Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Zihuatanejo $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $1,824 in Zihuatanejo.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Zihuatanejo $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $2,517 in Zihuatanejo.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Zihuatanejo $2,517

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 46% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Zihuatanejo is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.2K

$10.86 MX$203

64.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 99.6K

$44.16 MX$827

47.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 20.1K

$8.74 MX$164

50.11%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,907

$3.48 MX$65.2

10.92%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,157

$1.36 MX$25.45

51.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,561

$1.02 MX$19.08

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,265

$2.45 MX$45.89

67.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,236

$3.98 MX$74.4

18.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,303

$1.66 MX$31.05

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,980

$2.55 MX$47.69

1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,398

$1.65 MX$30.90

-4.85%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,176

$2.44 MX$45.61

11.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.6K

$8.11 MX$152

33.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.4K

$8.52 MX$159

18.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.2K

$11.56 MX$216

14.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,287

$2.72 MX$51.0

2.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,194

$1.56 MX$29.27

33.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,210

$1.94 MX$36.39

-25.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,063

$1.77 MX$33.10

12.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,840

$1.94 MX$36.24

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,835

$1.88 MX$35.15

-36.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,589

$1.43 MX$26.71

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,732

$1.09 MX$20.47

64.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,120

$4.28 MX$80.1

-6.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,452

$10.27 MX$192

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,243

$1.82 MX$34.04

16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,244

$3.06 MX$57.3

-9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,057

$0.68 MX$12.77

1.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,490

$2.61 MX$48.93

-37.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,489

$2.02 MX$37.88

-51.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.1K

$11.18 MX$209

-29.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,172

$1.44 MX$26.93

-1.39%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.7M

$21.3K MX$398.4K

9.63%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.8M

$23.9K MX$447.0K

33.75%

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

$199 ARS 305.0K

$57.3 MX$1,072

248.32%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.7K

$23.00 MX$431

1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 48.1K

$29.80 MX$558

5.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 76.2K

$34.76 MX$651

43.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.4K

$20.02 MX$375

-16.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.5K

$5.14 MX$96.2

110.12%

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

$462 ARS 707.1K

$216 MX$4,041

114.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.4M

$4,526 MX$84.7K

94.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 183.0K

$55.5 MX$1,038

115.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 144.7K

$40.25 MX$753

135.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 177.7K

$98.5 MX$1,844

17.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 210.2K

$90.0 MX$1,684

52.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$596 MX$11.1K

25.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 786.4K

$384 MX$7,182

34.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,053 MX$19.7K

48.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$759 MX$14.2K

57.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$1,915 MX$35.8K

37.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.9M

$1,149 MX$21.5K

63.09%

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 Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 25.4% $131

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 7.3% $21

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 32.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 56.7% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 39.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 36.9% $26

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 58.4% $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 $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Buenos Aires vs $44 in Zihuatanejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $264 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

3 h behind Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

67,408

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.54 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1,529 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,715 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Zihuatanejo 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Zihuatanejo differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,131 including rent). Zihuatanejo 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 $1,696 in Zihuatanejo 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 $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $216 in Zihuatanejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zihuatanejo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $65 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo 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 Zihuatanejo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.