Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Catamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Catamarca: $1,261 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
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Catamarca Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Catamarca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,261 in Catamarca.

Mexico City $1,674
Catamarca $1,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,111 in Catamarca.

Mexico City $2,606
Catamarca $2,111

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,960 in Catamarca.

Mexico City $3,537
Catamarca $2,960

Living in Mexico City is roughly 33% more expensive than in Catamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Catamarca is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$16.84 ARS 26.1K

-37.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$56.0 ARS 86.8K

-7.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$13.10 ARS 20.3K

-18.09%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$3.80 ARS 5,888

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.20 ARS 3,405

-26.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.94 ARS 3,004

-37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$3.66 ARS 5,672

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.03 ARS 6,256

34.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.40 ARS 2,165

22.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.19 ARS 3,398

35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.78 ARS 2,757

8.43%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.67 ARS 4,136

3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$11.66 ARS 18.1K

0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$7.64 ARS 11.8K

24.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$11.35 ARS 17.6K

35.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.49 ARS 3,863

24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.24 ARS 3,479

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.49 ARS 2,314

32.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$2.72 ARS 4,211

-13.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.07 ARS 1,652

88.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.01 ARS 1,561

80.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.55 ARS 2,407

-15.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.23 ARS 5,010

65.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$5.06 ARS 7,839

219.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.07 ARS 3,204

-5.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.39 ARS 5,250

28.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.01 ARS 1,569

-70.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.53 ARS 2,377

25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.23 ARS 1,906

20.33%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$25.1K ARS 38.9M

-14.75%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$31.9K ARS 49.5M

-25.59%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$126 ARS 195.8K

-50.92%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$17.09 ARS 26.5K

66.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$24.50 ARS 38.0K

39.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$30.76 ARS 47.7K

89.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$20.95 ARS 32.5K

16.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$9.27 ARS 14.4K

-28.91%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$239 ARS 371.3K

81.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$4,207 ARS 6.5M

233.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$113 ARS 175.6K

-39.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$83.0 ARS 128.6K

-33.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$113 ARS 175.1K

-1.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$117 ARS 182.0K

-1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$516 ARS 799.7K

128.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$326 ARS 506.1K

136.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,079 ARS 1.7M

138.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$809 ARS 1.3M

75.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,258 ARS 2.0M

64.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Catamarca: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Catamarca

$326 25.9% 57.7% $444

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Catamarca

$257 * 20.4% 20.4% $66

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Catamarca

$263 20.8% 30.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Catamarca

$192 15.2% 21.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Catamarca

$168 13.3% 34.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Catamarca

$49 3.9% 31.1% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Catamarca

$5.6 * 0.4% 77.7% $19

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $516 in Catamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $56 in Catamarca. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $257, with Catamarca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

160,058

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.73 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,551 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,745 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.73 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Catamarca 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Catamarca

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 Catamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catamarca wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Catamarca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,892 in Catamarca 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $516 in Catamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,674 per month in Mexico City versus $1,261 in Catamarca – Catamarca is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Catamarca is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.