Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and San Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis: $1,148 a month against $1,389 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
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San Luis Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,389

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Mendoza vs $1,148 in San Luis, rent included.

Mendoza $1,389
San Luis $1,148

A couple spends around $2,178 per month in Mendoza vs $1,952 in San Luis, rent included.

Mendoza $2,178
San Luis $1,952

A family of three spends $2,967 per month in Mendoza vs $2,755 in San Luis, rent included.

Mendoza $2,967
San Luis $2,755

Mendoza costs about 21% more than San Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mendoza sits 2% above the global median, while San Luis is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 ARS 16.8K

$8.51 ARS 13.1K

27.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.24 ARS 76.1K

$50.8 ARS 78.5K

-3.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.44 ARS 22.3K

$8.52 ARS 13.2K

69.48%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ARS 6,847

$2.16 ARS 3,337

105.09%

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

$2.36 ARS 3,643

$2.45 ARS 3,779

-3.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,009

$1.91 ARS 2,955

2.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.11 ARS 6,343

$3.23 ARS 4,989

27.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ARS 6,907

$4.47 ARS 6,913

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,127

$1.23 ARS 1,907

12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 ARS 3,405

$1.96 ARS 3,023

12.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 ARS 4,338

$1.05 ARS 1,620

167.62%

Eggs

$3.21 ARS 4,957

$3.02 ARS 4,660

6.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 ARS 22.6K

$14.64 ARS 22.6K

-0.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 ARS 9,727

$6.39 ARS 9,871

-1.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.00 ARS 17.0K

$10.98 ARS 17.0K

0.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,538

$2.35 ARS 3,628

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 ARS 3,355

$2.14 ARS 3,308

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,084

$1.29 ARS 2,000

4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ARS 5,141

$3.28 ARS 5,068

1.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,099

$1.03 ARS 1,589

95.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,354

$1.51 ARS 2,326

0.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 ARS 2,983

$1.93 ARS 2,986

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ARS 3,904

$2.53 ARS 3,916

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 ARS 4,325

$2.69 ARS 4,162

4.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 ARS 7,709

$4.88 ARS 7,541

2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ARS 2,753

$1.70 ARS 2,627

4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ARS 4,510

$2.98 ARS 4,600

-2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ARS 1,589

$0.58 ARS 901

77.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.16 ARS 31.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ARS 3,153

$0.63 ARS 968

223.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,574

$0.97 ARS 1,505

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 ARS 7,647

$4.86 ARS 7,506

1.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ARS 1,877

$1.23 ARS 1,899

-1.63%

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

$27.5K ARS 42.5M

$27.2K ARS 42.0M

1.32%

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

$33.4K ARS 51.6M

$33.6K ARS 51.8M

-0.51%

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

$146 ARS 225.0K

$40.66 ARS 62.8K

258.19%

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

$17.24 ARS 26.6K

$16.99 ARS 26.2K

1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.11 ARS 37.2K

$24.71 ARS 38.2K

-2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 ARS 48.4K

$33.53 ARS 51.8K

-6.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.39 ARS 28.4K

$21.75 ARS 33.6K

-15.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 ARS 10.7K

$5.58 ARS 8,627

23.84%

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

$171 ARS 264.6K

$171 ARS 263.7K

0.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,084 ARS 6.3M

$4,143 ARS 6.4M

-1.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$128 ARS 197.6K

$127 ARS 196.5K

0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$142 ARS 218.8K

$143 ARS 220.3K

-0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 221.8K

$144 ARS 222.8K

-0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 ARS 241.7K

$159 ARS 246.3K

-1.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 ARS 860.0K

$496 ARS 765.7K

12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ARS 544.5K

$321 ARS 496.4K

9.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 ARS 1.5M

$1,116 ARS 1.7M

-13.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 ARS 1.0M

$758 ARS 1.2M

-12.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,699 ARS 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,127 ARS 1.7M

$1,307 ARS 2.0M

-13.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 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 27, 2026

Last update for San Luis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$352 25.4%

San Luis

$321 28% 8.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$287 20.6%

San Luis

$272 23.7% 5.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.5%

San Luis

$258 22.5% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Mendoza

$230 16.6%

San Luis

$162 14.1% 29.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$187 13.5%

San Luis

$82 7.2% 56% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$45 3.3%

San Luis

$45 3.9% 1% $0.4

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.3%

San Luis

$7.8 * 0.7% 75.1% $24

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 $496 in San Luis. 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 $49 in Mendoza versus $51 in San Luis. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Mendoza vs $272 in San Luis – so San Luis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

Same time as Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

204,019

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mendoza San Luis 240 km

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 San Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,084 per month in Mendoza and $1,722 in San Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $496 there versus $557 in Mendoza.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,389 in Mendoza and $1,148 in San Luis. That makes San Luis about 17% cheaper.

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

It depends on your priorities. Mendoza has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,148 in San Luis to $1,389 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.