Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and San Juan, Argentina

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $891 a month against $1,389 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,389

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendoza and in San Juan

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Mendoza vs $891 in San Juan, rent included.

Mendoza $1,389
San Juan $891

A couple spends around $2,178 per month in Mendoza vs $1,398 in San Juan, rent included.

Mendoza $2,178
San Juan $1,398

A family of three spends $2,967 per month in Mendoza vs $1,904 in San Juan, rent included.

Mendoza $2,967
San Juan $1,904

Mendoza costs about 56% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mendoza sits 2% above the global median, while San Juan is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 ARS 16.7K

$7.16 ARS 11.0K

51.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.24 ARS 75.7K

$39.73 ARS 61.1K

23.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.44 ARS 22.2K

$12.51 ARS 19.2K

15.43%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ARS 6,817

$2.62 ARS 4,030

69.08%

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

$2.36 ARS 3,627

$2.19 ARS 3,365

7.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 2,996

$1.82 ARS 2,797

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 ARS 6,315

$3.96 ARS 6,094

3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ARS 6,877

$4.56 ARS 7,011

-1.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,118

$1.35 ARS 2,075

2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 ARS 3,390

$1.38 ARS 2,122

59.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 ARS 4,319

$1.39 ARS 2,138

102.16%

Eggs

$3.21 ARS 4,936

$1.45 ARS 2,227

121.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 ARS 22.5K

$2.90 ARS 4,463

404.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 ARS 9,684

$6.37 ARS 9,800

-1.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.00 ARS 16.9K

$10.75 ARS 16.5K

2.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,523

$1.45 ARS 2,228

57.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ARS 3,340

$1.38 ARS 2,123

57.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,075

$1.37 ARS 2,103

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ARS 5,118

$1.45 ARS 2,224

129.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,085

$1.46 ARS 2,244

37.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,344

$1.38 ARS 2,127

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 ARS 2,970

$1.39 ARS 2,138

38.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ARS 3,887

$1.46 ARS 2,241

73.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ARS 4,306

$2.69 ARS 4,138

4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 ARS 7,676

$4.95 ARS 7,616

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ARS 2,741

$1.46 ARS 2,241

21.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ARS 4,491

$1.43 ARS 2,205

104.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ARS 1,582

$1.04 ARS 1,596

-0.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.16 ARS 31.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ARS 3,140

$2.03 ARS 3,126

0.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,567

$0.97 ARS 1,494

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 ARS 7,614

$5.04 ARS 7,758

-1.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ARS 1,869

$1.13 ARS 1,742

7.08%

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

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

$26.8K ARS 41.2M

2.83%

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

$33.4K ARS 51.4M

$33.6K ARS 51.7M

-0.72%

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

$146 ARS 224.0K

$141 ARS 216.9K

3.29%

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

$17.24 ARS 26.5K

$9.91 ARS 15.2K

73.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.11 ARS 37.1K

$17.96 ARS 27.6K

34.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 ARS 48.2K

$29.64 ARS 45.6K

5.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 ARS 28.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 ARS 10.6K

$6.96 ARS 10.7K

-0.72%

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

$171 ARS 263.5K

$173 ARS 266.4K

-1.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,084 ARS 6.3M

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

-1.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$128 ARS 196.7K

$108 ARS 165.5K

18.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$142 ARS 217.9K

$42.19 ARS 64.9K

235.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 220.9K

$56.8 ARS 87.4K

152.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 ARS 240.6K

$36.24 ARS 55.7K

331.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ARS 856.2K

$248 ARS 380.9K

124.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ARS 542.1K

$198 ARS 303.9K

78.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 ARS 1.5M

$500 ARS 769.5K

93.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 ARS 1.0M

$408 ARS 627.1K

63.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,699 ARS 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,127 ARS 1.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 ARS 1.2M

$696 ARS 1.1M

11.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.26%

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

Last update for Mendoza: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$352 25.4%

San Juan

$198 22.2% 43.9% $155

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$287 20.6%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 33.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.5%

San Juan

$109 12.3% 57.4% $147

Eating Out

Mendoza

$230 16.6%

San Juan

$171 19.2% 25.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$187 13.5%

San Juan

$169 19% 9.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$45 3.3%

San Juan

$44 4.9% 3.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.3%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 64.8% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $557 in Mendoza versus $248 in San Juan. 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 12% higher in Mendoza, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Mendoza versus $40 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $190 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

Same time as Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

522,029

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mendoza San Juan 150 km

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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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,084 per month in Mendoza and $1,337 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $557 in Mendoza.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,389 in Mendoza and $891 in San Juan. That’s a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $171 per month in Mendoza and $173 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,389 in Mendoza and $891 in San Juan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Mendoza has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $891 in San Juan to $1,389 in Mendoza. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 San Juan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mendoza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.