Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and San Martin de los Andes

For one person, living is cheaper in San Martin de los Andes: $1,264 a month against $1,389 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Mendoza, Argentina
San Martin de los Andes, Argentina
Mendoza
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,389
/mo nomad
San Martin de los Andes
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,264
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendoza and in San Martin de los Andes

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 Martin de los Andes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Mendoza vs $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes, rent included.

  • Mendoza $1,389
  • San Martin de los Andes $1,264

A couple spends around $2,178 per month in Mendoza vs $2,136 in San Martin de los Andes, rent included.

  • Mendoza $2,178
  • San Martin de los Andes $2,136

A family of three spends $2,967 per month in Mendoza vs $3,007 in San Martin de los Andes, rent included.

  • Mendoza $2,967
  • San Martin de los Andes $3,007

Mendoza costs about 10% more than San Martin de los Andes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mendoza sits 2% above the global median, while San Martin de los Andes is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.87 ARS 16.7K
$18.03 ARS 27.7K
-39.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.24 ARS 75.7K
$57.1 ARS 87.9K
-13.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.44 ARS 22.2K
$13.84 ARS 21.3K
4.34%
Cappuccino
$4.43 ARS 6,817
$3.30 ARS 5,080
34.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 ARS 3,627
$1.97 ARS 3,034
19.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 ARS 2,996
$2.02 ARS 3,115
-3.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.11 ARS 6,315
$3.44 ARS 5,298
19.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ARS 6,877
$4.66 ARS 7,175
-4.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 ARS 2,118
$1.42 ARS 2,178
-2.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 ARS 3,390
$2.37 ARS 3,648
-7.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.81 ARS 4,319
$1.98 ARS 3,041
41.92%
Eggs
$3.21 ARS 4,936
$2.92 ARS 4,496
9.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.63 ARS 22.5K
$10.62 ARS 16.3K
37.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.30 ARS 9,684
$7.95 ARS 12.2K
-20.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.00 ARS 16.9K
$9.95 ARS 15.3K
10.55%
Apples (1kg)
$2.29 ARS 3,523
$2.13 ARS 3,284
7.51%
Banana (1kg)
$2.17 ARS 3,340
$2.31 ARS 3,560
-6.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.35 ARS 2,075
$1.49 ARS 2,292
-9.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.33 ARS 5,118
$2.48 ARS 3,807
34.27%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 ARS 3,085
$1.17 ARS 1,793
71.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 ARS 2,344
$1.11 ARS 1,702
36.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.93 ARS 2,970
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.53 ARS 3,887
$1.44 ARS 2,215
75.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.80 ARS 4,306
$3.44 ARS 5,292
-18.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.99 ARS 7,676
$5.39 ARS 8,296
-7.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ARS 2,741
$2.13 ARS 3,272
-16.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 ARS 4,491
$3.03 ARS 4,660
-3.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 ARS 1,582
$0.93 ARS 1,430
10.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.16 ARS 31.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 ARS 3,140
$1.58 ARS 2,424
29.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ARS 1,567
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.95 ARS 7,614
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 ARS 1,869
$1.22 ARS 1,872
-0.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K ARS 42.4M
$27.5K ARS 42.3M
0.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K ARS 51.4M
$30.9K ARS 47.6M
7.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$146 ARS 224.0K
$134 ARS 206.4K
8.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.24 ARS 26.5K
$15.99 ARS 24.6K
7.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.11 ARS 37.1K
$27.53 ARS 42.4K
-12.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.33 ARS 48.2K
$31.26 ARS 48.1K
0.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.39 ARS 28.3K
$19.28 ARS 29.7K
-4.62%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 ARS 10.6K
$8.74 ARS 13.4K
-20.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$171 ARS 263.5K
$239 ARS 367.8K
-28.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,084 ARS 6.3M
$4,149 ARS 6.4M
-1.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$128 ARS 196.7K
$106 ARS 163.3K
20.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$142 ARS 217.9K
$85.5 ARS 131.5K
65.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$144 ARS 220.9K
$126 ARS 194.5K
13.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$156 ARS 240.6K
$130 ARS 200.2K
20.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$557 ARS 856.2K
$465 ARS 715.7K
19.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$352 ARS 542.1K
$311 ARS 478.0K
13.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$966 ARS 1.5M
$1,006 ARS 1.5M
-3.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$666 ARS 1.0M
$823 ARS 1.3M
-19.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,699 ARS 2.6M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,127 ARS 1.7M
$1,249 ARS 1.9M
-9.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mendoza
San Martin de los Andes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$778 ARS 1.2M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
59
0
-

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

Last update for Mendoza: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Martin de los Andes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mendoza
$352
San Martin de los Andes
$311 11.8% $42
Groceries & Markets
Mendoza
$287
San Martin de los Andes
$252 * 12% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Mendoza
$256
San Martin de los Andes
$202 21.3% $55
Eating Out
Mendoza
$230
San Martin de los Andes
$268 16.4% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mendoza
$187
San Martin de los Andes
$178 5% $9.3
Sport & Entertainment
Mendoza
$45
San Martin de los Andes
$49 7.9% $3.6
Getting Around
Mendoza
$31
San Martin de los Andes
$5.3 * 83.2% $26

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 $465 in San Martin de los Andes. 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 $57 in San Martin de los Andes. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Mendoza vs $252 in San Martin de los Andes – so San Martin de los Andes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Mendoza
🇦🇷 San Martin de los Andes
🕒 Local time
12:13 12:13 PM
12:13 12:13 PM
Same time as Mendoza
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
937,154
36,913
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mendoza San Martin de los Andes 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mendoza
  • San Martin de los Andes

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 Martin de los Andes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Martin de los Andes cheaper than Mendoza?
Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,084 per month in Mendoza and $1,897 in San Martin de los Andes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Martin de los Andes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $465 there versus $557 in Mendoza.
What are total monthly expenses in Mendoza and in San Martin de los Andes?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,389 in Mendoza and $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes. That’s a gap of about 10%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $171 per month in Mendoza and $239 in San Martin de los Andes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Mendoza or in San Martin de los Andes?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,389 in Mendoza and $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Mendoza or in San Martin de los Andes?
It depends on your priorities. Mendoza has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes to $1,389 in Mendoza. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Mendoza or San Martin de los Andes?
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.

Mendoza vs other spots: cost of living compared

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