Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cozumel and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cozumel
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,167
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,685
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cozumel 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 Cozumel and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

  • Cozumel $1,167
  • Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,884 in Cozumel versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

  • Cozumel $1,884
  • Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,602 in Cozumel versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

  • Cozumel $2,602
  • Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Cozumel costs roughly 31% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cozumel is 13% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 MX$158
$18.73 ARS 28.4K
-53.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.03 MX$819
$64.5 ARS 97.7K
-30.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.23 MX$150
$12.88 ARS 19.5K
-36.10%
Cappuccino
$2.79 MX$50.7
$3.98 ARS 6,027
-29.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$20.20
$2.05 ARS 3,102
-45.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 MX$18.62
$1.55 ARS 2,348
-34.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 MX$30.74
$3.84 ARS 5,828
-55.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 MX$57.7
$4.60 ARS 6,968
-31.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 MX$26.05
$1.44 ARS 2,180
-0.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 MX$29.92
$2.46 ARS 3,737
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.76 MX$32.02
$1.63 ARS 2,466
7.98%
Eggs
$1.89 MX$34.40
$2.89 ARS 4,384
-34.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.33 MX$188
$10.65 ARS 16.1K
-3.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.06 MX$147
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
-19.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.85 MX$234
$13.74 ARS 20.8K
-6.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.47 MX$44.91
$2.75 ARS 4,165
-10.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.40 MX$25.46
$2.18 ARS 3,299
-35.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.13 MX$38.71
$1.45 ARS 2,204
46.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 MX$27.90
$1.99 ARS 3,012
-23.12%
Potato (1kg)
$2.24 MX$40.74
$1.24 ARS 1,884
80.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 MX$32.13
$1.27 ARS 1,920
39.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$26.57
$1.70 ARS 2,574
-14.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$21.83
$1.73 ARS 2,616
-30.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 MX$80.6
$4.18 ARS 6,335
5.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.96 MX$199
$5.80 ARS 8,787
88.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$27.97
$2.09 ARS 3,162
-26.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 MX$46.70
$2.77 ARS 4,197
-7.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 MX$12.47
$0.75 ARS 1,131
-8.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.2 MX$1,222
$27.15 ARS 41.2K
147.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.84 MX$51.6
$1.62 ARS 2,450
75.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.97 MX$35.87
$0.98 ARS 1,480
101.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.29 MX$169
$7.72 ARS 11.7K
20.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.88
$1.36 ARS 2,057
0.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K MX$373.6K
$28.0K ARS 42.5M
-26.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.3K MX$442.7K
$34.5K ARS 52.3M
-29.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.7 MX$1,087
$216 ARS 326.8K
-72.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.99 MX$382
$25.61 ARS 38.8K
-18.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.26 MX$405
$31.36 ARS 47.5K
-29.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.08 MX$711
$49.82 ARS 75.5K
-21.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.46 MX$372
$17.06 ARS 25.9K
19.93%
Cinema Ticket
$6.13 MX$112
$10.43 ARS 15.8K
-41.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 MX$4,745
$466 ARS 706.5K
-44.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,671 MX$66.8K
$9,057 ARS 13.7M
-59.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.3 MX$988
$122 ARS 185.1K
-55.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.2 MX$985
$97.4 ARS 147.7K
-44.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 MX$1,893
$117 ARS 177.3K
-11.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.7 MX$1,541
$140 ARS 211.8K
-39.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$606 MX$11.0K
$763 ARS 1.2M
-20.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$399 MX$7,259
$505 ARS 765.8K
-21.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,619 MX$29.4K
$1,598 ARS 2.4M
1.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$767 MX$13.9K
$1,185 ARS 1.8M
-35.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,922 MX$35.0K
$2,678 ARS 4.1M
-28.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,163 MX$21.2K
$1,858 ARS 2.8M
-37.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cozumel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$662 MX$12.0K
$954 ARS 1.4M
-30.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.64
57.25
-79.67%

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

Last update for Cozumel: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cozumel
$399
Buenos Aires
$505 26.6% $106
Groceries & Markets
Cozumel
$257
Buenos Aires
$284 10.4% $27
Eating Out
Cozumel
$151
Buenos Aires
$279 84.5% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Cozumel
$134
Buenos Aires
$214 60.2% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cozumel
$103
Buenos Aires
$273 165% $170
Getting Around
Cozumel
$83
Buenos Aires
$37 55.7% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Cozumel
$51
Buenos Aires
$71 37.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $606 in Cozumel and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 44% 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: $45.00 in Cozumel vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $284 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Cozumel
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
20:12 8:12 PM
22:12 10:12 PM
2 h ahead of Cozumel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
77,236
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cozumel Buenos Aires 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cozumel
  • 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
Cozumel vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cozumel and in Buenos Aires?
Cozumel and Buenos Aires differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,685 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 44% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Cozumel and in Buenos Aires?
Rent for a central apartment: $606 in Cozumel versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Cozumel and Buenos Aires?
Childcare runs $261 in Cozumel versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Cozumel and Buenos Aires?
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.
Is Cozumel or Buenos Aires safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cozumel 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.
Where should expats move: Cozumel or Buenos Aires?
Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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