Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acapulco and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Acapulco vs $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Acapulco $859
Buenos Aires $1,656

A couple spends around $1,435 per month in Acapulco vs $2,697 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Acapulco $1,435
Buenos Aires $2,697

A family of three spends $2,012 per month in Acapulco vs $3,737 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Acapulco $2,012
Buenos Aires $3,737

Acapulco is about 48% cheaper than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Acapulco sits 36% below the global median, while Buenos Aires is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.48 MX$175

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-50.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.64 MX$696

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-42.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.97 MX$221

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-9.32%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.5

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-2.34%

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

$1.63 MX$30.10

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-18.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MX$30.65

$1.60 ARS 2,430

3.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$55.4

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$88.4

$4.61 ARS 7,003

3.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.36

$1.50 ARS 2,272

6.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.5

$2.53 ARS 3,837

14.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.11

$1.61 ARS 2,445

4.35%

Eggs

$1.79 MX$33.06

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 MX$123

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-35.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 MX$149

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-19.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-18.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 MX$84.7

$2.88 ARS 4,366

59.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.46

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$1.40 ARS 2,120

141.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 MX$57.9

$1.98 ARS 3,004

58.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.47 MX$64.2

$1.21 ARS 1,835

186.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$1.26 ARS 1,910

134.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 MX$24.12

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-23.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.46

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-54.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 MX$151

$4.29 ARS 6,505

90.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 MX$123

$5.70 ARS 8,645

16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.74

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 MX$49.94

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-2.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 MX$16.27

$0.75 ARS 1,141

17.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 MX$89.6

$1.57 ARS 2,375

208.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.16

$1.42 ARS 2,160

3.52%

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

$21.1K MX$389.7K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-24.54%

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

$24.8K MX$458.4K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-29.07%

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

$39.89 MX$737

$195 ARS 296.2K

-79.56%

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

$14.81 MX$274

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-41.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 MX$401

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-31.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.02 MX$351

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-62.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.85 MX$256

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-17.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.87 MX$71.6

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-62.57%

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

$162 MX$2,994

$463 ARS 703.2K

-65.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 MX$1,191

$120 ARS 181.8K

-46.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.58 MX$824

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-53.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,985

$114 ARS 173.1K

-5.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 MX$1,538

$139 ARS 211.4K

-40.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 MX$9,593

$756 ARS 1.1M

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 MX$2,763

$520 ARS 788.8K

-71.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$17.7K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-39.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 MX$6,118

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-72.37%

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)

$449 MX$8,293

$938 ARS 1.4M

-52.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

57.25

-79.74%

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

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Acapulco

$269 31.3%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 5.5% $15

Eating Out

Acapulco

$195 22.7%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 44.8% $87

Accommodation & Living

Acapulco

$150 17.4%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 248% $370

Clothing & Footwear

Acapulco

$135 15.7%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 56.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acapulco

$76 8.9%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 230% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Acapulco

$27 3.1%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 168% $45

Getting Around

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 342% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Acapulco versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 109% higher in Buenos Aires, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Acapulco versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $283 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

3 h ahead of Acapulco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,609

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 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 MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Acapulco Buenos Aires 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Acapulco
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

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

Buenos Aires costs about 93% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Acapulco and $2,484 in Buenos Aires. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Acapulco and $1,656 in Buenos Aires. That's a gap of about 93%.

Kindergarten costs $162 per month in Acapulco and $463 in Buenos Aires. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Buenos Aires makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.