Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,458 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,458

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,458 in Queretaro versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Queretaro $1,458
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,209 in Queretaro versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Queretaro $2,209
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,960 in Queretaro versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Queretaro $2,960
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Queretaro costs roughly 14% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queretaro 9% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MX$206

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-39.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.3 MX$1,180

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 MX$176

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-25.54%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$65.9

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-9.80%

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

$1.61 MX$29.54

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.20

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-15.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 MX$102

$4.60 ARS 6,970

20.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MX$35.97

$1.44 ARS 2,181

36.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 MX$50.9

$2.46 ARS 3,738

12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.38

$1.63 ARS 2,467

25.15%

Eggs

$2.70 MX$49.58

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-6.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 MX$169

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-13.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 MX$163

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-11.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 MX$253

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

0.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 MX$62.4

$2.75 ARS 4,166

23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 MX$30.78

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.65

$1.45 ARS 2,205

48.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.33

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-3.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.06

$1.24 ARS 1,885

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.43

$1.27 ARS 1,921

43.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 MX$28.37

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$22.99

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-27.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$85.2

$4.18 ARS 6,337

11.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 MX$336

$5.80 ARS 8,790

215.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 MX$40.22

$2.09 ARS 3,163

4.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 MX$71.9

$2.77 ARS 4,198

41.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 MX$11.00

$0.75 ARS 1,132

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.03 MX$478

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-4.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 MX$59.6

$1.62 ARS 2,451

100.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 MX$47.11

$0.98 ARS 1,481

162.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.88 MX$200

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

40.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.07

$1.36 ARS 2,058

16.18%

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

$21.5K MX$394.9K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-23.21%

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

$24.4K MX$447.5K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-29.42%

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

$58.0 MX$1,065

$216 ARS 326.9K

-73.10%

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

$27.03 MX$496

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

5.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.66 MX$453

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

-21.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,048

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

14.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.02 MX$459

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

46.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 MX$138

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-27.71%

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

$269 MX$4,934

$466 ARS 706.7K

-42.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,127 MX$94.1K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-43.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 MX$969

$122 ARS 185.2K

-56.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.39 MX$815

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-54.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,871

$117 ARS 177.4K

-12.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 MX$1,845

$140 ARS 211.9K

-28.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$850 MX$15.6K

$763 ARS 1.2M

11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.5K

$505 ARS 766.1K

13.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 MX$26.8K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-8.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$849 MX$15.6K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-28.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,208 MX$40.5K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-17.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,244 MX$22.8K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-33.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$943 MX$17.3K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-1.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

57.25

-79.06%

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

Last update for Queretaro: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queretaro

$574 39.7%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 11.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$311 21.5%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 8.5% $27

Eating Out

Queretaro

$200 13.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 39.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$135 9.3%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 59% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$110 7.6%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 149% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$72 5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 2.1% $1.5

Getting Around

Queretaro

$45 3.1%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 17.7% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $850 in Queretaro and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 1% 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: $64.0 in Queretaro vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $311 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

3 h ahead of Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Queretaro Buenos Aires 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Queretaro
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

Queretaro vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queretaro and Buenos Aires differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,458 vs $1,685 including rent). Queretaro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $850 in Queretaro versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $269 in Queretaro versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,458 in Queretaro versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Queretaro but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Queretaro 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, Queretaro 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 Queretaro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.