Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $744 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Vacoas
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$744
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $744 in Vacoas.

  • Buenos Aires $1,656
  • Vacoas $744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,097 in Vacoas.

  • Buenos Aires $2,697
  • Vacoas $1,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,449 in Vacoas.

  • Buenos Aires $3,737
  • Vacoas $1,449

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 123% more expensive than in Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Vacoas is 45% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
$5.89 MUR 277
224.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
$31.22 MUR 1,470
110.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
$6.20 MUR 292
112.90%
Cappuccino
$3.85 ARS 5,841
$2.61 MUR 123
47.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 ARS 3,020
$1.12 MUR 52.9
77.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 ARS 2,430
$0.63 MUR 29.80
153.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.93 ARS 5,959
$2.56 MUR 121
53.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.61 ARS 7,003
$3.71 MUR 175
24.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 ARS 2,272
$1.45 MUR 68.5
3.45%
White Bread (500g)
$2.53 ARS 3,837
$0.73 MUR 34.35
246.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 ARS 2,445
$1.15 MUR 54.1
40.00%
Eggs
$2.84 ARS 4,316
$2.28 MUR 107
24.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$2.70 MUR 127
281.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
$2.55 MUR 120
292.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
$11.16 MUR 525
19.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.88 ARS 4,366
$2.56 MUR 120
12.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 ARS 3,334
$2.15 MUR 101
2.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ARS 2,120
$1.44 MUR 67.9
-2.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 ARS 3,004
$3.03 MUR 143
-34.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 ARS 1,835
$0.99 MUR 46.66
22.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 ARS 1,910
$0.96 MUR 45.20
31.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.71 ARS 2,592
$0.73 MUR 34.16
134.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,603
$0.67 MUR 31.34
156.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.29 ARS 6,505
$6.18 MUR 291
-30.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.70 ARS 8,645
$6.20 MUR 292
-8.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.17 ARS 3,288
$1.44 MUR 67.8
50.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.76 ARS 4,188
$2.33 MUR 110
18.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 ARS 1,141
$1.32 MUR 62.2
-43.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.57 ARS 2,375
$4.27 MUR 201
-63.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 ARS 1,558
$3.18 MUR 150
-67.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
$4.33 MUR 204
82.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.42 ARS 2,160
$1.34 MUR 62.9
5.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
$28.9K MUR 1.4M
-3.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
$31.3K MUR 1.5M
11.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$195 ARS 296.2K
$44.98 MUR 2,117
333.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
$10.35 MUR 487
143.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
$24.84 MUR 1,169
26.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
$25.74 MUR 1,212
97.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
$5.12 MUR 241
101.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$463 ARS 703.2K
$125 MUR 5,897
269.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
$7,480 MUR 352.1K
17.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$120 ARS 181.8K
$31.95 MUR 1,504
275.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
$37.68 MUR 1,774
153.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.1K
$63.2 MUR 2,976
80.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 ARS 211.4K
$47.93 MUR 2,257
190.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$756 ARS 1.1M
$265 MUR 12.5K
185.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$520 ARS 788.8K
$220 MUR 10.4K
136.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
$471 MUR 22.2K
237.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
$236 MUR 11.1K
408.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Buenos Aires
Vacoas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$938 ARS 1.4M
$690 MUR 32.5K
35.96%
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 11, 2026

Last update for Vacoas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Buenos Aires
$520
Vacoas
$220 57.7% $300
Groceries & Markets
Buenos Aires
$283
Vacoas
$177 37.7% $107
Eating Out
Buenos Aires
$282
Vacoas
$124 55.9% $157
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Buenos Aires
$252
Vacoas
$80 68.2% $172
Clothing & Footwear
Buenos Aires
$211
Vacoas
$81 61.4% $130
Sport & Entertainment
Buenos Aires
$72
Vacoas
$36 49.7% $36
Getting Around
Buenos Aires
$37
Vacoas
$25 * 31.2% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $265 in Vacoas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 36% 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 $31.00 in Vacoas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $177 per month, with Vacoas cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🇲🇺 Vacoas
🕒 Local time
12:12 12:12 PM
19:12 7:12 PM
7 h ahead of Buenos Aires
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,891,082 Capital
115,289
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Buenos Aires Vacoas 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Buenos Aires
  • Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Buenos Aires and in Vacoas?
Buenos Aires and Vacoas differ by about 123% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $744 including rent). Vacoas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Buenos Aires or Vacoas?
Average pay runs 36% 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 Vacoas?
Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $265 in Vacoas. 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 Vacoas?
Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $125 in Vacoas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Vacoas – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $744 in Vacoas versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vacoas but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Vacoas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Buenos Aires and Vacoas?
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 Vacoas safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Vacoas 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 Vacoas?
Expats usually find Vacoas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% 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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