Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Cuautla

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautla: $1,253 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
Learn more

Cuautla Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,253 in Cuautla.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Cuautla $1,253

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $1,999 in Cuautla.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Cuautla $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $2,745 in Cuautla.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Cuautla $2,745

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 32% more expensive than in Cuautla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Cuautla is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.03 MX$204

73.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$64.2 MX$1,186

2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$9.42 MX$174

40.13%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.71 MX$68.5

3.77%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.63 MX$30.20

22.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.04 MX$19.22

53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$3.27 MX$60.5

20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$5.54 MX$102

-16.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.92 MX$35.52

-21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.79 MX$51.6

-9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.94 MX$35.82

-17.01%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.75 MX$50.8

3.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.75 MX$162

17.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$9.17 MX$169

9.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$13.77 MX$255

-3.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.39 MX$62.7

-15.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.60 MX$29.55

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.14 MX$39.45

-34.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.94 MX$35.78

2.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.86 MX$34.37

-34.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.76 MX$32.51

-28.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.51 MX$27.96

13.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.19 MX$22.07

44.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$4.50 MX$83.2

-4.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$17.50 MX$323

-67.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.24 MX$41.32

-3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.95 MX$73.0

-30.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.63 MX$11.60

19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$3.23 MX$59.6

-51.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.54 MX$47.02

-59.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$11.09 MX$205

-28.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.31 MX$24.22

8.40%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$20.8K MX$384.9K

34.17%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.0K MX$444.0K

45.53%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$58.8 MX$1,087

231.86%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$26.84 MX$496

-6.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$24.52 MX$453

28.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$36.29 MX$671

40.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$20.97 MX$387

-20.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$7.36 MX$136

40.49%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$263 MX$4,865

76.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$5,033 MX$93.0K

74.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$51.9 MX$959

130.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$45.28 MX$837

110.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$99.8 MX$1,844

14.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$98.4 MX$1,817

41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$645 MX$11.9K

17.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$434 MX$8,019

19.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,182 MX$21.8K

34.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$736 MX$13.6K

62.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$1,712 MX$31.6K

58.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$1,075 MX$19.9K

76.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

11.99

377.48%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cuautla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Cuautla

$434 34.6% 16.5% $86

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Cuautla

$308 24.6% 8.6% $24

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Cuautla

$199 15.9% 29.3% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Cuautla

$110 8.8% 56.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Cuautla

$133 10.6% 37% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Cuautla

$51 4.1% 28.8% $21

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Cuautla

$18 * 1.5% 50.1% $19

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 $756 in Buenos Aires and $645 in Cuautla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $64.0 in Cuautla. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $308, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

04:17 4:17 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

157,336

💱 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 Cuautla 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Cuautla

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 Cuautla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Cuautla differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,253 including rent). Cuautla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,484 in Buenos Aires and $1,880 in Cuautla 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $645 in Cuautla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $263 in Cuautla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuautla – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,253 in Cuautla versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautla but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautla 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 Cuautla 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 Cuautla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.