Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires.

Zihuatanejo $1,131
Buenos Aires $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,824 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,680 in Buenos Aires.

Zihuatanejo $1,824
Buenos Aires $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,517 in Zihuatanejo versus $3,714 in Buenos Aires.

Zihuatanejo $2,517
Buenos Aires $3,714

Living in Zihuatanejo costs roughly 31% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zihuatanejo is 17% below, Buenos Aires is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$17.81 ARS 27.2K

-39.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 MX$827

$65.2 ARS 99.6K

-32.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$164

$13.12 ARS 20.1K

-33.38%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.2

$3.86 ARS 5,907

-9.84%

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

$1.36 MX$25.45

$2.06 ARS 3,157

-33.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.08

$1.68 ARS 2,561

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.89

$4.10 ARS 6,265

-40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$74.4

$4.73 ARS 7,236

-15.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.05

$1.51 ARS 2,303

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.69

$2.60 ARS 3,980

-1.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.90

$1.57 ARS 2,398

5.10%

Eggs

$2.44 MX$45.61

$2.73 ARS 4,176

-10.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MX$152

$10.86 ARS 16.6K

-25.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$159

$10.07 ARS 15.4K

-15.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 MX$216

$13.22 ARS 20.2K

-12.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$2.80 ARS 4,287

-2.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$2.09 ARS 3,194

-25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.45 ARS 2,210

33.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.10

$2.00 ARS 3,063

-11.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.24

$1.20 ARS 1,840

61.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.15

$1.20 ARS 1,835

56.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$1.69 ARS 2,589

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.47

$1.79 ARS 2,732

-39.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$80.1

$4.00 ARS 6,120

7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$5.53 ARS 8,452

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$34.04

$2.12 ARS 3,243

-14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$2.78 ARS 4,244

10.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.77

$0.69 ARS 1,057

-1.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.93

$1.63 ARS 2,490

60.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.97 ARS 1,489

108.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 MX$209

$7.89 ARS 12.1K

41.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.93

$1.42 ARS 2,172

1.41%

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

$21.3K MX$398.4K

$23.3K ARS 35.7M

-8.79%

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

$23.9K MX$447.0K

$31.9K ARS 48.8M

-25.23%

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

$57.3 MX$1,072

$199 ARS 305.0K

-71.29%

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

$23.00 MX$431

$23.36 ARS 35.7K

-1.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 MX$558

$31.44 ARS 48.1K

-5.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$651

$49.81 ARS 76.2K

-30.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 MX$375

$16.63 ARS 25.4K

20.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.2

$10.80 ARS 16.5K

-52.41%

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

$216 MX$4,041

$462 ARS 707.1K

-53.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,526 MX$84.7K

$8,790 ARS 13.4M

-48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,038

$120 ARS 183.0K

-53.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 MX$753

$94.6 ARS 144.7K

-57.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,844

$116 ARS 177.7K

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,684

$137 ARS 210.2K

-34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.1K

$750 ARS 1.1M

-20.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,182

$514 ARS 786.4K

-25.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MX$19.7K

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

-32.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 MX$14.2K

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

-36.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 MX$35.8K

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

-27.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$1,874 ARS 2.9M

-38.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

57.25

-80.26%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$384 34%

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3% 34% $131

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3%

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3% 7.9% $21

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6% 48% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8% 64.6% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7%

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5% 131% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$45 4%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 58.6% $26

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3% 140% $22

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 $596 in Zihuatanejo and $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Zihuatanejo vs $65 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $285 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

3 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.54 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1,529 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,715 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zihuatanejo Buenos Aires 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
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

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

Zihuatanejo and Buenos Aires differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,131 vs $1,646 including rent). Zihuatanejo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,696 in Zihuatanejo and $2,468 in Buenos Aires to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Zihuatanejo versus $750 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $216 in Zihuatanejo 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 Zihuatanejo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $65 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo 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, Zihuatanejo 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.