Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $897 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$897

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in San Juan versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

San Juan $897
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in San Juan versus $2,582 in Mexico City.

San Juan $1,400
Mexico City $2,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in San Juan versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

San Juan $1,903
Mexico City $3,490

Living in San Juan costs roughly 46% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan is 34% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 ARS 11.0K

$10.59 MX$197

-32.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.57 ARS 61.1K

$52.0 MX$965

-23.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.27 ARS 19.0K

$10.73 MX$199

14.35%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ARS 3,906

$3.80 MX$70.5

-33.42%

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

$2.08 ARS 3,219

$1.61 MX$29.95

29.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ARS 2,730

$1.21 MX$22.51

46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 ARS 6,222

$3.18 MX$59.0

26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 7,113

$5.44 MX$101

-15.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,079

$1.72 MX$31.90

-21.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ARS 2,215

$2.97 MX$55.1

-51.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$1.93 MX$35.77

-25.91%

Eggs

$1.38 ARS 2,131

$2.77 MX$51.5

-50.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.78 ARS 4,288

$11.67 MX$217

-76.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,377

$9.48 MX$176

-35.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ARS 17.0K

$15.37 MX$286

-28.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$3.10 MX$57.7

-53.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ARS 2,217

$1.96 MX$36.41

-26.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,082

$1.98 MX$36.81

-31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,250

$2.34 MX$43.37

-37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,252

$2.02 MX$37.58

-27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$1.82 MX$33.88

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ARS 2,151

$1.54 MX$28.68

-9.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ARS 2,145

$1.31 MX$24.37

6.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ARS 4,144

$5.35 MX$99.4

-49.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 ARS 7,652

$16.19 MX$301

-69.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ARS 2,152

$1.96 MX$36.38

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,257

$4.35 MX$80.8

-66.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,600

$0.30 MX$5.66

246.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ARS 3,172

$1.92 MX$35.61

6.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,529

$0.47 MX$8.78

110.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 ARS 7,395

$5.41 MX$100

-11.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ARS 1,731

$1.48 MX$27.55

-24.32%

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

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

$21.4K MX$396.9K

28.50%

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

$33.5K ARS 51.8M

$23.8K MX$441.2K

41.10%

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

$144 ARS 222.4K

$62.0 MX$1,151

132.20%

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

$9.81 ARS 15.2K

$28.47 MX$529

-65.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.69 ARS 27.3K

$34.11 MX$634

-48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.49 ARS 47.1K

$58.4 MX$1,084

-47.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 ARS 11.1K

$6.59 MX$122

9.41%

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

$175 ARS 270.6K

$434 MX$8,064

-59.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,103 ARS 6.3M

$14.0K MX$260.7K

-70.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 ARS 167.9K

$68.4 MX$1,269

58.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 ARS 66.5K

$54.8 MX$1,018

-21.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ARS 89.3K

$111 MX$2,059

-47.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.56 ARS 54.9K

$116 MX$2,154

-69.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ARS 390.6K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-78.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ARS 311.8K

$771 MX$14.3K

-73.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 ARS 767.3K

$2,570 MX$47.7K

-80.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ARS 628.0K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-71.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 ARS 1.1M

$1,003 MX$18.6K

-31.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

375.77%

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

Last update for San Juan: November 3, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$202 22.5%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 282% $569

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$188 21%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 71.8% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$171 19.1%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 27.3% $47

Eating Out

San Juan

$169 18.8%

Mexico City

$201 12% 18.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 42.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$45 5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 59.3% $27

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 124% $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 $253 in San Juan and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 37% 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: $40 in San Juan vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $320 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

3 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,730 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

San Juan
Mexico City

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

San Juan vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $897 in San Juan and $1,674 in Mexico City, so San Juan is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in San Juan. 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: $253 in San Juan versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $175 in San Juan versus $432 in Mexico City. 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.