Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and San Felipe

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,106 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
Learn more

San Felipe Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in San Felipe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,106 in San Felipe.

Buenos Aires $1,646
San Felipe $1,106

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,777 in San Felipe.

Buenos Aires $2,680
San Felipe $1,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,448 in San Felipe.

Buenos Aires $3,714
San Felipe $2,448

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 49% more expensive than in San Felipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, San Felipe is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$7.35 MX$136

142.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$43.63 MX$806

49.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$8.27 MX$153

58.65%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$3.49 MX$64.4

10.60%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$1.35 MX$24.91

52.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.05 MX$19.41

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$2.45 MX$45.34

67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$4.10 MX$75.8

15.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.64 MX$30.38

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$2.54 MX$46.89

2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.72 MX$31.80

-8.72%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$2.53 MX$46.82

7.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$8.42 MX$156

28.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$8.46 MX$156

19.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$11.72 MX$217

12.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$2.67 MX$49.26

4.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$1.53 MX$28.23

36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.89 MX$35.02

-23.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$1.83 MX$33.76

9.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.99 MX$36.84

-39.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$1.87 MX$34.64

-35.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.43 MX$26.39

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$1.08 MX$20.02

65.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$4.50 MX$83.1

-11.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$10.26 MX$190

-46.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$1.75 MX$32.42

21.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$3.07 MX$56.8

-9.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$0.63 MX$11.65

9.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$2.63 MX$48.65

-38.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$1.93 MX$35.73

-49.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$11.06 MX$204

-28.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.45 MX$26.73

-2.07%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$21.4K MX$395.3K

9.09%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$24.5K MX$452.2K

30.52%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$57.9 MX$1,070

244.47%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$23.12 MX$427

1.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$29.50 MX$545

6.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$33.66 MX$622

47.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$20.47 MX$378

-18.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$5.36 MX$99.0

101.49%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$219 MX$4,051

110.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$4,580 MX$84.6K

91.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$54.2 MX$1,002

120.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$40.18 MX$742

135.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$99.7 MX$1,842

16.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$90.0 MX$1,662

52.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$617 MX$11.4K

21.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$389 MX$7,184

32.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,059 MX$19.6K

47.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$757 MX$14.0K

58.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,934 MX$35.7K

36.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,147 MX$21.2K

63.47%

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 San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

San Felipe

$389 35.1% 24.4% $126

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

San Felipe

$265 23.9% 7% $20

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

San Felipe

$156 14.1% 43.1% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

San Felipe

$111 10% 56.5% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

San Felipe

$128 11.6% 39.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

San Felipe

$44 4% 37.9% $27

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3% 60.1% $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 $617 in San Felipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $44.00 in San Felipe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $265 per month, with San Felipe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

28,452

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 San Felipe 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
San Felipe

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 San Felipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and San Felipe differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,106 including rent). San Felipe 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 $1,660 in San Felipe 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 $617 in San Felipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $219 in San Felipe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Felipe – 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 $1,106 in San Felipe versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in San Felipe but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes San Felipe 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 San Felipe 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 San Felipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.