Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Catamarca and Mendoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Catamarca: $1,261 a month against $1,363 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
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Catamarca Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index

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Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,261

/mo nomad

Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Catamarca and in Mendoza

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Catamarca and in Mendoza actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Catamarca versus $1,363 in Mendoza.

Catamarca $1,261
Mendoza $1,363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,111 in Catamarca versus $2,149 in Mendoza.

Catamarca $2,111
Mendoza $2,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,960 in Catamarca versus $2,935 in Mendoza.

Catamarca $2,960
Mendoza $2,935

Living in Catamarca costs roughly 7% less than in Mendoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 ARS 26.1K

$10.30 ARS 16.0K

63.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 ARS 86.8K

$49.67 ARS 77.0K

12.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 ARS 20.3K

$14.28 ARS 22.1K

-8.26%

Cappuccino

$3.80 ARS 5,888

$4.46 ARS 6,913

-14.80%

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

$2.20 ARS 3,405

$2.44 ARS 3,780

-9.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ARS 3,004

$1.91 ARS 2,959

1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.66 ARS 5,672

$4.12 ARS 6,385

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 ARS 6,256

$4.54 ARS 7,042

-11.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ARS 2,165

$1.32 ARS 2,046

6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ARS 3,398

$2.27 ARS 3,519

-3.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 ARS 2,757

$2.67 ARS 4,132

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.67 ARS 4,136

$3.17 ARS 4,921

-15.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.66 ARS 18.1K

$14.42 ARS 22.4K

-19.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 ARS 11.8K

$6.20 ARS 9,610

23.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ARS 17.6K

$11.11 ARS 17.2K

2.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 ARS 3,863

$2.29 ARS 3,550

8.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ARS 3,479

$2.24 ARS 3,476

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,314

$1.34 ARS 2,078

11.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 ARS 4,211

$3.30 ARS 5,114

-17.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ARS 1,652

$2.02 ARS 3,131

-47.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ARS 1,561

$1.50 ARS 2,331

-32.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,148

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,407

$2.52 ARS 3,907

-38.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 ARS 5,010

$2.67 ARS 4,139

20.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.06 ARS 7,839

$4.86 ARS 7,540

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ARS 3,204

$1.71 ARS 2,652

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 ARS 5,250

$3.04 ARS 4,714

11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ARS 1,569

$0.97 ARS 1,507

4.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.09 ARS 31.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ARS 2,377

$1.99 ARS 3,078

-23.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,587

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ARS 7,738

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,906

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

$25.1K ARS 38.9M

$27.6K ARS 42.8M

-9.09%

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

$31.9K ARS 49.5M

$32.9K ARS 51.1M

-3.08%

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

$126 ARS 195.8K

$143 ARS 222.1K

-11.83%

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

$17.09 ARS 26.5K

$17.24 ARS 26.7K

-0.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.50 ARS 38.0K

$24.36 ARS 37.8K

0.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.76 ARS 47.7K

$32.28 ARS 50.1K

-4.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.95 ARS 32.5K

$18.05 ARS 28.0K

16.07%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 ARS 14.4K

$6.99 ARS 10.8K

32.62%

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

$239 ARS 371.3K

$173 ARS 268.3K

38.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,207 ARS 6.5M

$4,157 ARS 6.4M

1.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 ARS 175.6K

$126 ARS 195.2K

-10.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.0 ARS 128.6K

$140 ARS 217.3K

-40.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ARS 175.1K

$143 ARS 222.2K

-21.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ARS 182.0K

$159 ARS 245.9K

-25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ARS 799.7K

$584 ARS 906.1K

-11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ARS 506.1K

$334 ARS 518.3K

-2.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 ARS 1.7M

$982 ARS 1.5M

9.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 ARS 1.3M

$647 ARS 1.0M

24.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,740 ARS 2.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 ARS 2.0M

$1,123 ARS 1.7M

11.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ARS 1.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Catamarca: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mendoza: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Catamarca

$326 25.9%

Mendoza

$334 24.5% 2.4% $7.8

Eating Out

Catamarca

$263 20.8%

Mendoza

$226 16.6% 14% $37

Groceries & Markets

Catamarca

$257 * 20.4%

Mendoza

$285 20.9% 10.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Catamarca

$192 15.2%

Mendoza

$256 18.8% 33.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Catamarca

$168 13.3%

Mendoza

$185 13.6% 10.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Catamarca

$49 3.9%

Mendoza

$46 3.4% 6.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Catamarca

$5.6 * 0.4%

Mendoza

$31 2.3% 457% $25

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 $516 in Catamarca and $584 in Mendoza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Catamarca vs $50 in Mendoza. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $285, with Catamarca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

Same time as Catamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,058

937,154

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Catamarca Mendoza 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Catamarca
Mendoza

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

Catamarca vs Mendoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catamarca wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Mendoza. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Catamarca the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,892 in Catamarca and $2,045 in Mendoza 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: $516 in Catamarca versus $584 in Mendoza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Mendoza. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,261 per month in Catamarca versus $1,363 in Mendoza – Catamarca is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Catamarca is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Catamarca and Mendoza are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.