Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Mendoza: $1,387 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,387

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,387 in Mendoza versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Mendoza $1,387
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Mendoza versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Mendoza $2,185
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,984 in Mendoza versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Mendoza $2,984
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Mendoza costs roughly 16% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mendoza 3% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ARS 16.7K

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-42.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 ARS 75.6K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-24.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.36 ARS 21.8K

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

8.79%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ARS 6,896

$3.85 ARS 5,841

17.92%

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

$2.32 ARS 3,517

$1.99 ARS 3,020

16.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ARS 2,949

$1.60 ARS 2,430

21.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 ARS 6,191

$3.93 ARS 5,959

3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ARS 6,775

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-3.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,102

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ARS 3,358

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-12.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,034

$1.61 ARS 2,445

65.22%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,836

$2.84 ARS 4,316

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

42.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,447

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-37.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-16.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,478

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-20.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,386

$2.20 ARS 3,334

1.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,036

$1.40 ARS 2,120

-4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 ARS 4,974

$1.98 ARS 3,004

65.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,067

$1.21 ARS 1,835

66.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$1.26 ARS 1,910

18.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,074

$1.71 ARS 2,592

18.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ARS 3,743

$1.72 ARS 2,603

43.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ARS 4,275

$4.29 ARS 6,505

-34.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 ARS 7,712

$5.70 ARS 8,645

-10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,608

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-20.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,583

$2.76 ARS 4,188

9.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,486

$0.75 ARS 1,141

30.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ARS 29.9K

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

-27.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ARS 3,059

$1.57 ARS 2,375

28.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$1.03 ARS 1,558

-3.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.82 ARS 7,318

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

-38.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,897

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-11.97%

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

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-1.31%

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

$33.0K ARS 50.1M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-5.52%

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

$144 ARS 218.4K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-26.27%

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

$17.72 ARS 26.9K

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-29.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.92 ARS 36.3K

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

-24.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.32 ARS 49.0K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-36.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 ARS 27.4K

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

8.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 ARS 10.8K

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-31.33%

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

$176 ARS 266.3K

$463 ARS 703.2K

-62.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,178 ARS 6.3M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-52.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 ARS 192.2K

$120 ARS 181.8K

5.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$141 ARS 214.2K

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

47.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 217.9K

$114 ARS 173.1K

25.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ARS 238.0K

$139 ARS 211.4K

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ARS 838.5K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-26.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ARS 531.6K

$520 ARS 788.8K

-32.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 ARS 1.5M

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-37.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 ARS 1.0M

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-43.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 ARS 2.7M

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-35.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 ARS 1.7M

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-39.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$766 ARS 1.2M

$938 ARS 1.4M

-18.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

3.06%

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

Last update for Mendoza: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$350 25.3%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 48.4% $169

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$286 20.6%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 0.9% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.4%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 17.5% $45

Eating Out

Mendoza

$232 16.7%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 21.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$186 13.4%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 35.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$47 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 53.9% $25

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.2%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 20.9% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $553 in Mendoza and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 22% 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: $50.0 in Mendoza vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $283, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

Same time as Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mendoza Buenos Aires 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mendoza
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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

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

Mendoza and Buenos Aires differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,387 vs $1,656 including rent). Mendoza is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Buenos Aires. 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: $553 in Mendoza versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $176 in Mendoza versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Buenos Aires pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,387 in Mendoza versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mendoza but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mendoza 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, Mendoza 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.

Expats usually find Mendoza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.