Cost of Living · MX vs AR
🇲🇽 Mexico City vs 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,258 in Mexico vs $913 in Argentina — 27.48% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Argentina
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -30.92%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -30.92%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -30.92%
Closest to Mexico prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -10.03%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -10.03%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -10.04%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Mexico | Argentina | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $836 | $578 (716,629 ARS) | -30.92% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $669 | $462 (573,310 ARS) | -30.92% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,529 | $1,056 (1,310,413 ARS) | -30.92% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.07 | $7.53 (9,344 ARS) | -25.22% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $41.98 | $31.39 (38,950 ARS) | -25.23% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.49 | $4.98 (6,179 ARS) | -23.27% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.72 | $0.58 (720 ARS) | -19.44% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.10 | $1.70 (2,109 ARS) | -19.05% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.23 | $1.80 (2,234 ARS) | -19.28% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.56 | $5.31 (6,589 ARS) | -19.05% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.62 | $2.12 (2,631 ARS) | -19.08% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.15 | $2.55 (3,164 ARS) | -19.05% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $7.87 | $6.37 (7,904 ARS) | -19.06% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.31 | $1.06 (1,315 ARS) | -19.08% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.36 | $2.51 (3,115 ARS) | -25.3% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.48 | $5.83 (7,234 ARS) | -10.03% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.80 | $2.09 (2,593 ARS) | -25.36% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.51 | $1.22 (1,514 ARS) | -19.21% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $38.35 | $29.45 (36,543 ARS) | -23.21% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.62 | $1.25 (1,551 ARS) | -22.84% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.24 | $1.67 (2,072 ARS) | -25.45% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.01 | $0.75 (931 ARS) | -25.74% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.77 | $0.69 (856 ARS) | -10.39% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $118 | $90.60 (112,421 ARS) | -23.22% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $41.30 | $31.71 (39,347 ARS) | -23.22% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $26.55 | $20.39 (25,301 ARS) | -23.2% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $27.98 | $20.93 (25,971 ARS) | -25.2% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $7.84 | $5.86 (7,271 ARS) | -25.26% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $16.79 | $12.56 (15,585 ARS) | -25.19% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.54 | $40.07 (49,721 ARS) | -10.04% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $72.88 | $65.57 (81,363 ARS) | -10.03% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $140 | $105 (129,830 ARS) | -25.22% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Argentina than Mexico?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $913 in Argentina versus $1,258 in Mexico — 27.48% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Argentina?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.51 in Argentina (≈ 3114.54 ARS), versus about $3.36 in Mexico.
- How much is rent in Argentina compared to Mexico?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $578/month in Argentina versus $836/month in Mexico (-30.92%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.