Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Zalau

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalau: $871 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Zalau
Learn more

Zalau Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Zalau

🇷🇴 Romania

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $871 in Zalau.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Zalau $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,327 in Zalau.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Zalau $1,327

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $1,783 in Zalau.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Zalau $1,783

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 89% more expensive than in Zalau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Zalau is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$7.52 RON 35.59

136.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$35.18 RON 166

85.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$5.25 RON 24.83

149.90%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$2.18 RON 10.30

77.06%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.49 RON 7.07

38.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.24 RON 5.86

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$1.87 RON 8.83

119.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$2.37 RON 11.19

99.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.38 RON 6.53

9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$1.13 RON 5.34

130.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.23 RON 5.84

27.64%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$1.97 RON 9.31

38.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$7.88 RON 37.28

37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$5.50 RON 26.01

83.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$10.45 RON 49.45

26.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$0.80 RON 3.79

250.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.29 RON 6.09

62.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.44 RON 6.83

0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$1.89 RON 8.96

5.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.66 RON 3.13

81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.56 RON 2.63

114.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$0.61 RON 2.89

177.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.73 RON 3.44

145.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$4.94 RON 23.39

-19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$5.20 RON 24.59

6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.07 RON 5.06

98.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$1.14 RON 5.40

143.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.81 RON 3.84

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$21.39 RON 101

30.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$0.82 RON 3.89

98.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.82 RON 3.86

18.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$7.61 RON 36.03

3.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.50 RON 7.08

-5.33%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$28.5K RON 135.0K

-18.21%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$25.7K RON 121.8K

24.06%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$102 RON 481

96.02%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$4.27 RON 20.22

447.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$6.29 RON 29.74

399.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$33.09 RON 157

50.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$21.48 RON 102

-22.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$5.38 RON 25.46

100.74%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$420 RON 1,985

10.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$7,019 RON 33.2K

25.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$52.5 RON 248

128.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$30.12 RON 143

214.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$56.8 RON 269

104.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$62.1 RON 294

121.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$383 RON 1,812

95.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$288 RON 1,362

78.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$586 RON 2,772

167.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$445 RON 2,104

168.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,818 RON 8,602

44.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,323 RON 6,257

41.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$621 RON 2,936

48.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

6.85

735.77%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zalau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Zalau

$288 33.1% 44% $226

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Zalau

$180 20.6% 36.9% $105

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Zalau

$127 14.6% 53.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Zalau

$112 12.9% 55.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Zalau

$91 10.4% 57% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Zalau

$44 5% 38.6% $28

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Zalau

$30 3.4% 20.5% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $383 in Zalau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 49% 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: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $35.00 in Zalau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $180 per month, with Zalau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇷🇴 Zalau

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

56,202

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Zalau 12,180 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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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 Zalau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Zalau differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $871 including rent). Zalau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $383 in Zalau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $420 in Zalau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $871 in Zalau versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zalau but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Zalau 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 Zalau 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 Zalau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.