Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahé and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,799 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mahé outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,799

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mahé and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,799 in Mahé versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Mahé $1,799
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,618 in Mahé versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Mahé $2,618
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,438 in Mahé versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Mahé $3,438
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Mahé is roughly 7% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mahé 34% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 SCR 254

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-6.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 SCR 1,564

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

67.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 SCR 82.0

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-56.06%

Cappuccino

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$3.98 ARS 6,029

65.58%

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

$1.62 SCR 23.47

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-20.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.68 SCR 184

$3.84 ARS 5,830

230.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SCR 132

$4.60 ARS 6,970

97.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 SCR 22.84

$1.44 ARS 2,181

9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 SCR 15.83

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-55.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 SCR 26.66

$1.63 ARS 2,467

12.88%

Eggs

$4.29 SCR 62.1

$2.89 ARS 4,385

48.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 SCR 230

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

49.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.28 SCR 120

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-17.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 SCR 188

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-5.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 SCR 29.93

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-24.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 SCR 35.04

$1.45 ARS 2,205

66.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 SCR 95.4

$1.99 ARS 3,013

231.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SCR 15.33

$1.24 ARS 1,885

-14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SCR 15.23

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-17.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SCR 15.81

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-35.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.50 SCR 210

$4.18 ARS 6,337

246.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SCR 31.75

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-20.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 SCR 11.03

$0.75 ARS 1,132

1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.50 SCR 514

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

30.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.40 SCR 209

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

86.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 SCR 21.40

$1.36 ARS 2,058

8.82%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

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

$49.22 SCR 713

$216 ARS 326.9K

-77.17%

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

$21.81 SCR 316

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-14.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$105 SCR 1,523

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

235.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 SCR 766

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

6.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$6.26 SCR 90.6

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-39.98%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.88 SCR 433

$122 ARS 185.2K

-75.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.99 SCR 174

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-87.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.18 SCR 683

$117 ARS 177.4K

-59.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 SCR 851

$140 ARS 211.9K

-57.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 SCR 12.6K

$763 ARS 1.2M

14.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 SCR 12.2K

$505 ARS 766.1K

66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,772 SCR 25.7K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

10.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 SCR 15.3K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-10.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$855 SCR 12.4K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-10.39%

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 Mahé: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahé

$842 47.9%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 40% $337

Eating Out

Mahé

$324 * 18.5%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 14% $46

Groceries & Markets

Mahé

$246 * 14%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 15.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahé

$176 10%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 54.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Mahé

$67 3.8%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 222% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Mahé

$65 3.7%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 8% $5.3

Getting Around

Mahé

$39 * 2.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 5% $1.9

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 $871 in Mahé and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $108 in Mahé vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $284, with Mahé cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Mahé

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

7 h behind Mahé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,539

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.91 USD

100 SCR = 6.16 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 14.48 SCR (100 SCR = 6.91 USD). 1 EUR = 16.24 SCR (100 SCR = 6.16 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to SCR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mahé Buenos Aires 11,860 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahé
Buenos Aires

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

Mahé vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahé and Buenos Aires differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,799 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $871 in Mahé versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $108 in Mahé. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Buenos Aires runs roughly 31% less than in Mahé. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,799 in Mahé, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Mahé. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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, Mahé and Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Mahé. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.