Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piedras Negras and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,137 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,137

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Piedras Negras versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Piedras Negras $1,137
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Piedras Negras versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Piedras Negras $1,838
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,539 in Piedras Negras versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Piedras Negras $2,539
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Piedras Negras costs roughly 31% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Piedras Negras is 16% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$205

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-41.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 MX$824

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-32.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 MX$156

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-35.98%

Cappuccino

$3.63 MX$67.1

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-5.71%

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

$1.42 MX$26.26

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-28.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.50

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 MX$46.72

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 MX$74.9

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-12.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$30.69

$1.50 ARS 2,272

10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$46.83

$2.53 ARS 3,837

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.52

$1.61 ARS 2,445

6.21%

Eggs

$2.45 MX$45.35

$2.84 ARS 4,316

-13.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 MX$155

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

-18.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 MX$150

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-18.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 MX$209

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.34

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-27.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.68

$1.40 ARS 2,120

34.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.98 ARS 3,004

-8.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$1.21 ARS 1,835

64.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.24

$1.26 ARS 1,910

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.36

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-13.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.1

$4.29 ARS 6,505

4.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 MX$196

$5.70 ARS 8,645

85.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 MX$57.7

$2.76 ARS 4,188

13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.55

$0.75 ARS 1,141

-9.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.22

$1.57 ARS 2,375

69.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.56

$1.03 ARS 1,558

118.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 MX$206

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

41.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.65

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-6.34%

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

$20.8K MX$385.2K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-25.42%

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

$24.0K MX$443.9K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-31.30%

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

$49.75 MX$919

$195 ARS 296.2K

-74.51%

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

$22.89 MX$423

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-9.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.83 MX$551

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-5.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.41 MX$636

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-32.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.06 MX$371

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

19.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 MX$98.0

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-48.65%

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

$221 MX$4,089

$463 ARS 703.2K

-52.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,069 MX$75.2K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-53.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 MX$1,018

$120 ARS 181.8K

-54.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 MX$752

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-57.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 MX$1,854

$114 ARS 173.1K

-12.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.7 MX$1,675

$139 ARS 211.4K

-34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.0K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,263

$520 ARS 788.8K

-24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 MX$19.2K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-34.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 MX$14.3K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-35.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,876 MX$34.7K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-30.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,173 MX$21.7K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-38.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,618 MX$29.9K

$938 ARS 1.4M

72.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

57.25

-80.26%

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

Last update for Piedras Negras: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Piedras Negras

$393 34.6%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 32.3% $127

Groceries & Markets

Piedras Negras

$263 23.1%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Piedras Negras

$188 16.6%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 49.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Piedras Negras

$129 11.3%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 63.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piedras Negras

$102 9%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 146% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Piedras Negras

$45 4%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 59% $27

Getting Around

Piedras Negras

$17 * 1.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 122% $20

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 $596 in Piedras Negras and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piedras Negras pays 73% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Piedras Negras vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $283 per month, with Piedras Negras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

01:17 1:17 AM

2 h ahead of Piedras Negras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,959

2,891,082 Capital

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Piedras Negras Buenos Aires 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Piedras Negras
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

Piedras Negras vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Piedras Negras and Buenos Aires differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,137 vs $1,656 including rent). Piedras Negras is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Piedras Negras, 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: $596 in Piedras Negras versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Piedras Negras versus $463 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 Piedras Negras – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,137 in Piedras Negras versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Piedras Negras but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Piedras Negras 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, Piedras Negras 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 Piedras Negras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.