Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toluca and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,098 in Toluca versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Toluca $1,098
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Toluca versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Toluca $1,844
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,589 in Toluca versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Toluca $2,589
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Toluca costs roughly 33% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toluca is 19% below, Buenos Aires is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 MX$204

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

-38.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.85 MX$792

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

-34.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 MX$168

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-30.72%

Cappuccino

$3.14 MX$58.0

$3.86 ARS 5,863

-18.65%

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

$1.26 MX$23.24

$2.06 ARS 3,133

-38.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 MX$13.97

$1.68 ARS 2,542

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.10 ARS 6,218

-47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$60.8

$4.73 ARS 7,181

-30.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.71

$1.51 ARS 2,285

17.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 MX$57.7

$2.60 ARS 3,950

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.28

$1.57 ARS 2,380

38.85%

Eggs

$3.05 MX$56.3

$2.73 ARS 4,144

11.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 MX$147

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

-26.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 MX$155

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-16.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.91 MX$165

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

-32.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 MX$75.3

$2.80 ARS 4,255

45.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 MX$39.00

$2.09 ARS 3,170

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.07

$1.45 ARS 2,194

53.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$42.16

$2.00 ARS 3,040

14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 MX$52.2

$1.20 ARS 1,826

135.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 MX$42.58

$1.20 ARS 1,821

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 MX$30.26

$1.69 ARS 2,569

-2.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.07

$1.79 ARS 2,711

-42.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 MX$90.0

$4.00 ARS 6,074

21.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.25 MX$226

$5.53 ARS 8,388

121.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 MX$36.76

$2.12 ARS 3,219

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 MX$67.5

$2.78 ARS 4,212

31.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$13.92

$0.69 ARS 1,049

8.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 MX$59.0

$1.63 ARS 2,471

96.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 MX$37.22

$0.97 ARS 1,478

107.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.17 MX$188

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

28.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.66

$1.42 ARS 2,156

1.41%

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

$24.6K MX$454.6K

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

5.41%

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

$23.5K MX$433.9K

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

-26.48%

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

$58.1 MX$1,074

$199 ARS 302.7K

-70.86%

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

$25.04 MX$463

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

7.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.71 MX$586

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.08 MX$889

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

-3.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 MX$419

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

36.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 MX$128

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

-35.65%

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

$224 MX$4,131

$462 ARS 701.7K

-51.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,244 MX$96.9K

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

-40.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 MX$1,233

$120 ARS 181.6K

-44.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$992

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

-43.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,920

$116 ARS 176.4K

-10.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 MX$1,923

$137 ARS 208.6K

-24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 MX$13.0K

$750 ARS 1.1M

-6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 MX$5,345

$514 ARS 780.5K

-43.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 MX$18.0K

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

-37.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 MX$13.0K

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

-41.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,296 MX$24.0K

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

-50.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$915 MX$16.9K

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

-51.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,273 MX$23.5K

$924 ARS 1.4M

37.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.07

57.25

-80.66%

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

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Toluca

$289 26.4%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 1.6% $4.7

Accommodation & Living

Toluca

$289 26.3%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 77.8% $225

Eating Out

Toluca

$178 16.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 53% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Toluca

$148 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 42.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toluca

$115 10.5%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 121% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Toluca

$62 5.7%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 15.2% $9.4

Getting Around

Toluca

$16 * 1.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 128% $21

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 $705 in Toluca and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Toluca vs $65.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $285, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Toluca

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

3 h ahead of Toluca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,876

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Toluca Buenos Aires 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Toluca
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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

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

Toluca and Buenos Aires differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,098 vs $1,646 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Toluca, 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: $705 in Toluca versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in Toluca versus $462 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 Toluca – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,098 in Toluca versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca 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, Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.