Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Ajijic

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ajijic actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Buenos Aires $1,656
Ajijic $1,267

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

Buenos Aires $2,697
Ajijic $2,020

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

Buenos Aires $3,737
Ajijic $2,773

Buenos Aires costs about 31% more than Ajijic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$9.81 MX$181

94.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$43.69 MX$807

50.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$7.22 MX$133

82.83%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.47 MX$64.1

10.95%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.60 MX$29.62

24.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.24 MX$22.92

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.24 MX$41.31

75.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$3.32 MX$61.4

38.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.49 MX$27.52

0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.24 MX$41.31

12.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.07 MX$19.78

50.47%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.19 MX$40.54

29.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$7.84 MX$145

31.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$8.56 MX$158

16.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$7.21 MX$133

84.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.30 MX$42.42

25.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.32 MX$24.42

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.48 MX$27.42

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.71 MX$31.66

15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.60 MX$29.60

-24.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.38 MX$25.57

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.03 MX$19.03

66.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$0.84 MX$15.55

104.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.47 MX$82.7

-4.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$8.92 MX$165

-36.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.55 MX$28.60

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.39 MX$25.61

98.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.64 MX$11.84

17.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$1.25 MX$23.18

25.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$4.40 MX$81.3

-76.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$11.00 MX$203

-28.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.49 MX$27.50

-4.70%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$20.9K MX$386.5K

33.62%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.2K MX$447.2K

44.49%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$55.9 MX$1,033

249.19%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$14.30 MX$264

75.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$24.07 MX$445

31.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$24.24 MX$448

110.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$5.42 MX$100

208.67%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$4.78 MX$88.3

116.32%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$212 MX$3,922

118.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$2,953 MX$54.6K

197.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$44.03 MX$814

172.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$16.71 MX$309

471.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$68.7 MX$1,270

66.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$69.6 MX$1,286

100.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$841 MX$15.5K

-10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$630 MX$11.6K

-17.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,506 MX$27.8K

5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,267 MX$23.4K

-5.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$3,332 MX$61.6K

-18.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,734 MX$32.0K

9.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$562 MX$10.4K

66.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.2

411.16%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Ajijic

$630 49.7% 21.2% $110

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Ajijic

$222 17.6% 21.5% $61

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Ajijic

$171 13.5% 39.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Ajijic

$94 7.4% 62.6% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Ajijic

$90 7.1% 57.5% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Ajijic

$34 2.7% 52.8% $38

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Ajijic

$26 * 2% 30.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $841 in Ajijic. 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 $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $44.00 in Ajijic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $222 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🕒 Local time

02:58 2:58 AM

23:58 11:58 PM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

11,439

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Ajijic 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Ajijic

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 Ajijic: 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 $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $1,900 in Ajijic. 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 $1,656 in Buenos Aires and $1,267 in Ajijic. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Buenos Aires and $212 in Ajijic. 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.