Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and Salta

For one person, living is cheaper in Salta: $1,149 a month against $1,363 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Salta
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Salta Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,363

/mo nomad

Salta

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendoza and in Salta

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

A single person spends $1,363 per month in Mendoza vs $1,149 in Salta, rent included.

Mendoza $1,363
Salta $1,149

A couple spends around $2,149 per month in Mendoza vs $1,934 in Salta, rent included.

Mendoza $2,149
Salta $1,934

A family of three spends $2,935 per month in Mendoza vs $2,719 in Salta, rent included.

Mendoza $2,935
Salta $2,719

Mendoza costs about 19% more than Salta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.30 ARS 15.9K

$7.43 ARS 11.5K

38.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.67 ARS 76.7K

$57.3 ARS 88.6K

-13.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.28 ARS 22.1K

$13.17 ARS 20.4K

8.43%

Cappuccino

$4.46 ARS 6,888

$2.58 ARS 3,986

72.87%

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

$2.44 ARS 3,766

$1.54 ARS 2,377

58.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ARS 2,949

$1.87 ARS 2,892

2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.12 ARS 6,363

$1.61 ARS 2,482

155.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ARS 7,017

$3.17 ARS 4,899

43.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ARS 2,039

$1.37 ARS 2,110

-3.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,506

$1.70 ARS 2,627

33.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ARS 4,118

$2.02 ARS 3,126

32.18%

Eggs

$3.17 ARS 4,904

$2.86 ARS 4,413

10.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 ARS 22.3K

$11.79 ARS 18.2K

22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 ARS 9,576

$7.76 ARS 12.0K

-20.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 ARS 17.2K

$11.36 ARS 17.5K

-2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,537

$2.47 ARS 3,821

-7.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ARS 3,463

$1.68 ARS 2,597

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,070

$1.57 ARS 2,418

-14.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 ARS 5,096

$2.11 ARS 3,259

56.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,120

$1.10 ARS 1,702

83.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ARS 2,322

$0.96 ARS 1,483

56.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,137

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ARS 3,894

$1.53 ARS 2,370

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.67 ARS 4,124

$3.30 ARS 5,101

-19.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.86 ARS 7,513

$4.92 ARS 7,605

-1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ARS 2,642

$1.41 ARS 2,186

21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ARS 4,698

$3.98 ARS 6,146

-23.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ARS 1,501

$0.96 ARS 1,489

1.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.09 ARS 31.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 ARS 3,067

$1.53 ARS 2,368

30.07%

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

$1.19 ARS 1,843

3.36%

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

$27.6K ARS 42.6M

$25.4K ARS 39.2M

8.61%

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

$32.9K ARS 50.9M

$32.3K ARS 49.8M

2.10%

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

$143 ARS 221.3K

$126 ARS 195.3K

13.31%

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

$17.24 ARS 26.6K

$16.68 ARS 25.8K

3.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.36 ARS 37.6K

$23.88 ARS 36.9K

2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 ARS 49.9K

$29.29 ARS 45.2K

10.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 ARS 27.9K

$20.39 ARS 31.5K

-11.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.99 ARS 10.8K

$9.21 ARS 14.2K

-24.10%

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

$173 ARS 267.3K

$239 ARS 369.1K

-27.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,157 ARS 6.4M

$4,175 ARS 6.4M

-0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 ARS 194.5K

$112 ARS 173.3K

12.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$140 ARS 216.5K

$81.4 ARS 125.7K

72.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ARS 221.4K

$112 ARS 173.8K

27.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 ARS 245.0K

$117 ARS 181.3K

35.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ARS 902.9K

$513 ARS 792.3K

13.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ARS 516.4K

$335 ARS 516.8K

-0.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 ARS 1.5M

$1,053 ARS 1.6M

-6.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 ARS 1.0M

$816 ARS 1.3M

-20.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,740 ARS 2.7M

$1,976 ARS 3.1M

-11.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,123 ARS 1.7M

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

-13.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ARS 1.2M

$861 ARS 1.3M

-12.09%

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 Salta: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$334 24.5%

Salta

$335 29.1% 0.1% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$285 20.9%

Salta

$246 * 21.4% 13.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.8%

Salta

$190 16.6% 25.5% $65

Eating Out

Mendoza

$226 16.6%

Salta

$158 13.7% 30.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$185 13.6%

Salta

$167 14.5% 9.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$46 3.4%

Salta

$48 4.2% 3.1% $1.5

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.3%

Salta

$5.4 * 0.5% 82.7% $26

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 $513 in Salta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Salta, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Mendoza versus $57 in Salta. Groceries tell a different story – $285 in Mendoza vs $246 in Salta – so Salta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇦🇷 Salta

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

Same time as Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

535,303

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Mendoza Salta 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mendoza
Salta

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 Salta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,045 per month in Mendoza and $1,724 in Salta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $513 there versus $584 in Mendoza.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,363 in Mendoza and $1,149 in Salta. That makes Salta about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $173 per month in Mendoza and $239 in Salta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,363 in Mendoza and $1,149 in Salta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Salta costs $1,149 versus $1,363 in Mendoza. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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