Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Cordoba

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,368 in Cordoba, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Cordoba
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Cordoba Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Cordoba

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Merced and in Cordoba

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

A single person spends $565 per month in La Merced vs $1,368 in Cordoba, rent included.

La Merced $565
Cordoba $1,368

A couple spends around $917 per month in La Merced vs $2,259 in Cordoba, rent included.

La Merced $917
Cordoba $2,259

A family of three spends $1,269 per month in La Merced vs $3,150 in Cordoba, rent included.

La Merced $1,269
Cordoba $3,150

La Merced is about 59% cheaper than Cordoba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

La Merced sits 58% below the global median, while Cordoba is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.04

$13.43 ARS 20.4K

-67.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 119

$54.9 ARS 83.3K

-36.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.26

$13.03 ARS 19.8K

-48.04%

Cappuccino

$3.16 PEN 10.84

$3.59 ARS 5,447

-11.98%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.67

$2.55 ARS 3,871

-58.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$2.11 ARS 3,198

-69.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PEN 8.93

$3.38 ARS 5,132

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.87

$3.78 ARS 5,729

14.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.68 ARS 2,553

-2.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.79

$2.76 ARS 4,194

-28.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$2.06 ARS 3,122

-37.86%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$2.38 ARS 3,609

-1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$10.06 ARS 15.3K

-29.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$8.02 ARS 12.2K

-26.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 PEN 29.69

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

-25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.45

$2.44 ARS 3,704

-58.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$2.28 ARS 3,462

-79.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$1.61 ARS 2,436

-82.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$2.91 ARS 4,419

-74.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$1.18 ARS 1,794

-74.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.45

$1.34 ARS 2,041

-68.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$1.23 ARS 1,861

-50.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.76 ARS 2,668

-48.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 PEN 19.25

$5.10 ARS 7,734

10.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 PEN 25.26

$4.86 ARS 7,372

51.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.43

$2.26 ARS 3,424

-17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 11.10

$3.64 ARS 5,518

-11.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 ARS 84.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 PEN 13.12

$1.28 ARS 1,950

198.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 PEN 7.14

$1.95 ARS 2,958

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 PEN 25.41

$7.18 ARS 10.9K

3.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 PEN 5.97

$1.16 ARS 1,757

50.00%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

$35.6K ARS 54.1M

-37.90%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

$35.2K ARS 53.4M

-27.53%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$162 ARS 245.7K

-55.01%

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

$16.49 PEN 56.6

$17.47 ARS 26.5K

-5.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.80 PEN 95.5

$31.87 ARS 48.4K

-12.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.21 ARS 42.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ARS 34.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 PEN 25.22

$9.91 ARS 15.0K

-25.93%

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

$181 PEN 622

$218 ARS 330.8K

-16.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

$4,059 ARS 6.2M

225.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$125 ARS 190.0K

-58.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 PEN 121

$105 ARS 158.8K

-66.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 PEN 282

$139 ARS 211.4K

-41.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$134 ARS 203.4K

-40.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ARS 732.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ARS 460.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 ARS 1.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 ARS 1.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 ARS 4.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,613 ARS 2.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$658 ARS 998.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

48.5

-81.57%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cordoba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$186 32.8%

Cordoba

$275 20.1% 48.1% $89

Eating Out

La Merced

$122 21.5%

Cordoba

$233 17% 91.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$117 20.7%

Cordoba

$211 15.4% 80.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$112 19.8%

Cordoba

$226 16.6% 102% $114

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$15 * 2.6%

Cordoba

$48 3.5% 227% $33

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Cordoba

$72 5.2% 403% $57

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Cordoba

$304 22.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced versus $55.0 in Cordoba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $275 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇦🇷 Cordoba

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

00:50 12:50 AM

2 h ahead of La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,655,481

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Merced Cordoba 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
Cordoba

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

La Merced vs Cordoba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cordoba is pricier by about 142%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in La Merced and $2,052 in Cordoba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced and $55.0 in Cordoba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Cordoba, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Cordoba at $1,368. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cordoba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Merced – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with La Merced. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cordoba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.