Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajijic: $1,267 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,267 per month in Ajijic vs $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Ajijic $1,267
Buenos Aires $1,656

A couple spends around $2,020 per month in Ajijic vs $2,697 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Ajijic $2,020
Buenos Aires $2,697

A family of three spends $2,773 per month in Ajijic vs $3,737 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Ajijic $2,773
Buenos Aires $3,737

Ajijic is about 24% cheaper than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Ajijic sits 6% below the global median, while Buenos Aires is 23% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.81 MX$181

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-48.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.69 MX$807

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-33.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 MX$133

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-45.30%

Cappuccino

$3.47 MX$64.1

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-9.87%

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

$1.60 MX$29.62

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-19.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.92

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$41.31

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-43.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.4

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-27.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.52

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 MX$41.31

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-11.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 MX$19.78

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-33.54%

Eggs

$2.19 MX$40.54

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-22.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 MX$145

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-23.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 MX$158

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-14.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 MX$133

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-45.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.42

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.42

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.42

$1.40 ARS 2,120

5.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.60

$1.21 ARS 1,835

32.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.57

$1.26 ARS 1,910

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 MX$19.03

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-39.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.55

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-51.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 MX$82.7

$4.29 ARS 6,505

4.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 MX$165

$5.70 ARS 8,645

56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.60

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.61

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-49.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.84

$0.75 ARS 1,141

-14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 MX$23.18

$1.57 ARS 2,375

-20.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$1.03 ARS 1,558

327.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.00 MX$203

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

39.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.50

$1.42 ARS 2,160

4.93%

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

$20.9K MX$386.5K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-25.16%

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

$24.2K MX$447.2K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-30.79%

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

$55.9 MX$1,033

$195 ARS 296.2K

-71.36%

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

$14.30 MX$264

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-43.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.07 MX$445

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-23.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.24 MX$448

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-52.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.42 MX$100

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-67.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.78 MX$88.3

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-53.77%

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

$212 MX$3,922

$463 ARS 703.2K

-54.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,953 MX$54.6K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-66.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.03 MX$814

$120 ARS 181.8K

-63.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.71 MX$309

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-82.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 MX$1,270

$114 ARS 173.1K

-39.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.6 MX$1,286

$139 ARS 211.4K

-50.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 MX$15.5K

$756 ARS 1.1M

11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$630 MX$11.6K

$520 ARS 788.8K

21.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 MX$27.8K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-5.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 MX$23.4K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

5.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,332 MX$61.6K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

22.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,734 MX$32.0K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-8.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 MX$10.4K

$938 ARS 1.4M

-40.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

57.25

-80.44%

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

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajijic

$630 49.7%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 17.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$222 17.6%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 27.4% $61

Eating Out

Ajijic

$171 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 64.8% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.4%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 167% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$90 7.1%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 136% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.7%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 112% $38

Getting Around

Ajijic

$26 * 2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 43.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $841 in Ajijic 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 67% 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 $44.00 in Ajijic versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $283 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

23:25 11:25 PM

3 h ahead of Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajijic Buenos Aires 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajijic
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

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

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,900 per month in Ajijic 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 Ajijic, 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 $1,267 in Ajijic and $1,656 in Buenos Aires. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $212 per month in Ajijic and $463 in Buenos Aires. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ajijic – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ajijic. 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.