Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cancun and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,428 in Cancun versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Cancun $1,428
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,290 in Cancun versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Cancun $2,290
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,152 in Cancun versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Cancun $3,152
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Cancun costs roughly 15% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cancun 7% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$205

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-40.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$1,003

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-15.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$208

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-12.27%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$71.0

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-3.02%

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

$1.38 MX$25.26

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-32.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.76

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.5

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-19.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.9

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-5.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.94

$1.44 ARS 2,181

13.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.81

$2.46 ARS 3,738

10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.27

$1.63 ARS 2,467

1.23%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$50.0

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$182

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-6.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$162

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-12.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$255

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

1.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$52.0

$2.75 ARS 4,166

2.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.66

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-23.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.7

$1.45 ARS 2,205

120.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.74

$1.99 ARS 3,013

8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.27

$1.24 ARS 1,885

63.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.95

$1.27 ARS 1,921

49.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.12

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.47

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-29.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.8

$4.18 ARS 6,337

7.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$184

$5.80 ARS 8,790

72.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.61

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-25.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$50.1

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-1.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.82

$0.75 ARS 1,132

-14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$526

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

5.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$82.5

$1.62 ARS 2,451

177.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.7

$0.98 ARS 1,481

204.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$250

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

76.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.84

$1.36 ARS 2,058

11.76%

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

$21.0K MX$385.8K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-24.99%

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

$24.5K MX$449.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-29.07%

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

$172 MX$3,166

$216 ARS 326.9K

-20.00%

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

$23.50 MX$431

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$697

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

21.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$616

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-32.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$248

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-20.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$135

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-29.72%

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

$205 MX$3,760

$466 ARS 706.7K

-56.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$100.4K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-39.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$1,008

$122 ARS 185.2K

-55.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$1,005

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-43.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,412

$117 ARS 177.4K

-34.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,732

$140 ARS 211.9K

-32.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.3K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-11.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,518

$505 ARS 766.1K

-8.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.2K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-13.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.7K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-9.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.5K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-52.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.4K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

6.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$15.0K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-14.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

57.25

-80.00%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 8.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 0.9% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 16.5% $39

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 37.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 69.6% $88

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 27.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 46.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Cancun and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 17% 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: $55.0 in Cancun vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

2 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun Buenos Aires 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
Buenos Aires

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

Cancun vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cancun and Buenos Aires differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,428 vs $1,685 including rent). Cancun is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $672 in Cancun versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $205 in Cancun versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,428 in Cancun versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cancun but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cancun 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, Cancun and Buenos Aires 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 Cancun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.