Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,252 in Tulum versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Tulum $1,252
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Tulum versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Tulum $2,131
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,010 in Tulum versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Tulum $3,010
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Tulum costs roughly 26% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tulum is 7% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 MX$150

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-55.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 MX$1,026

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-12.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MX$148

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-36.88%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$70.4

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-2.76%

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

$1.14 MX$20.80

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-44.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.42

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.1

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$1.44 ARS 2,180

9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 MX$36.31

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-18.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MX$31.71

$1.63 ARS 2,466

6.75%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$34.29

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-34.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.55 MX$101

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-47.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 MX$144

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-20.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 MX$165

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-33.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$48.31

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-3.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.75

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-34.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$27.67

$1.45 ARS 2,204

4.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.34

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$41.45

$1.24 ARS 1,884

83.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$33.77

$1.27 ARS 1,920

46.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.40

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-11.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.11

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-52.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$79.9

$4.18 ARS 6,335

5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 MX$152

$5.80 ARS 8,787

43.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.31

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-33.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MX$24.00

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-52.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 MX$25.48

$0.75 ARS 1,131

86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 MX$51.2

$1.62 ARS 2,450

73.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MX$44.47

$0.98 ARS 1,480

148.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 MX$102

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-27.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.71

$1.36 ARS 2,057

11.76%

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

$21.4K MX$389.2K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-23.61%

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

$23.8K MX$433.0K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-31.07%

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

$106 MX$1,927

$216 ARS 326.8K

-50.85%

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

$16.87 MX$307

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-34.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.97 MX$636

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

11.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 MX$625

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-31.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 MX$117

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-38.16%

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

$263 MX$4,776

$466 ARS 706.5K

-43.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,022 MX$55.0K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-66.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.26 MX$769

$122 ARS 185.1K

-65.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 MX$605

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-65.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 MX$1,772

$117 ARS 177.3K

-16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 MX$1,095

$140 ARS 211.8K

-56.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.2K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 MX$9,808

$505 ARS 765.8K

6.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 MX$27.4K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-5.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 MX$23.9K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

11.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,162 MX$57.5K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

18.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,818 MX$33.1K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-2.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 MX$14.3K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-17.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

57.25

-81.14%

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

Last update for Tulum: 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

Tulum

$539 42.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 6.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Tulum

$222 17.6%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 27.9% $62

Eating Out

Tulum

$169 13.4%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 65.5% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulum

$158 12.5%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 72.7% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Tulum

$105 8.3%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 104% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Tulum

$47 3.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 49.6% $23

Getting Around

Tulum

$21 * 1.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 77.5% $16

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 $614 in Tulum and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 22% 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: $56.0 in Tulum vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $284 per month, with Tulum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tulum

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

2 h ahead of Tulum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,721

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulum Buenos Aires 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulum
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

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

Tulum and Buenos Aires differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,252 vs $1,685 including rent). Tulum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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: $614 in Tulum versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Tulum versus $466 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 Tulum – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,252 in Tulum versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum 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, Tulum 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 Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.