Mutare: $789 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Mutare
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$789
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $789 in Mutare.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Mutare $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,220 in Mutare.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Mutare $1,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,651 in Mutare.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Mutare $1,651

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 110% more expensive than in Mutare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Mutare is 42% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$10.15 ZWL 270
88.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$45.07 ZWL 1,199
46.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$4.42 ZWL 118
198.64%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$1.28 ZWL 34.07
200.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$0.73 ZWL 19.54
172.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.46 ZWL 12.11
247.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
$1.22 ZWL 32.33
222.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
$1.78 ZWL 47.47
158.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.22 ZWL 32.42
22.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$0.98 ZWL 26.14
158.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$1.33 ZWL 35.28
21.05%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$1.87 ZWL 49.72
51.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$2.92 ZWL 77.8
252.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$4.04 ZWL 107
147.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$5.01 ZWL 133
165.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.04 ZWL 54.3
41.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$1.70 ZWL 45.15
29.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$2.05 ZWL 54.6
-31.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$0.98 ZWL 26.18
102.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$1.75 ZWL 46.52
-30.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$0.99 ZWL 26.33
27.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$0.48 ZWL 12.83
256.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.99 ZWL 26.41
73.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$1.18 ZWL 31.32
263.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
$6.09 ZWL 162
-6.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
$1.18 ZWL 31.32
83.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
$1.73 ZWL 45.96
59.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$0.77 ZWL 20.48
-2.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
$26.46 ZWL 704
3.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$3.02 ZWL 80.3
-48.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$1.98 ZWL 52.6
-47.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$4.94 ZWL 131
59.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$1.86 ZWL 49.42
-23.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$21.6K ZWL 575.1K
29.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$23.6K ZWL 629.3K
47.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$50.7 ZWL 1,349
284.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$14.72 ZWL 392
70.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$59.4 ZWL 1,580
-46.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$39.95 ZWL 1,063
27.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
$5.05 ZWL 134
231.29%
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$9.89 ZWL 263
4.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$150 ZWL 4,002
208.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$8,553 ZWL 227.6K
2.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$10.06 ZWL 268
1091.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$9.48 ZWL 252
907.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$24.80 ZWL 660
360.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$20.27 ZWL 539
587.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$356 ZWL 9,462
112.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$253 ZWL 6,742
105.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$750 ZWL 19.9K
112.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$395 ZWL 10.5K
203.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
$246 ZWL 6,539
1004.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Mutare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$247 ZWL 6,566
280.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
57.25
13.69
318.19%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mutare: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Mutare
$253 51.3% $266
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Mutare
$155 45.3% $128
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Mutare
$124 55.9% $158
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Mutare
$125 50.4% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Mutare
$29 86.2% $182
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Mutare
$60 16.6% $12
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Mutare
$42 14.8% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $356 in Mutare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 280% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $45.00 in Mutare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $155 per month, with Mutare cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇿🇼 Mutare
🕒 Local time
20:39 8:39 PM
01:39 1:39 AM
5 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
188,243
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

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).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Mutare 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Mutare

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 Mutare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Mutare?
Buenos Aires and Mutare differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $789 including rent). Mutare is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buenos Aires or Mutare?
Average pay runs 280% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Buenos Aires and in Mutare?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $356 in Mutare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Buenos Aires and Mutare?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $150 in Mutare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $789 in Mutare versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mutare but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mutare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Mutare?
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.
Is Buenos Aires or Mutare safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Mutare are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Buenos Aires or Mutare?
Expats usually find Mutare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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