Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and Cafayate

For one person, living is cheaper in Cafayate: $1,263 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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
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Cafayate Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,363

/mo nomad

Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendoza and in Cafayate

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 Cafayate actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Mendoza vs $1,263 in Cafayate, rent included.

Mendoza $1,363
Cafayate $1,263

A couple spends around $2,149 per month in Mendoza vs $2,114 in Cafayate, rent included.

Mendoza $2,149
Cafayate $2,114

A family of three spends $2,935 per month in Mendoza vs $2,965 in Cafayate, rent included.

Mendoza $2,935
Cafayate $2,965

Mendoza costs about 8% more than Cafayate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.30 ARS 15.9K

$17.28 ARS 26.7K

-40.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.67 ARS 76.7K

$56.5 ARS 87.3K

-12.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.28 ARS 22.1K

$12.77 ARS 19.7K

11.82%

Cappuccino

$4.46 ARS 6,888

$3.81 ARS 5,890

17.06%

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

$2.44 ARS 3,766

$2.19 ARS 3,382

11.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ARS 2,949

$1.92 ARS 2,969

-0.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 ARS 6,363

$3.76 ARS 5,810

9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ARS 7,017

$3.99 ARS 6,169

13.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ARS 2,039

$1.34 ARS 2,076

-1.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,506

$2.25 ARS 3,478

0.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ARS 4,118

$1.84 ARS 2,850

45.11%

Eggs

$3.17 ARS 4,904

$2.71 ARS 4,194

16.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 ARS 22.3K

$11.49 ARS 17.7K

25.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 ARS 9,576

$7.73 ARS 11.9K

-19.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ARS 17.2K

$11.59 ARS 17.9K

-4.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,537

$2.43 ARS 3,761

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ARS 3,463

$2.24 ARS 3,465

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,070

$1.49 ARS 2,305

-10.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 ARS 5,096

$2.66 ARS 4,109

24.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,120

$1.06 ARS 1,634

90.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ARS 2,322

$0.96 ARS 1,484

56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,137

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ARS 3,894

$1.49 ARS 2,306

69.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.67 ARS 4,124

$3.39 ARS 5,231

-21.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.86 ARS 7,513

$5.01 ARS 7,746

-2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ARS 2,642

$2.06 ARS 3,179

-16.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ARS 4,698

$3.34 ARS 5,166

-8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ARS 1,501

$1.02 ARS 1,577

-4.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.09 ARS 31.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 ARS 3,067

$1.55 ARS 2,394

28.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,581

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ARS 7,710

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,899

$1.24 ARS 1,916

-0.81%

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

$27.6K ARS 42.6M

$25.8K ARS 39.9M

6.88%

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

$32.9K ARS 50.9M

$32.6K ARS 50.3M

1.18%

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

$143 ARS 221.3K

$123 ARS 189.9K

16.53%

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

$17.24 ARS 26.6K

$17.16 ARS 26.5K

0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 ARS 37.6K

$24.09 ARS 37.2K

1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 ARS 49.9K

$31.00 ARS 47.9K

4.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 ARS 27.9K

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

-14.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ARS 10.8K

$9.41 ARS 14.5K

-25.72%

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

$173 ARS 267.3K

$235 ARS 362.8K

-26.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,157 ARS 6.4M

$4,135 ARS 6.4M

0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 ARS 194.5K

$113 ARS 173.9K

11.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$140 ARS 216.5K

$81.3 ARS 125.6K

72.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ARS 221.4K

$113 ARS 175.3K

26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 ARS 245.0K

$115 ARS 177.5K

38.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ARS 902.9K

$518 ARS 800.3K

12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ARS 516.4K

$331 ARS 511.1K

1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 ARS 1.5M

$1,075 ARS 1.7M

-8.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 ARS 1.0M

$811 ARS 1.3M

-20.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,740 ARS 2.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 ARS 1.7M

$1,298 ARS 2.0M

-13.48%

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 Mendoza: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cafayate: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$334 24.5%

Cafayate

$331 26.2% 1% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$285 20.9%

Cafayate

$257 * 20.4% 9.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.8%

Cafayate

$190 15% 25.7% $66

Eating Out

Mendoza

$226 16.6%

Cafayate

$266 21% 17.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$185 13.6%

Cafayate

$164 13% 11.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$46 3.4%

Cafayate

$50 3.9% 7.7% $3.6

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.3%

Cafayate

$5.6 * 0.5% 81.9% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $584 in Mendoza versus $518 in Cafayate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Mendoza versus $56 in Cafayate. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Mendoza vs $257 in Cafayate – so Cafayate wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

Same time as Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

14,850

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Mendoza Cafayate 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mendoza
Cafayate

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 Cafayate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,363 in Mendoza, $1,263 in Cafayate – Cafayate comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,045 per month in Mendoza and $1,894 in Cafayate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cafayate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $518 there versus $584 in Mendoza.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Mendoza and $56 in Cafayate. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Mendoza, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,363 in Mendoza and $1,263 in Cafayate, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mendoza has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,263 in Cafayate to $1,363 in Mendoza. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.