Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,087 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,087

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,087 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Isla Mujeres $1,087
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,747 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Isla Mujeres $1,747
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,407 in Isla Mujeres versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Isla Mujeres $2,407
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 35% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isla Mujeres is 19% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.60 MX$193

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-43.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 MX$714

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-39.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 MX$147

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-37.42%

Cappuccino

$3.38 MX$61.8

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-15.08%

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

$1.24 MX$22.59

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-39.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.61

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-38.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$40.87

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.3

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.12

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-0.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.25

$2.46 ARS 3,738

7.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.74

$1.63 ARS 2,467

-3.68%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$43.51

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 MX$150

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-22.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 MX$146

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$197

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.58

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-1.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.58

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-35.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.53

$1.45 ARS 2,205

22.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.19

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-17.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.66

$1.24 ARS 1,885

48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.22

$1.27 ARS 1,921

51.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$22.92

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-25.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$17.72

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-43.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$78.0

$4.18 ARS 6,337

2.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 MX$195

$5.80 ARS 8,790

83.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.30

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-25.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MX$50.0

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$11.98

$0.75 ARS 1,132

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$48.47

$1.62 ARS 2,451

63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 MX$27.81

$0.98 ARS 1,481

55.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 MX$153

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

8.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.25

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-2.21%

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

$21.2K MX$387.4K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-24.25%

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

$22.8K MX$416.8K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-33.88%

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

$56.0 MX$1,023

$216 ARS 326.9K

-74.01%

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

$22.35 MX$408

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.89 MX$509

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

-11.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 MX$673

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-26.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.02 MX$292

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-6.10%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$85.4

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-55.13%

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

$206 MX$3,758

$466 ARS 706.7K

-55.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,587 MX$65.5K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-60.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 MX$984

$122 ARS 185.2K

-55.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 MX$724

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-59.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 MX$1,630

$117 ARS 177.4K

-23.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 MX$1,423

$140 ARS 211.9K

-44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,466

$763 ARS 1.2M

-32.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,123

$505 ARS 766.1K

-22.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 MX$16.9K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-42.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MX$13.9K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-35.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,785 MX$32.6K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 MX$21.1K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-37.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

57.25

-79.95%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 6, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla Mujeres

$390 35.4%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 29.5% $115

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$252 22.8%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 12.9% $32

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$177 16.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 57.5% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$117 10.7%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 82.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$106 9.7%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 157% $166

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.2%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 53% $24

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 184% $24

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 $518 in Isla Mujeres and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Isla Mujeres vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $284 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

2 h ahead of Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Isla Mujeres Buenos Aires 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
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

Isla Mujeres vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isla Mujeres and Buenos Aires differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,087 vs $1,685 including rent). Isla Mujeres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,631 in Isla Mujeres and $2,528 in Buenos Aires 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: $518 in Isla Mujeres versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $206 in Isla Mujeres versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Isla Mujeres – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,087 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres 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, Isla Mujeres 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 Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.