Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,428 in Cancun.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Cancun $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,290 in Cancun.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Cancun $2,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,152 in Cancun.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Cancun $3,152

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 18% more expensive than in Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Cancun 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$11.15 MX$205

67.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$54.6 MX$1,003

18.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$11.30 MX$208

13.98%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.86 MX$71.0

3.11%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.38 MX$25.26

48.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.80 MX$14.76

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$3.08 MX$56.5

24.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$4.35 MX$79.9

5.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.63 MX$29.94

-11.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.71 MX$49.81

-9.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.65 MX$30.27

-1.21%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.72 MX$50.0

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.93 MX$182

7.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$8.80 MX$162

13.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$13.88 MX$255

-1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.83 MX$52.0

-2.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.67 MX$30.66

30.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.20 MX$58.7

-54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.16 MX$39.74

-7.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$2.03 MX$37.27

-38.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.90 MX$34.95

-33.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.15 MX$21.12

47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.22 MX$22.47

41.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$4.51 MX$82.8

-7.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$10.03 MX$184

-42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.56 MX$28.61

33.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.73 MX$50.1

1.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.64 MX$11.82

17.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$28.64 MX$526

-5.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$4.50 MX$82.5

-64.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.98 MX$54.7

-67.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$13.62 MX$250

-43.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.52 MX$27.84

-10.53%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$21.0K MX$385.8K

33.31%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$24.5K MX$449.7K

40.99%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$172 MX$3,166

25.00%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$23.50 MX$431

8.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$37.97 MX$697

-17.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$33.57 MX$616

48.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$13.50 MX$248

26.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$7.33 MX$135

42.29%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$205 MX$3,760

127.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,468 MX$100.4K

65.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$54.9 MX$1,008

122.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$54.7 MX$1,005

78.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$76.9 MX$1,412

52.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$94.4 MX$1,732

48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$672 MX$12.3K

13.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$464 MX$8,518

8.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,375 MX$25.2K

16.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,075 MX$19.7K

10.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,281 MX$23.5K

109.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,985 MX$36.4K

-6.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$819 MX$15.0K

16.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.45

400.00%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Cancun

$464 32.9% 8.2% $41

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Cancun

$287 20.3% 0.9% $2.6

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Cancun

$202 14.3% 27.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Cancun

$234 16.6% 14.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Cancun

$126 9% 41% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Cancun

$48 3.4% 31.7% $22

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cancun

$51 3.6% 38.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $672 in Cancun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 17% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $55.0 in Cancun. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $287, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

20:54 8:54 PM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

888,797

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Cancun 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cancun differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,428 including rent). Cancun is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Buenos Aires, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $672 in Cancun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $205 in Cancun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,428 in Cancun versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cancun but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cancun 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, Buenos Aires and Cancun 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 Cancun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.