Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maseru and Santa Fe

For one person, living is cheaper in Maseru: $665 a month against $1,077 in Santa Fe, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
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Maseru Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
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Santa Fe Living Index

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Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$665

/mo nomad

Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maseru and in Santa Fe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $665 in Maseru versus $1,077 in Santa Fe.

Maseru $665
Santa Fe $1,077

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Maseru versus $1,662 in Santa Fe.

Maseru $1,119
Santa Fe $1,662

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,572 in Maseru versus $2,247 in Santa Fe.

Maseru $1,572
Santa Fe $2,247

Living in Maseru costs roughly 38% less than in Santa Fe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Maseru 51% lower, Santa Fe 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.75 LSL 146

$10.16 ARS 15.6K

-13.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.35 LSL 405

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

-36.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 LSL 137

$12.35 ARS 19.0K

-33.28%

Cappuccino

$2.04 LSL 33.95

$1.72 ARS 2,644

18.60%

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

$1.06 LSL 17.57

$1.48 ARS 2,274

-28.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 LSL 14.40

$1.34 ARS 2,054

-35.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 LSL 30.34

$3.47 ARS 5,337

-47.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 LSL 39.65

$5.03 ARS 7,738

-52.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 LSL 18.92

$1.01 ARS 1,561

12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 LSL 13.65

$1.56 ARS 2,399

-47.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 LSL 30.14

$1.02 ARS 1,575

77.45%

Eggs

$1.57 LSL 26.14

$1.54 ARS 2,375

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.64 LSL 111

$8.17 ARS 12.6K

-18.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.15 LSL 102

$6.04 ARS 9,287

1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.96 LSL 99.2

$10.32 ARS 15.9K

-42.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 LSL 32.07

$2.00 ARS 3,073

-3.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 LSL 38.31

$1.51 ARS 2,325

52.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 LSL 43.79

$0.87 ARS 1,344

202.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 LSL 40.77

$2.51 ARS 3,854

-2.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 LSL 26.23

$0.58 ARS 895

172.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 LSL 26.98

$0.68 ARS 1,047

138.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 LSL 25.67

$1.06 ARS 1,631

45.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 LSL 13.76

$1.07 ARS 1,644

-22.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 LSL 84.6

$3.17 ARS 4,875

60.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 LSL 121

$4.84 ARS 7,440

49.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 LSL 17.96

$1.26 ARS 1,940

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 LSL 24.44

$2.13 ARS 3,280

-30.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 LSL 13.57

$1.07 ARS 1,640

-23.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.41 LSL 506

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 LSL 11.70

$0.98 ARS 1,505

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 LSL 10.49

$0.98 ARS 1,509

-35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 LSL 61.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 LSL 21.38

$1.15 ARS 1,770

11.30%

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

$21.3K LSL 354.3K

$19.8K ARS 30.5M

7.41%

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

$16.1K LSL 268.3K

$29.7K ARS 45.7M

-45.79%

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

$59.6 ARS 91.7K

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

$14.39 LSL 240

$19.80 ARS 30.5K

-27.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.15 LSL 635

$21.28 ARS 32.7K

79.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.91 LSL 382

$33.94 ARS 52.2K

-32.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 ARS 29.8K

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ARS 7,550

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

$51.5 LSL 857

$260 ARS 400.2K

-80.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,163 LSL 19.4K

$4,522 ARS 7.0M

-74.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.43 LSL 773

$86.8 ARS 133.6K

-46.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 LSL 930

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

-8.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 LSL 1,741

$115 ARS 176.2K

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 LSL 2,524

$142 ARS 218.3K

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$94.0 LSL 1,565

$505 ARS 776.9K

-81.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.7 LSL 927

$365 ARS 561.9K

-84.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 LSL 7,140

$936 ARS 1.4M

-54.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 LSL 2,840

$595 ARS 915.2K

-71.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$376 LSL 6,266

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$509 LSL 8,475

$1,271 ARS 2.0M

-59.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 LSL 10.4K

$854 ARS 1.3M

-26.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

100

-91.50%

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

Last update for Maseru: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Fe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maseru

$195 29.3%

Santa Fe

$197 18.3% 1.3% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Maseru

$161 24.2%

Santa Fe

$182 16.9% 12.8% $21

Eating Out

Maseru

$141 21.2%

Santa Fe

$178 16.5% 26.2% $37

Accommodation & Living

Maseru

$56 8.4%

Santa Fe

$365 33.9% 556% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maseru

$53 * 7.9%

Santa Fe

$101 9.4% 91.6% $48

Getting Around

Maseru

$38 5.6%

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9% 73% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Maseru

$23 * 3.4%

Santa Fe

$44 4.1% 91% $21

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 $94 in Maseru and $505 in Santa Fe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Fe pays 36% 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: $24 in Maseru vs $38 in Santa Fe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $197 per month, with Maseru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇸 Maseru

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

5 h behind Maseru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

227,880 Capital

391,164

💱 Currency

Lesotho Loti LSL L

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 LSL = 6.01 USD

100 LSL = 5.4 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to LSL – Lesotho Loti Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇸 Lesotho Loti (L)

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.65 LSL (100 LSL = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 LSL (100 LSL = 5.4 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to LSL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Maseru Santa Fe 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Maseru
Santa Fe

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

Maseru vs Santa Fe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maseru and Santa Fe differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($665 vs $1,077 including rent). Maseru is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Maseru. 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: $94 in Maseru versus $505 in Santa Fe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $51 in Maseru versus $260 in Santa Fe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $665 per month in Maseru versus $1,077 in Santa Fe – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Maseru gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Maseru is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Santa Fe, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Maseru wins on affordability, Santa Fe on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.