Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Juan, Argentina

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $891 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in San Juan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $891 in San Juan.

Mexico City $1,608
San Juan $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,398 in San Juan.

Mexico City $2,549
San Juan $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,904 in San Juan.

Mexico City $3,490
San Juan $1,904

Living in Mexico City is roughly 80% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, San Juan is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$7.16 ARS 11.1K

48.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$39.73 ARS 61.4K

21.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$12.51 ARS 19.3K

-17.27%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$2.62 ARS 4,048

40.84%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$2.19 ARS 3,380

-23.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$1.82 ARS 2,810

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$3.96 ARS 6,121

-19.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$4.56 ARS 7,042

16.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.35 ARS 2,084

27.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$1.38 ARS 2,131

120.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.39 ARS 2,147

39.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$1.45 ARS 2,237

99.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$2.90 ARS 4,483

278.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.37 ARS 9,843

45.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$10.75 ARS 16.6K

40.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$1.45 ARS 2,238

110.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.38 ARS 2,133

40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$1.37 ARS 2,112

48.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$1.45 ARS 2,233

59.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$1.46 ARS 2,254

39.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$1.38 ARS 2,136

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$1.39 ARS 2,147

6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$1.46 ARS 2,251

-13.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$2.69 ARS 4,157

97.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$4.95 ARS 7,650

225.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$1.46 ARS 2,251

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$1.43 ARS 2,214

197.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$1.04 ARS 1,603

-70.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$2.03 ARS 3,139

-9.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$0.97 ARS 1,501

-45.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$5.04 ARS 7,792

5.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.13 ARS 1,749

33.63%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$26.8K ARS 41.4M

-18.77%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$33.6K ARS 52.0M

-28.68%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$141 ARS 217.8K

-55.33%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$9.91 ARS 15.3K

176.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$17.96 ARS 27.7K

98.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$29.64 ARS 45.8K

98.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.96 ARS 10.8K

-8.05%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$173 ARS 267.6K

149.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

175.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$108 ARS 166.2K

-36.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$42.19 ARS 65.2K

25.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$56.8 ARS 87.8K

89.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$36.24 ARS 56.0K

223.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$248 ARS 382.6K

349.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$198 ARS 305.2K

259.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$500 ARS 772.8K

417.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$408 ARS 629.8K

244.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$696 ARS 1.1M

36.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-78.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

San Juan

$198 22.2% 72.2% $513

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 40.6% $130

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

San Juan

$171 19.2% 13.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

San Juan

$109 12.3% 29.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

San Juan

$169 19% 34% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

San Juan

$44 4.9% 39.3% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 56.6% $14

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 $248 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 36% 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 $40 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $190 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

522,029

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,732 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City San Juan 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $891 in San Juan, so San Juan is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $248 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $173 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Juan – a meal for two runs $40 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Juan 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.

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