Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,458 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
Learn more

Queretaro Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,458 in Queretaro.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Queretaro $1,458

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,209 in Queretaro.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Queretaro $2,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $2,960 in Queretaro.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Queretaro $2,960

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 16% more expensive than in Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Queretaro 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$11.24 MX$206

66.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$64.3 MX$1,180

0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.59 MX$176

34.31%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$3.59 MX$65.9

10.86%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.61 MX$29.54

27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.10 MX$20.20

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$3.26 MX$59.8

17.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$5.55 MX$102

-17.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.96 MX$35.97

-26.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.77 MX$50.9

-11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$2.04 MX$37.38

-20.10%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.70 MX$49.58

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$9.21 MX$169

15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$8.86 MX$163

12.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$13.80 MX$253

-0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.40 MX$62.4

-19.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.68 MX$30.78

29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.16 MX$39.65

-32.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.92 MX$35.33

3.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.86 MX$34.06

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.82 MX$33.43

-30.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.55 MX$28.37

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.25 MX$22.99

38.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$4.64 MX$85.2

-9.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$18.28 MX$336

-68.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.19 MX$40.22

-4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$3.91 MX$71.9

-29.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.60 MX$11.00

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$26.03 MX$478

4.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.25 MX$59.6

-50.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$2.57 MX$47.11

-61.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$10.88 MX$200

-29.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.58 MX$29.07

-13.92%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$21.5K MX$394.9K

30.22%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$24.4K MX$447.5K

41.69%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$58.0 MX$1,065

271.80%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$27.03 MX$496

-5.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$24.66 MX$453

27.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$57.1 MX$1,048

-12.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$25.02 MX$459

-31.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$7.54 MX$138

38.33%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$269 MX$4,934

73.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$5,127 MX$94.1K

76.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$52.8 MX$969

131.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$44.39 MX$815

119.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$102 MX$1,871

14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$101 MX$1,845

39.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$850 MX$15.6K

-10.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$574 MX$10.5K

-11.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,460 MX$26.8K

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$849 MX$15.6K

39.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$2,208 MX$40.5K

21.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,244 MX$22.8K

49.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$943 MX$17.3K

1.19%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Queretaro

$574 39.7% 13.5% $68

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Queretaro

$311 21.5% 9.3% $27

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Queretaro

$200 13.8% 28.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Queretaro

$110 7.6% 59.8% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Queretaro

$135 9.3% 37.1% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Queretaro

$72 5% 2.1% $1.5

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Queretaro

$45 3.1% 21.5% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $850 in Queretaro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 1% 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 $64.0 in Queretaro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $311 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

804,663

💱 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 = 1,699 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 = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Queretaro 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Queretaro

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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Queretaro differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,458 including rent). Queretaro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% 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 $850 in Queretaro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $269 in Queretaro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,458 in Queretaro versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Queretaro but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Queretaro 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 Queretaro 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 Queretaro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.