Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,105 a month against $1,387 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,387

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendoza and in Santo Domingo

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

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Mendoza vs $1,105 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Mendoza $1,387
Santo Domingo $1,105

A couple spends around $2,185 per month in Mendoza vs $1,733 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Mendoza $2,185
Santo Domingo $1,733

A family of three spends $2,984 per month in Mendoza vs $2,362 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Mendoza $2,984
Santo Domingo $2,362

Mendoza costs about 26% more than Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mendoza sits 3% above the global median, while Santo Domingo is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ARS 16.7K

$10.06 DOP 616

9.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 ARS 75.6K

$50.2 DOP 3,074

-0.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.36 ARS 21.8K

$7.65 DOP 469

87.71%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ARS 6,896

$2.30 DOP 141

97.39%

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

$2.32 ARS 3,517

$1.05 DOP 64.5

120.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ARS 2,949

$0.60 DOP 36.59

223.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 ARS 6,191

$2.49 DOP 152

63.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ARS 6,775

$3.24 DOP 198

37.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,102

$1.39 DOP 85.1

-0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ARS 3,358

$1.54 DOP 94.6

43.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,034

$1.57 DOP 96.1

69.43%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,836

$2.26 DOP 139

41.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

$7.16 DOP 439

105.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,447

$5.42 DOP 332

14.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

$6.56 DOP 402

68.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,478

$3.24 DOP 199

-29.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,386

$0.81 DOP 49.71

175.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,036

$2.68 DOP 164

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 ARS 4,974

$1.86 DOP 114

76.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,067

$2.02 DOP 124

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$2.21 DOP 135

-32.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,074

$1.02 DOP 62.8

99.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ARS 3,743

$0.93 DOP 56.9

165.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ARS 4,275

$5.39 DOP 330

-47.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 ARS 7,712

$10.14 DOP 621

-49.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,608

$2.50 DOP 153

-31.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,583

$2.85 DOP 175

5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,486

$0.56 DOP 34.14

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ARS 29.9K

$18.15 DOP 1,112

8.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ARS 3,059

$3.38 DOP 207

-40.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$2.16 DOP 132

-54.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.82 ARS 7,318

$5.87 DOP 359

-17.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,897

$1.45 DOP 88.7

-13.79%

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

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

$23.3K DOP 1.4M

18.48%

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

$33.0K ARS 50.1M

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

-0.51%

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

$144 ARS 218.4K

$93.5 DOP 5,730

53.87%

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

$17.72 ARS 26.9K

$31.73 DOP 1,944

-44.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.92 ARS 36.3K

$36.43 DOP 2,232

-34.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.32 ARS 49.0K

$29.02 DOP 1,778

11.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 ARS 27.4K

$24.12 DOP 1,478

-25.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 ARS 10.8K

$7.23 DOP 443

-1.80%

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

$176 ARS 266.3K

$250 DOP 15.3K

-29.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,178 ARS 6.3M

$7,461 DOP 457.1K

-44.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 ARS 192.2K

$45.03 DOP 2,759

181.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$141 ARS 214.2K

$45.51 DOP 2,788

210.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 217.9K

$85.9 DOP 5,262

67.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ARS 238.0K

$125 DOP 7,640

25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ARS 838.5K

$710 DOP 43.5K

-22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ARS 531.6K

$355 DOP 21.7K

-1.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 ARS 1.5M

$1,445 DOP 88.5K

-31.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 ARS 1.0M

$625 DOP 38.3K

8.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 ARS 2.7M

$2,235 DOP 136.9K

-21.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 ARS 1.7M

$1,192 DOP 73.0K

-4.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$766 ARS 1.2M

$586 DOP 35.9K

30.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

335.10%

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

Last update for Mendoza: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$350 25.3%

Santo Domingo

$355 32.1% 1.2% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$286 20.6%

Santo Domingo

$218 19.8% 23.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.4%

Santo Domingo

$136 12.3% 47% $120

Eating Out

Mendoza

$232 16.7%

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2% 32.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$186 13.4%

Santo Domingo

$162 14.6% 12.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$47 3.4%

Santo Domingo

$43 3.9% 6.5% $3

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.2%

Santo Domingo

$35 3.1% 12.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Mendoza versus $710 in Santo Domingo. 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 31% 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 $50.0 in Mendoza versus $50.0 in Santo Domingo. Groceries tell a different story – $286 in Mendoza vs $218 in Santo Domingo – so Santo Domingo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

1 h behind Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.88 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mendoza Santo Domingo 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mendoza
Santo Domingo

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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Mendoza and $1,657 in Santo Domingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santo Domingo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Santo Domingo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Mendoza and $250 in Santo Domingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santo Domingo, where all-in costs run around $1,105, than in Mendoza at $1,387. In Santo Domingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mendoza it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santo Domingo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Santo Domingo. 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.