Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maia 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 Maia and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Maia versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Maia $2,182
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,718 in Maia versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Maia $2,718
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,254 in Maia versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Maia $3,254
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Maia is roughly 33% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maia 61% above, Buenos Aires 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-35.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-23.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-32.32%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$3.86 ARS 5,863

-48.19%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-6.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.68 ARS 2,542

-13.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-45.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-15.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.51 ARS 2,285

-27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.60 ARS 3,950

-35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.57 ARS 2,380

-2.55%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.73 ARS 4,144

5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

22.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-21.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

11.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.80 ARS 4,255

-20.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.09 ARS 3,170

-16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.45 ARS 2,194

42.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.00 ARS 3,040

16.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.20 ARS 1,826

85.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.20 ARS 1,821

82.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.69 ARS 2,569

-44.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$4.00 ARS 6,074

65.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$5.53 ARS 8,388

-16.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-38.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.78 ARS 4,212

-11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.69 ARS 1,049

257.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

60.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$1.63 ARS 2,471

179.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.97 ARS 1,478

48.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

114.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.42 ARS 2,156

47.89%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

38.23%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

20.46%

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

$106 €94.3

$199 ARS 302.7K

-46.83%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

-14.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

21.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-9.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

104.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-19.91%

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

$439 €390

$462 ARS 701.7K

-5.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

-26.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$120 ARS 181.6K

-7.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-76.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$116 ARS 176.4K

-34.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$137 ARS 208.6K

-23.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$750 ARS 1.1M

42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$514 ARS 780.5K

155.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

8.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

3.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

15.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

-10.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$924 ARS 1.4M

53.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

57.25

-93.54%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 60.8% $799

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 9.7% $25

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 56.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 54.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 48.7% $69

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 44% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 14.8% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Maia and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maia pays 54% 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: $50.0 in Maia vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $285 per month, with Maia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

4 h behind Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Maia Buenos Aires 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Maia
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

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

Maia and Buenos Aires differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($2,182 vs $1,646 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Maia, 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: $1,072 in Maia versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $439 in Maia versus $462 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Maia pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $2,182 in Maia, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Maia. 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, Maia 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 33% less than in Maia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.