Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toamasina and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Toamasina: $465 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Toamasina

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$465

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $465 in Toamasina versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Toamasina $465
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $753 in Toamasina versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Toamasina $753
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,041 in Toamasina versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Toamasina $1,041
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Toamasina costs roughly 72% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toamasina is 66% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.63 MGA 12.0K

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-86.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.74 MGA 71.8K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-76.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.35 MGA 19.9K

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-67.05%

Cappuccino

$1.09 MGA 4,993

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-71.69%

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

$0.53 MGA 2,430

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-73.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 MGA 4,974

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-72.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MGA 4,933

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-76.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 MGA 5,015

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 MGA 4,990

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-56.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 MGA 4,663

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-36.65%

Eggs

$1.83 MGA 8,346

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-35.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 MGA 57.0K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

21.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 MGA 35.1K

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-23.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 MGA 28.2K

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-53.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 MGA 6,915

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-47.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 MGA 5,890

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-41.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 MGA 7,155

$1.40 ARS 2,120

12.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 MGA 3,090

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-65.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 MGA 2,835

$1.21 ARS 1,835

-48.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 MGA 2,508

$1.26 ARS 1,910

-56.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 MGA 1,561

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-80.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 MGA 2,242

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-71.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.72 MGA 7,845

$4.29 ARS 6,505

-59.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MGA 3,889

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-60.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MGA 4,945

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-60.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MGA 1,565

$0.75 ARS 1,141

-54.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 MGA 5,046

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-21.83%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

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

$30.98 MGA 141.3K

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 MGA 302.4K

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

110.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.83 MGA 99.6K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-57.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 MGA 31.1K

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-34.04%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.91 MGA 40.6K

$120 ARS 181.8K

-92.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$6.77 MGA 30.9K

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-92.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 MGA 255.2K

$114 ARS 173.1K

-50.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.06 MGA 169.1K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-73.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$135 MGA 617.9K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-82.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.5 MGA 252.9K

$520 ARS 788.8K

-89.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 MGA 2.0M

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-72.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 MGA 612.1K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-88.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$133 MGA 606.3K

$938 ARS 1.4M

-85.83%

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 Toamasina: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Groceries & Markets

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Eating Out

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Getting Around

Toamasina

–

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $135 in Toamasina and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 605% 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: $16.00 in Toamasina vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $283 per month, with Toamasina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇬 Toamasina

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:30 7:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

6 h behind Toamasina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,857

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MGA – Malagasy Ariary Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇬 Malagasy Ariary (Ar)

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,562 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,128 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

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).

USD to MGA in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Toamasina Buenos Aires 10,410 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Toamasina
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

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

Toamasina and Buenos Aires differ by about 256% in total monthly costs ($465 vs $1,656 including rent). Toamasina is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 605% 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: $135 in Toamasina versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Toamasina – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $465 per month in Toamasina versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires – a 256% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $465 in Toamasina versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Toamasina but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Toamasina 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, Toamasina 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 Toamasina gentler on the wallet – expenses run 256% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.