Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cuauhtémoc

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc: $1,133 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

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

Cost of Living Index in Cuauhtémoc
Learn more

Cuauhtémoc Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Cuauhtémoc

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,133 in Cuauhtémoc.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Cuauhtémoc $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,825 in Cuauhtémoc.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Cuauhtémoc $1,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,517 in Cuauhtémoc.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Cuauhtémoc $2,517

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 45% more expensive than in Cuauhtémoc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Cuauhtémoc is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$11.03 MX$204

61.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$44.20 MX$817

47.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$8.32 MX$154

57.69%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$3.51 MX$64.9

9.97%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.40 MX$25.79

47.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.06 MX$19.65

58.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.49 MX$45.98

64.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$3.91 MX$72.3

20.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.58 MX$29.15

-4.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$2.67 MX$49.41

-2.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.65 MX$30.58

-4.85%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.42 MX$44.72

12.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$8.06 MX$149

34.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$8.23 MX$152

22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$11.42 MX$211

15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$2.81 MX$51.8

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.51 MX$27.90

38.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.93 MX$35.75

-24.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$1.83 MX$33.84

9.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$2.01 MX$37.06

-40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.81 MX$33.47

-33.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.42 MX$26.20

19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$1.09 MX$20.14

64.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$4.47 MX$82.6

-10.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$10.53 MX$195

-47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.82 MX$33.71

16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$3.09 MX$57.0

-10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.67 MX$12.46

2.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$2.67 MX$49.30

-38.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$1.93 MX$35.58

-49.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$10.95 MX$202

-27.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.45 MX$26.74

-2.07%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$21.5K MX$397.0K

8.62%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$24.5K MX$453.0K

30.29%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$58.5 MX$1,080

241.23%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$22.66 MX$419

3.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$29.34 MX$542

7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$33.58 MX$621

48.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$19.88 MX$367

-16.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$5.24 MX$96.8

106.11%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$218 MX$4,023

112.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$4,546 MX$84.0K

93.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$55.4 MX$1,023

116.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$41.12 MX$760

130.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$102 MX$1,876

14.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$90.0 MX$1,664

52.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$601 MX$11.1K

24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$385 MX$7,114

33.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,056 MX$19.5K

48.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$758 MX$14.0K

57.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,904 MX$35.2K

38.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,153 MX$21.3K

62.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 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 19, 2026

Last update for Cuauhtémoc: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Cuauhtémoc

$385 34% 25.1% $129

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Cuauhtémoc

$263 23.2% 7.6% $22

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Cuauhtémoc

$185 16.4% 32.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Cuauhtémoc

$110 9.8% 56.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Cuauhtémoc

$130 11.4% 38.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Cuauhtémoc

$44 3.9% 38.3% $27

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Cuauhtémoc

$15 * 1.3% 59.7% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $601 in Cuauhtémoc. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $44.00 in Cuauhtémoc for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $263 per month, with Cuauhtémoc cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Cuauhtémoc

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

545,884

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Cuauhtémoc 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cuauhtémoc

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 Cuauhtémoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cuauhtémoc differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,133 including rent). Cuauhtémoc is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,468 in Buenos Aires and $1,699 in Cuauhtémoc to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $601 in Cuauhtémoc. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $218 in Cuauhtémoc. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuauhtémoc – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,133 in Cuauhtémoc versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuauhtémoc but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cuauhtémoc 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 Cuauhtémoc 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 Cuauhtémoc gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.