Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rosario

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $942 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
Learn more

Rosario Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $942 in Rosario.

Mexico City $1,608
Rosario $942

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,654 in Rosario.

Mexico City $2,549
Rosario $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,366 in Rosario.

Mexico City $3,490
Rosario $2,366

Living in Mexico City is roughly 71% more expensive than in Rosario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Rosario is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$9.90 ARS 15.2K

7.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

26.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$11.44 ARS 17.6K

-9.53%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.96 ARS 4,555

24.66%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.78 ARS 2,735

-6.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.70 ARS 2,613

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$4.01 ARS 6,171

-20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.29 ARS 3,530

131.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.27 ARS 1,953

35.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.64 ARS 2,527

85.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.59 ARS 2,442

22.01%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.28 ARS 3,500

26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.44 ARS 13.0K

29.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.90 ARS 9,068

56.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

43.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.94 ARS 2,979

57.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.57 ARS 2,416

23.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.06 ARS 1,630

91.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.08 ARS 3,195

11.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.98 ARS 1,505

108.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.69 ARS 1,062

160.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.52 ARS 2,341

-2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.73 ARS 2,656

-26.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.32 ARS 5,111

59.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$4.71 ARS 7,251

241.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.22 ARS 1,870

62.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.72 ARS 4,180

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.01 ARS 1,554

-69.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.59 ARS 2,438

15.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.01 ARS 1,559

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.89 ARS 12.1K

-32.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.10 ARS 1,686

37.27%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$23.9K ARS 36.8M

-9.05%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$29.7K ARS 45.6M

-19.17%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

3.36%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$20.06 ARS 30.9K

36.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$27.30 ARS 42.0K

30.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$29.57 ARS 45.5K

99.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$21.98 ARS 33.8K

7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.93 ARS 7,583

29.82%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$240 ARS 369.6K

79.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$4,274 ARS 6.6M

167.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$91.6 ARS 140.9K

-25.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$59.1 ARS 90.9K

-10.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$114 ARS 176.0K

-5.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$136 ARS 209.5K

-13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$253 ARS 389.6K

339.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$199 ARS 305.5K

257.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$726 ARS 1.1M

256.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$654 ARS 1.0M

114.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,047 ARS 3.1M

77.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,380 ARS 2.1M

54.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$686 ARS 1.1M

37.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

57.25

-80.17%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rosario: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Rosario

$199 21.1% 72% $512

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Rosario

$217 23% 32.1% $103

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Rosario

$188 19.9% 5.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Rosario

$181 19.2% 15.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Rosario

$108 11.5% 14.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Rosario

$39 4.2% 45% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Rosario

$11 * 1.1% 58% $15

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $253 in Rosario. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 38% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $38 in Rosario for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $217 per month, with Rosario cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇷 Rosario

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,029,619

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Rosario 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Rosario

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 Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $942 in Rosario, so Rosario is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $253 in Rosario. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $240 in Rosario. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rosario – a meal for two runs $38 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $942 in Rosario versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rosario but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Rosario the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rosario is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Rosario wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.