Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,011 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,011

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,011 in Cuernavaca versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Cuernavaca $1,011
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,692 in Cuernavaca versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Cuernavaca $1,692
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,373 in Cuernavaca versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Cuernavaca $2,373
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Cuernavaca costs roughly 39% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cuernavaca is 25% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.05 MX$149

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-57.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.27 MX$707

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-41.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 MX$134

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-45.15%

Cappuccino

$2.43 MX$44.98

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-36.88%

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

$1.27 MX$23.43

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-36.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MX$11.60

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-60.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 MX$46.29

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-36.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 MX$60.3

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-29.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.33

$1.50 ARS 2,272

13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-12.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.52

$1.61 ARS 2,445

-10.56%

Eggs

$1.92 MX$35.49

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-32.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 MX$149

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-21.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 MX$90.4

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-51.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 MX$255

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

3.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 MX$41.24

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-22.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.02

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-38.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.07

$1.40 ARS 2,120

55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.92

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-15.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.62

$1.21 ARS 1,835

41.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.06

$1.26 ARS 1,910

38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.25

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 MX$16.78

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-47.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$81.2

$4.29 ARS 6,505

2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 MX$151

$5.70 ARS 8,645

42.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.55

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-43.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 MX$61.4

$2.76 ARS 4,188

20.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.51

$0.75 ARS 1,141

-24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.69 MX$512

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

1.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 MX$35.20

$1.57 ARS 2,375

21.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 MX$48.52

$1.03 ARS 1,558

155.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.93 MX$202

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

38.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.42 ARS 2,160

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

$21.0K MX$387.9K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-24.90%

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

$24.1K MX$444.6K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-31.19%

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

$57.3 MX$1,059

$195 ARS 296.2K

-70.66%

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

$18.78 MX$347

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-25.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.19 MX$465

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.75 MX$476

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-49.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 MX$100

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-47.39%

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

$217 MX$4,018

$463 ARS 703.2K

-53.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,075 MX$93.8K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-42.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.29 MX$763

$120 ARS 181.8K

-65.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.18 MX$613

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-65.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MX$1,719

$114 ARS 173.1K

-18.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 MX$1,832

$139 ARS 211.4K

-28.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,110

$756 ARS 1.1M

-49.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 MX$6,140

$520 ARS 788.8K

-36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.7K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-39.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 MX$14.9K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-32.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$870 MX$16.1K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-67.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$606 MX$11.2K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-68.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$649 MX$12.0K

$938 ARS 1.4M

-30.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

57.25

-80.09%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuernavaca

$332 32.9%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 56.4% $188

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$234 23.1%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 21.3% $50

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$142 14.1%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 98.4% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$120 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 75.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$101 10%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 149% $151

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$45 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 17.8% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$37 3.6%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 95.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $385 in Cuernavaca and $756 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: $38.00 in Cuernavaca vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $283 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

3 h ahead of Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Cuernavaca Buenos Aires 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuernavaca
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

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

Cuernavaca and Buenos Aires differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($1,011 vs $1,656 including rent). Cuernavaca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $385 in Cuernavaca versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Cuernavaca versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,011 in Cuernavaca versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca 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, Cuernavaca 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 Cuernavaca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.