Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe and Mendoza

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,077 a month against $1,389 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
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Santa Fe Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index

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Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,077

/mo nomad

Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Fe and in Mendoza

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Fe and in Mendoza actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Santa Fe vs $1,389 in Mendoza, rent included.

Santa Fe $1,077
Mendoza $1,389

A couple spends around $1,662 per month in Santa Fe vs $2,178 in Mendoza, rent included.

Santa Fe $1,662
Mendoza $2,178

A family of three spends $2,247 per month in Santa Fe vs $2,967 in Mendoza, rent included.

Santa Fe $2,247
Mendoza $2,967

Santa Fe is about 22% cheaper than Mendoza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Fe sits 21% below the global median, while Mendoza is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.16 ARS 15.6K

$10.87 ARS 16.7K

-6.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

$49.24 ARS 75.7K

-22.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 ARS 19.0K

$14.44 ARS 22.2K

-14.47%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ARS 2,644

$4.43 ARS 6,817

-61.17%

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

$1.48 ARS 2,274

$2.36 ARS 3,627

-37.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ARS 2,054

$1.95 ARS 2,996

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 ARS 5,337

$4.11 ARS 6,315

-15.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 ARS 7,738

$4.47 ARS 6,877

12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 ARS 1,561

$1.38 ARS 2,118

-26.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ARS 2,399

$2.20 ARS 3,390

-29.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ARS 1,575

$2.81 ARS 4,319

-63.70%

Eggs

$1.54 ARS 2,375

$3.21 ARS 4,936

-52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.17 ARS 12.6K

$14.63 ARS 22.5K

-44.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ARS 9,287

$6.30 ARS 9,684

-4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.32 ARS 15.9K

$11.00 ARS 16.9K

-6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,073

$2.29 ARS 3,523

-12.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ARS 2,325

$2.17 ARS 3,340

-30.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ARS 1,344

$1.35 ARS 2,075

-35.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 ARS 3,854

$3.33 ARS 5,118

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ARS 895

$2.01 ARS 3,085

-71.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ARS 1,047

$1.52 ARS 2,344

-55.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ARS 1,631

$1.93 ARS 2,970

-45.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ARS 1,644

$2.53 ARS 3,887

-57.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ARS 4,875

$2.80 ARS 4,306

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 ARS 7,440

$4.99 ARS 7,676

-3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ARS 1,940

$1.78 ARS 2,741

-29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ARS 3,280

$2.92 ARS 4,491

-27.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ARS 1,640

$1.03 ARS 1,582

3.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.16 ARS 31.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 ARS 1,505

$2.04 ARS 3,140

-51.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,509

$1.02 ARS 1,567

-3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 ARS 7,614

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ARS 1,770

$1.21 ARS 1,869

-4.96%

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

$19.8K ARS 30.5M

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

-28.06%

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

$29.7K ARS 45.7M

$33.4K ARS 51.4M

-10.97%

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

$59.6 ARS 91.7K

$146 ARS 224.0K

-59.08%

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

$19.80 ARS 30.5K

$17.24 ARS 26.5K

14.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.28 ARS 32.7K

$24.11 ARS 37.1K

-11.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 ARS 52.2K

$31.33 ARS 48.2K

8.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 ARS 29.8K

$18.39 ARS 28.3K

5.38%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ARS 7,550

$6.91 ARS 10.6K

-28.94%

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

$260 ARS 400.2K

$171 ARS 263.5K

51.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,522 ARS 7.0M

$4,084 ARS 6.3M

10.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 ARS 133.6K

$128 ARS 196.7K

-32.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

$142 ARS 217.9K

-57.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 176.2K

$144 ARS 220.9K

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 ARS 218.3K

$156 ARS 240.6K

-9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 776.9K

$557 ARS 856.2K

-9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ARS 561.9K

$352 ARS 542.1K

3.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 ARS 1.4M

$966 ARS 1.5M

-3.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$595 ARS 915.2K

$666 ARS 1.0M

-10.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,699 ARS 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,271 ARS 2.0M

$1,127 ARS 1.7M

12.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$854 ARS 1.3M

$778 ARS 1.2M

9.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

69.49%

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

Last update for Santa Fe: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mendoza: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Fe

$365 33.9%

Mendoza

$352 25.4% 3.5% $13

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe

$197 18.3%

Mendoza

$287 20.6% 45.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe

$182 16.9%

Mendoza

$256 18.5% 40.9% $74

Eating Out

Santa Fe

$178 16.5%

Mendoza

$230 16.6% 29.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe

$101 9.4%

Mendoza

$187 13.5% 85.8% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe

$44 4.1%

Mendoza

$45 3.3% 3.2% $1.4

Getting Around

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9%

Mendoza

$31 2.3% 209% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $505 in Santa Fe versus $557 in Mendoza. 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 10% higher in Santa Fe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Santa Fe versus $49 in Mendoza. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $287 – making Santa Fe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

Same time as Santa Fe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,164

937,154

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Fe Mendoza 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe
Mendoza

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

Santa Fe vs Mendoza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mendoza is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,615 per month in Santa Fe and $2,084 in Mendoza. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $505 in Santa Fe and $557 in Mendoza. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,077 in Santa Fe and $1,389 in Mendoza. That makes Santa Fe about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $260 per month in Santa Fe and $171 in Mendoza. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,077 in Santa Fe and $1,389 in Mendoza, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mendoza has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,077 in Santa Fe 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.