Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Toamasina

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $465 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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

$1,656

/mo nomad

Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $465 in Toamasina.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Toamasina $465

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $753 in Toamasina.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Toamasina $753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,041 in Toamasina.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Toamasina $1,041

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 256% more expensive than in Toamasina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Toamasina is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$2.63 MGA 12.0K

625.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$15.74 MGA 71.8K

318.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$4.35 MGA 19.9K

203.45%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.09 MGA 4,993

253.21%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.53 MGA 2,430

275.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.09 MGA 4,974

260.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.08 MGA 4,933

326.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.10 MGA 5,015

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$1.09 MGA 4,990

132.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.02 MGA 4,663

57.84%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$1.83 MGA 8,346

55.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$12.50 MGA 57.0K

-17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.69 MGA 35.1K

30.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$6.18 MGA 28.2K

115.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.52 MGA 6,915

89.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.29 MGA 5,890

70.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.57 MGA 7,155

-10.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$0.68 MGA 3,090

191.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.62 MGA 2,835

95.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.55 MGA 2,508

129.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$0.34 MGA 1,561

402.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.49 MGA 2,242

251.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$1.72 MGA 7,845

149.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.85 MGA 3,889

155.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.08 MGA 4,945

155.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.34 MGA 1,565

120.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.11 MGA 5,046

27.93%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$30.98 MGA 141.3K

-18.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$66.3 MGA 302.4K

-52.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$21.83 MGA 99.6K

133.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$6.82 MGA 31.1K

51.61%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$8.91 MGA 40.6K

1244.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$6.77 MGA 30.9K

1310.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$55.9 MGA 255.2K

103.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$37.06 MGA 169.1K

275.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$135 MGA 617.9K

458.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$55.5 MGA 252.9K

837.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$444 MGA 2.0M

257.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$134 MGA 612.1K

792.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$133 MGA 606.3K

605.48%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Toamasina: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Toamasina

–

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Toamasina

–

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Toamasina

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Toamasina

–

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Toamasina

–

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Toamasina

–

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Toamasina

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $135 in Toamasina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 605% 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 $16.00 in Toamasina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $169 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

325,857

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Toamasina 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Toamasina

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 Toamasina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Toamasina differ by about 256% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $465 including rent). Toamasina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 605% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $135 in Toamasina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Toamasina – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires versus $465 in Toamasina – a 256% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $465 in Toamasina versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Toamasina but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Toamasina 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 Toamasina 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 Toamasina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 256% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.