Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Port Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Louis: $945 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Port Louis
Learn more

Port Louis Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Port Louis

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Port Louis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $945 in Port Louis.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Port Louis $945

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,579 in Port Louis.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Port Louis $1,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,212 in Port Louis.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Port Louis $2,212

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 78% more expensive than in Port Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Port Louis is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$5.65 MUR 267

231.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$37.50 MUR 1,774

71.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.21 MUR 341

78.64%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.55 MUR 120

56.08%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.11 MUR 52.5

84.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.62 MUR 29.19

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.56 MUR 121

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$4.83 MUR 229

-4.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.51 MUR 71.7

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.78 MUR 36.74

215.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.14 MUR 54.0

42.98%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.50 MUR 118

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.24 MUR 248

103.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$6.23 MUR 295

60.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$11.33 MUR 536

21.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.70 MUR 128

1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.56 MUR 121

-14.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.42 MUR 67.3

2.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$3.00 MUR 142

-33.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.93 MUR 44.18

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$0.94 MUR 44.62

35.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.73 MUR 34.51

132.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.85 MUR 40.11

103.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$6.48 MUR 307

-35.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$8.16 MUR 386

-28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.61 MUR 76.3

29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.36 MUR 112

17.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$1.02 MUR 48.21

-26.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$31.09 MUR 1,471

-12.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$4.24 MUR 200

-61.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$3.16 MUR 149

-68.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$21.17 MUR 1,001

-63.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.40 MUR 66.2

-2.86%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$36.0K MUR 1.7M

-22.18%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$31.0K MUR 1.5M

11.26%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$43.83 MUR 2,073

391.83%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$10.37 MUR 490

146.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$28.41 MUR 1,344

10.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$25.62 MUR 1,212

94.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$3.88 MUR 184

339.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.20 MUR 293

68.23%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$125 MUR 5,930

271.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$7,687 MUR 363.7K

17.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$76.2 MUR 3,607

60.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$73.4 MUR 3,471

32.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$118 MUR 5,569

-0.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$77.4 MUR 3,663

80.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$465 MUR 22.0K

64.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$269 MUR 12.7K

88.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$761 MUR 36.0K

110.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$588 MUR 27.8K

101.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$4,109 MUR 194.4K

-34.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,047 MUR 49.6K

77.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$670 MUR 31.7K

42.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.67

758.32%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Port Louis: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Port Louis

$269 28.5% 46.8% $237

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Port Louis

$215 22.8% 24.4% $69

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Port Louis

$127 13.5% 54.6% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Port Louis

$83 8.8% 69.7% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Port Louis

$155 16.5% 27.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Port Louis

$38 4% 46.2% $33

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Port Louis

$55 5.9% 50.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $465 in Port Louis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 42% 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 $37.00 in Port Louis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $215 per month, with Port Louis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇺 Port Louis

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

14:47 2:47 PM

7 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

147,688 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 47.31 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 53.01 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Port Louis 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Port Louis

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 Port Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Port Louis differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $945 including rent). Port Louis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $465 in Port Louis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $125 in Port Louis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $945 in Port Louis versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Louis but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Port Louis 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 Port Louis 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 Port Louis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.