Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,128 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
Learn more

Acuna Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,128 in Acuna, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Acuna $1,128

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $1,861 in Acuna, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Acuna $1,861

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $2,594 in Acuna, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Acuna $2,594

Buenos Aires costs about 47% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Buenos Aires sits 23% above the global median, while Acuna is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$12.22 MX$226

56.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$40.26 MX$744

63.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$8.18 MX$151

61.37%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.04 MX$56.1

26.64%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.26 MX$23.26

57.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.16 MX$21.43

37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.25 MX$41.51

74.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.51 MX$64.9

31.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.82 MX$33.55

-17.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.58 MX$47.59

-1.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.73 MX$31.92

-6.94%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.50 MX$46.18

13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.88 MX$146

30.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.96 MX$147

25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$12.30 MX$227

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.08 MX$57.0

-6.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.52 MX$28.10

44.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.95 MX$35.95

-28.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.74 MX$32.16

13.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.95 MX$36.12

-37.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.86 MX$34.34

-32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.36 MX$25.17

25.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.22 MX$22.50

40.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.08 MX$75.3

5.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$10.98 MX$203

-48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.58 MX$29.24

37.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.32 MX$61.3

-16.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.59 MX$10.92

27.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.47 MX$45.72

-36.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.14 MX$39.55

-51.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$12.51 MX$231

-36.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.31 MX$24.23

8.40%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$22.6K MX$417.6K

23.68%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$26.6K MX$491.6K

31.44%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$55.5 MX$1,025

251.97%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$21.62 MX$399

16.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$29.24 MX$540

7.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$37.72 MX$697

34.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$19.85 MX$367

-15.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$5.30 MX$97.9

95.09%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$242 MX$4,477

91.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$4,625 MX$85.5K

90.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$55.0 MX$1,017

117.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$43.44 MX$803

119.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$111 MX$2,043

3.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$93.6 MX$1,729

48.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$543 MX$10.0K

39.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$367 MX$6,785

41.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$963 MX$17.8K

65.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$817 MX$15.1K

46.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$2,129 MX$39.4K

27.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,319 MX$24.4K

44.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.3

406.64%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Acuna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Acuna

$367 32.5% 29.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Acuna

$268 23.8% 5.3% $15

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Acuna

$187 16.5% 33.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Acuna

$106 9.4% 57.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Acuna

$136 12.1% 35.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Acuna

$48 4.3% 32.5% $23

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Acuna

$16 * 1.4% 58% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $543 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $40.00 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $268 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

00:37 12:37 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

160,225

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Acuna 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Acuna

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

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

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,693 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires and $40.00 in Acuna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Buenos Aires, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Acuna – 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 Acuna. 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.