Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Vulcanesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Vulcanesti: $766 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Vulcanesti
Learn more

Vulcanesti Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Vulcanesti

🇲🇩 Moldova

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $766 in Vulcanesti.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Vulcanesti $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,130 in Vulcanesti.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Vulcanesti $1,130

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $1,494 in Vulcanesti.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Vulcanesti $1,494

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 116% more expensive than in Vulcanesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Vulcanesti is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$6.61 MDL 117

188.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$29.79 MDL 529

120.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.38 MDL 184

27.17%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$1.14 MDL 20.21

237.72%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$0.81 MDL 14.46

145.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$0.37 MDL 6.61

332.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$1.10 MDL 19.61

257.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$1.42 MDL 25.27

224.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$0.93 MDL 16.59

61.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$0.46 MDL 8.19

450.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.65 MDL 29.22

-2.42%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.24 MDL 39.72

26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$6.68 MDL 119

54.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.70 MDL 83.5

112.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$8.24 MDL 146

61.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$1.24 MDL 22.09

132.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.71 MDL 30.34

28.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.75 MDL 31.01

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.84 MDL 32.63

7.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$0.64 MDL 11.42

89.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$0.33 MDL 5.79

281.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.13 MDL 37.75

-19.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.41 MDL 7.22

319.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$3.39 MDL 60.2

26.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$2.42 MDL 42.91

135.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.88 MDL 15.65

146.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.25 MDL 22.20

120.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.33 MDL 5.83

127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.11 MDL 19.66

41.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$0.19 MDL 3.34

442.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$3.29 MDL 58.4

140.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.24 MDL 21.95

14.52%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$23.2K MDL 412.2K

20.41%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$20.7K MDL 366.8K

69.31%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$104 MDL 1,855

86.87%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$5.15 MDL 91.6

388.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$5.53 MDL 98.3

470.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$16.80 MDL 298

203.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.70 MDL 137

34.29%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$113 MDL 2,003

310.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,159 MDL 91.6K

70.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$30.51 MDL 542

292.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$25.59 MDL 455

273.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$82.3 MDL 1,461

38.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$138 MDL 2,443

1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$277 MDL 4,913

173.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$222 MDL 3,946

133.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$285 MDL 5,053

321.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$868 MDL 15.4K

212.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$852 MDL 15.1K

123.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$705 MDL 12.5K

32.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

7.5

663.33%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vulcanesti: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Vulcanesti

$222 29% 57.3% $298

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Vulcanesti

$158 20.6% 44.2% $125

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Vulcanesti

$111 14.5% 60.7% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Vulcanesti

$115 15% 54.3% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Vulcanesti

$124 16.2% 41.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Vulcanesti

$32 4.2% 55% $39

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Vulcanesti

$3.4 * 0.4% 90.9% $34

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 $277 in Vulcanesti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 33% 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 $30.00 in Vulcanesti for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $158 per month, with Vulcanesti cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇩 Vulcanesti

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

22,000

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Vulcanesti 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Vulcanesti

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 Vulcanesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Vulcanesti differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $766 including rent). Vulcanesti is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $277 in Vulcanesti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $113 in Vulcanesti. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Vulcanesti – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $766 in Vulcanesti versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vulcanesti but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Vulcanesti 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 Vulcanesti 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 Vulcanesti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.