Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tampico and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Tampico: $1,347 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
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Tampico Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,347

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,347 in Tampico versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Tampico $1,347
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,120 in Tampico versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Tampico $2,120
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,894 in Tampico versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Tampico $2,894
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Tampico costs roughly 20% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tampico 1% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 MX$149

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-56.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 MX$1,012

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-14.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.60 MX$176

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-25.47%

Cappuccino

$3.11 MX$57.0

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-21.86%

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

$1.22 MX$22.33

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-40.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.64

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 MX$82.2

$3.84 ARS 5,830

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 MX$87.5

$4.60 ARS 6,970

3.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.45

$1.44 ARS 2,181

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 MX$77.1

$2.46 ARS 3,738

70.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 MX$25.06

$1.63 ARS 2,467

-16.56%

Eggs

$4.20 MX$77.1

$2.89 ARS 4,385

45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 MX$89.0

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-54.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 MX$189

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

2.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 MX$246

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-2.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 MX$64.2

$2.75 ARS 4,166

27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 MX$21.66

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-45.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.05

$1.45 ARS 2,205

42.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$41.78

$1.99 ARS 3,013

14.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.13

$1.24 ARS 1,885

76.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.79 MX$51.2

$1.27 ARS 1,921

119.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 MX$38.29

$1.70 ARS 2,575

22.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$17.45

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-45.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$88.0

$4.18 ARS 6,337

14.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.71

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-25.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MX$14.38

$0.75 ARS 1,132

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 MX$501

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

0.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$52.1

$1.62 ARS 2,451

75.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 MX$49.82

$0.98 ARS 1,481

176.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.24 MX$96.2

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-32.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.05

$1.36 ARS 2,058

4.41%

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

$33.1K MX$608.2K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

18.27%

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

$23.7K MX$436.0K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-31.22%

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

$106 MX$1,940

$216 ARS 326.9K

-50.98%

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

$28.01 MX$514

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

9.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 MX$448

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

-22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.32 MX$795

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-13.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.83 MX$309

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-1.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.58 MX$102

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-46.50%

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

$282 MX$5,179

$466 ARS 706.7K

-39.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,172 MX$150.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-9.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 MX$1,371

$122 ARS 185.2K

-38.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 MX$1,228

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-31.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 MX$3,016

$117 ARS 177.4K

40.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 MX$4,642

$140 ARS 211.9K

80.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 MX$9,755

$763 ARS 1.2M

-30.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,066

$505 ARS 766.1K

-23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 MX$17.4K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-40.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 MX$12.5K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-42.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$571 MX$10.5K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-40.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Tampico: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tampico

$385 28.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 31.3% $120

Groceries & Markets

Tampico

$269 * 20.1%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 5.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Tampico

$251 18.8%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 14.8% $37

Eating Out

Tampico

$171 12.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 63.1% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tampico

$158 11.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 72.4% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Tampico

$54 4.1%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 29.8% $16

Getting Around

Tampico

$47 3.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 21.8% $10

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 $531 in Tampico and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 67% 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: $55.0 in Tampico vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $284 per month, with Tampico cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tampico

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

3 h ahead of Tampico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,562

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 = 20.59 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 = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Tampico
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

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

Tampico and Buenos Aires differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,347 vs $1,685 including rent). Tampico is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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: $531 in Tampico versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $282 in Tampico versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,347 in Tampico versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tampico but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Tampico 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, Tampico 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 Tampico gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.