Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Martin de los Andes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in San Martin de los Andes: $1,261 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in San Martin de los Andes
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San Martin de los Andes Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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San Martin de los Andes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,261

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Martin de los Andes and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,261 per month in San Martin de los Andes vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Martin de los Andes $1,261
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,115 per month in San Martin de los Andes vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Martin de los Andes $2,115
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,970 per month in San Martin de los Andes vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Martin de los Andes $2,970
Cape Town $3,306

San Martin de los Andes is about 17% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San Martin de los Andes sits 7% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.25 ARS 26.6K

$12.01 R 198

43.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 ARS 87.0K

$42.92 R 709

31.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 ARS 20.1K

$6.15 R 102

111.87%

Cappuccino

$3.80 ARS 5,867

$2.37 R 39.13

60.34%

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

$2.20 ARS 3,400

$1.27 R 21.01

73.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ARS 2,881

$0.94 R 15.49

98.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ARS 5,856

$2.96 R 48.88

28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 ARS 6,169

$3.69 R 61.0

8.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,083

$1.32 R 21.78

2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ARS 3,378

$1.21 R 19.91

80.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ARS 2,737

$2.20 R 36.34

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.70 ARS 4,167

$3.10 R 51.3

-12.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.85 ARS 18.3K

$8.73 R 144

35.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.02 ARS 12.4K

$6.89 R 114

16.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 ARS 17.4K

$9.26 R 153

21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ARS 3,658

$1.83 R 30.15

29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ARS 3,506

$1.95 R 32.20

16.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 ARS 2,393

$1.66 R 27.38

-6.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 ARS 4,156

$2.14 R 35.27

25.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ARS 1,639

$1.58 R 26.07

-32.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ARS 1,477

$1.47 R 24.35

-34.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.23

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ARS 2,359

$1.14 R 18.90

34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ARS 5,087

$3.58 R 59.1

-8.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 ARS 7,917

$6.05 R 100.0

-15.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 ARS 3,250

$1.39 R 23.00

51.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ARS 5,342

$2.18 R 35.98

58.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ARS 1,573

$1.40 R 23.07

-27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,003

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ARS 2,384

$0.93 R 15.30

65.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ARS 1,851

$1.54 R 25.43

-22.08%

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

$25.1K ARS 38.7M

$35.4K R 584.1K

-29.14%

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

$32.7K ARS 50.5M

$33.4K R 551.2K

-2.03%

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

$123 ARS 189.7K

$117 R 1,934

4.86%

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

$16.66 ARS 25.7K

$25.71 R 425

-35.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.68 ARS 36.6K

$39.41 R 651

-39.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.83 ARS 47.6K

$51.6 R 852

-40.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 ARS 31.3K

$11.35 R 187

78.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 ARS 14.1K

$8.89 R 147

2.36%

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

$241 ARS 371.6K

$308 R 5,081

-21.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,156 ARS 6.4M

$8,141 R 134.5K

-48.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 ARS 178.6K

$57.4 R 948

101.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.4 ARS 125.8K

$31.75 R 524

156.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 176.4K

$116 R 1,915

-1.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ARS 181.3K

$101 R 1,663

16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 ARS 810.6K

$1,047 R 17.3K

-49.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ARS 502.3K

$669 R 11.1K

-51.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 ARS 1.6M

$1,861 R 30.7K

-43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 ARS 1.3M

$1,407 R 23.2K

-42.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,291 ARS 2.0M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-17.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for San Martin de los Andes: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Martin de los Andes

$325 25.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 106% $344

Eating Out

San Martin de los Andes

$266 21.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 34.5% $92

Groceries & Markets

San Martin de los Andes

$259 * 20.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 13.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

San Martin de los Andes

$193 15.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 28.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Martin de los Andes

$163 12.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 11.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Martin de los Andes

$49 3.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 41.5% $20

Getting Around

San Martin de los Andes

$5.6 * 0.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 1177% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $525 in San Martin de los Andes versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 $56 in San Martin de los Andes versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Martin de los Andes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

03:01 3:01 AM

5 h ahead of San Martin de los Andes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,913

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,727 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.46 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Martin de los Andes Cape Town 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

San Martin de los Andes
Cape Town

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

San Martin de los Andes vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 21% more than San Martin de los Andes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,891 per month in San Martin de los Andes and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Martin de los Andes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,261 in San Martin de los Andes and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes San Martin de los Andes about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $241 per month in San Martin de los Andes and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,261 in San Martin de los Andes and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Martin de los Andes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.