Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cafayate

For one person, living is cheaper in Cafayate: $1,244 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
Learn more

Cafayate Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Cafayate

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,244 in Cafayate, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Cafayate $1,244

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $2,042 in Cafayate, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Cafayate $2,042

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $2,839 in Cafayate, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Cafayate $2,839

Mexico City costs about 26% more than Cafayate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Cafayate is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$16.65 ARS 25.3K

-35.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$57.2 ARS 86.8K

-12.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$12.70 ARS 19.3K

-12.60%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.79 ARS 5,758

-2.90%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.17 ARS 3,299

-23.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.83 ARS 2,778

-28.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$4.01 ARS 6,086

-17.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.21 ARS 6,395

31.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.25 ARS 1,894

41.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.48 ARS 3,768

22.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$2.03 ARS 3,076

-0.99%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.79 ARS 4,232

-0.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$9.95 ARS 15.1K

19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$8.36 ARS 12.7K

11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$11.95 ARS 18.1K

25.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.54 ARS 3,862

21.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.31 ARS 3,498

-15.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.75 ARS 2,655

16.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.66 ARS 4,039

-16.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.02 ARS 1,548

98.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.90 ARS 1,365

102.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.72 ARS 2,612

-25.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.79 ARS 5,754

39.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$5.24 ARS 7,945

207.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.11 ARS 3,202

-7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.19 ARS 4,842

33.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.09 ARS 1,647

-71.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.70 ARS 2,579

17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.34 ARS 2,036

13.43%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$31.5K ARS 47.8M

-33.17%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$38.1K ARS 57.8M

-33.89%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$107 ARS 161.9K

-41.43%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$19.80 ARS 30.1K

45.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$25.60 ARS 38.9K

34.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$31.21 ARS 47.4K

82.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

-15.57%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$255 ARS 387.5K

68.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$96.3 ARS 146.1K

-26.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$121 ARS 183.1K

-9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$120 ARS 182.4K

-6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$443 ARS 671.6K

137.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$362 ARS 549.4K

83.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,042 ARS 1.6M

125.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$798 ARS 1.2M

53.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cafayate: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Cafayate

$362 29.1% 45.6% $303

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Cafayate

$264 * 21.2% 18.2% $59

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Cafayate

$261 21% 28.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Cafayate

$152 * 12.2% 1.9% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Cafayate

$152 12.2% 21% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Cafayate

$47 3.8% 33.3% $23

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Cafayate

$6 * 0.5% 76.6% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $443 in Cafayate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $57.0 in Cafayate. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $264 in Cafayate – so Cafayate wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

23:51 11:51 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

14,850

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cafayate 6,200 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cafayate

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

Mexico City vs Cafayate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City, $1,244 in Cafayate – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,866 in Cafayate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cafayate, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $57.0 in Cafayate. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cafayate, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Cafayate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,244 in Cafayate to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cafayate. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.