Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Manzanillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,230 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Manzanillo
Learn more

Manzanillo Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,230 in Manzanillo.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Manzanillo $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $2,152 in Manzanillo.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Manzanillo $2,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $3,075 in Manzanillo.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Manzanillo $3,075

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 35% more expensive than in Manzanillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 23% above, Manzanillo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$11.10 MX$205

71.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$32.44 MX$599

102.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$10.83 MX$200

21.88%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$3.58 MX$66.2

7.54%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$1.17 MX$21.59

70.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$1.17 MX$21.54

36.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$2.16 MX$40.00

81.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.39 MX$81.1

5.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$1.48 MX$27.40

1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$2.60 MX$47.96

-2.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$1.20 MX$22.26

34.17%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$2.09 MX$38.64

35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$8.28 MX$153

24.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$5.41 MX$100

84.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$9.93 MX$184

33.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$2.93 MX$54.2

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.42 MX$26.31

54.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$1.78 MX$32.89

-21.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$1.52 MX$28.14

30.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$2.23 MX$41.12

-45.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.69 MX$31.24

-25.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.87 MX$34.57

-8.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.20 MX$22.10

43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$5.44 MX$100

-21.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$6.62 MX$122

-13.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$1.83 MX$33.77

18.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$2.52 MX$46.60

9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$0.75 MX$13.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$2.41 MX$44.55

-34.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$2.43 MX$44.84

-57.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$9.40 MX$174

-15.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$1.36 MX$25.17

4.41%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$20.9K MX$386.6K

33.58%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$24.4K MX$450.4K

43.46%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$65.5 MX$1,211

197.92%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$19.83 MX$367

26.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$29.37 MX$543

7.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$65.3 MX$1,206

-21.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$33.01 MX$610

-49.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$4.46 MX$82.4

131.84%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$163 MX$3,016

183.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$7,172 MX$132.5K

22.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$43.02 MX$795

178.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$24.85 MX$459

284.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$75.6 MX$1,397

50.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$120 MX$2,213

16.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$684 MX$12.6K

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$479 MX$8,845

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$1,519 MX$28.1K

4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$1,373 MX$25.4K

-12.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$409 MX$7,563

129.12%

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 Manzanillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Manzanillo

$479 38.9% 7.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Manzanillo

$233 18.9% 17.8% $50

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Manzanillo

$193 15.7% 31.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Manzanillo

$115 9.3% 54.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Manzanillo

$118 9.6% 43.8% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Manzanillo

$74 6% 3.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.4% 52.5% $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 $684 in Manzanillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 129% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $32.00 in Manzanillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $233 per month, with Manzanillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

22:10 10:10 PM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

159,853

💱 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 Manzanillo 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Manzanillo

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 Manzanillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Manzanillo differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $1,230 including rent). Manzanillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 129% 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $684 in Manzanillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $163 in Manzanillo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Manzanillo – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manzanillo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Manzanillo 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 Manzanillo 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 Manzanillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.