Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
Learn more

Tulum Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,252 in Tulum.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Tulum $1,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,131 in Tulum.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Tulum $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,010 in Tulum.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Tulum $3,010

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Tulum is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$8.26 MX$150

126.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

$56.4 MX$1,026

14.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$8.13 MX$148

58.43%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,027

$3.87 MX$70.4

2.84%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,102

$1.14 MX$20.80

79.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$1.18 MX$21.42

31.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,828

$2.94 MX$53.5

30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,968

$3.80 MX$69.1

21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,180

$1.58 MX$28.75

-8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,737

$2.00 MX$36.31

23.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,466

$1.74 MX$31.71

-6.32%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,384

$1.89 MX$34.29

52.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$5.55 MX$101

91.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.93 MX$144

26.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$9.09 MX$165

51.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,165

$2.66 MX$48.31

3.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,299

$1.42 MX$25.75

53.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,204

$1.52 MX$27.67

-4.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,012

$1.50 MX$27.34

32.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,884

$2.28 MX$41.45

-45.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,920

$1.86 MX$33.77

-31.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$1.51 MX$27.40

12.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,616

$0.83 MX$15.11

108.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,335

$4.39 MX$79.9

-4.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,787

$8.35 MX$152

-30.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,162

$1.39 MX$25.31

50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,197

$1.32 MX$24.00

109.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,131

$1.40 MX$25.48

-46.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,450

$2.81 MX$51.2

-42.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$2.44 MX$44.47

-59.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$5.58 MX$102

38.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,057

$1.52 MX$27.71

-10.53%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$21.4K MX$389.2K

30.90%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

$23.8K MX$433.0K

45.07%

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

$216 ARS 326.8K

$106 MX$1,927

103.46%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$16.87 MX$307

51.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

$34.97 MX$636

-10.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

$34.35 MX$625

45.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$6.45 MX$117

61.71%

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

$466 ARS 706.5K

$263 MX$4,776

77.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$3,022 MX$55.0K

199.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.1K

$42.26 MX$769

188.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

$33.26 MX$605

192.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.3K

$97.4 MX$1,772

20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.8K

$60.2 MX$1,095

132.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$614 MX$11.2K

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 765.8K

$539 MX$9,808

-6.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,504 MX$27.4K

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,316 MX$23.9K

-9.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$3,162 MX$57.5K

-15.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$1,818 MX$33.1K

2.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$784 MX$14.3K

21.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

10.8

430.09%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Tulum

$539 42.8% 6.7% $34

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Tulum

$222 17.6% 21.8% $62

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Tulum

$169 13.4% 39.6% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Tulum

$158 12.5% 42.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Tulum

$105 8.3% 51% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Tulum

$47 3.8% 33.2% $23

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Tulum

$21 * 1.6% 43.7% $16

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $614 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 22% 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 $56.0 in Tulum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $222 per month, with Tulum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

2 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

46,721

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Tulum 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Tulum differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,252 including rent). Tulum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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 $614 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $263 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,252 in Tulum versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum 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 Tulum 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 Tulum 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.