Mendoza

Medians calculated by us from Mercado Libre listings on 29 September 2026, flats with two bedrooms (dos dormitorios), prices in pesos. Ciudad, that is, Mendoza city itself together with the Quinta Sección district – ARS 700,000, half of the listings in the range ARS 625–900k (35 listings; another 8 are priced in dollars, median USD 1,000). Godoy Cruz – ARS 770,000, half in the range ARS 750–900k (12 listings). Guaymallén – ARS 665,000, half in the range ARS 595–800k (20 listings). These are asking prices, not transaction prices. For cross-checking: MinutoYA on 25 September 2026, citing the portals, Inmodata and Zonaprop, gives averages for one- and two-bedroom flats – Godoy Cruz about ARS 690k, Ciudad 680k, Luján de Cuyo 650k, Maipú 600k, Guaymallén 585k, Las Heras 550k. The same source: supply has grown by about 75% over the year, and the cost of entering a contract (advance, deposit, commission) is 3–4 monthly payments – about ARS 2.7 million in Godoy Cruz, ARS 2.66 million in Ciudad, ARS 2.34 million in Guaymallén. Expensas (the building maintenance fee) and utilities are not included in the rent.

Our count from Mercado Libre listings on 29 September 2026, three-bedroom houses for rent, only the departments of Greater Mendoza (Ciudad, Godoy Cruz, Guaymallén, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú, Las Heras). 26 listings in pesos: median ARS 1,175,000, half in the range ARS 0.85–1.65 million; for example, in Godoy Cruz there are houses for ARS 0.7–1.65 million, in the Quinta Sección district for ARS 1.3–1.5 million. 19 listings in dollars: median USD 1,700, half in the range USD 1,500–2,000. The dollar ones are mostly houses in gated communities (barrio privado) of Chacras de Coria, Luján de Cuyo, Maipú and Dalvian. The sample is small, and these are asking prices, not transaction prices.

Our count from Mercado Libre listings on 29 September 2026, three-bedroom houses for sale. Chacras de Coria (Luján de Cuyo): 28 listings, median USD 295,000, half in the range USD 257–370k, house area mostly 150–300 m². Godoy Cruz: the count covered the first page of results, 46 listings out of 103, median USD 94,500, half in the range USD 68–142k; an expensive segment exists there too (USD 250–540k). These are asking prices in dollars. For Godoy Cruz the sample is incomplete, so the figure is only a rough guide.

Our count from Mercado Libre listings for land for sale in Chacras de Coria (Luján de Cuyo department) on 29 September 2026: of 41 plots of 500 to 1,300 m², the median price is USD 69,000, half of the listings in the range USD 61–83k, the median per square metre about USD 100 (half – USD 88–119). The extreme values in the sample are USD 39,000 for 529 m² and USD 280,000 for 1,138 m². A noticeable part of the supply is lots in gated communities along Calle Viamonte. These are asking prices; land is sold in dollars.

DEIE Mendoza, August 2026: the basic food basket (Canasta Básica Alimentaria) for a “type 2” family – a man aged 35, a woman aged 31, a daughter aged 8 and a son aged 5 – is ARS 614,072 a month; in July it was ARS 596,066, in August 2025 ARS 430,767, so up 42.6% over the year. The basket is calculated at the lowest prices from 70 points of sale in Greater Mendoza (supermarkets, hypermarkets, neighbourhood shops) using the INDEC methodology, and it covers calorie and protein norms. So it is a lower bound on food spending, not an actual supermarket receipt: household chemicals, cafés and delivery are not included.

DEIE Mendoza, August 2026: the full basic basket (Canasta Básica Total) for a “type 2” family (two adults aged 35 and 31, children aged 8 and 5) is ARS 1,473,774 a month; in July it was ARS 1,436,520, in August 2025 ARS 1,051,070, up 40.2% over the year. This is the official poverty line: a family with income below it is considered poor. The basket is food plus basic non-food expenses, which DEIE lists as clothing, transport, education and health; rent is not named in that list, so for a family in rented housing we add it separately. With the median rent of a two-bedroom flat by our count (ARS 665–770k in Guaymallén, Ciudad and Godoy Cruz) the result is about ARS 2.1–2.2 million a month. Important for comparing cities: this is a poverty line, not a middle-class budget.

IIEP (UBA-CONICET) tariff observatory, Mendoza data for September 2026 as reported by El Sol on 23 September 2026: an electricity bill at consumption of 265 kWh a month – ARS 113,099 without subsidies (national average ARS 94,307, so about 20% more expensive) and ARS 82,737 with a subsidy; mains gas for the household category R2 2° – ARS 64,642 without subsidies (nationally ARS 91,428) and ARS 48,131 with a subsidy. Water and sewerage AYSAM: according to an estimate the company showed at public hearings, the average household bill after the 17% tariff increase from January 2026 (decree 111) is about ARS 35,272 a month; since then the tariff has been revised every two months, so it is probably higher now. The total of about ARS 213k was calculated by us from figures for different months. In apartment buildings, expensas are paid on top.

Edemsa tariffs in annex I to EPRE resolution 189/2026, in force from 1 September 2026, the “without SEF” column (without the state discount). The bill is issued every two months, and the category is determined by consumption over the two months. Fixed charge for two months and price per kWh: Residencial 1 (up to 299 kWh per two months) – 7,562.923 pesos and 280.5412; Residencial 2 (300–599) – 8,334.011 and 270.4639; Residencial 3 (600 and more) – 49,493.440 and 241.6774. The threshold at 600 kWh per two months (300 a month) is sharp, and the typical 300 kWh a month sit exactly on it, so an honest answer is a range. Category 2 (up to 599 per two months, that is 299 a month): 8,334.01 + 598 × 270.4639 = about 170,100 pesos for two months, that is about 85k a month (55 dollars). Category 3 (600 per two months, exactly 300 a month): 49,493.44 + 600 × 241.6774 = about 194,500 pesos for two months, that is about 97k a month (63 dollars). The jump for one kilowatt-hour: at 599 kWh per two months about 170,300, at 600 about 194,500 (according to the table the category is determined by consumption over two months, and all the energy is charged at the rate of its own category; how Edemsa itself applies the threshold, we did not check). Another example: 265 kWh a month (530 per two months, category 2) – 8,334.01 + 530 × 270.4639 = about 151,700 for two months, that is about 75,800 a month. This is arithmetic on the published tariff, not anyone's real bill. The document does not say whether IVA and other taxes are included in these values, so a real bill is higher; the IIEP estimate from another fact (113k pesos for 265 kWh a month) is about 49% more than our arithmetic (75.8k). A possible explanation is taxes and charges on the bill, but this is only a hypothesis: we did not check it and do not know the reason for the discrepancy. For recipients of the state discount the price in the same table is lower: for example, Residencial 2 – 163.5014 pesos per kWh within basic consumption and 270.4639 above it (in September the base is 400 kWh per two months).

Tariffs of Distribuidora de Gas Cuyana (Ecogas) for housing in Mendoza, official ENReGE table, in force from 1 September 2026, without the state SEF discount. The full “Plenas” tariff is taken; the same file also has “Diferenciales” of 50% and 70% with a lower gas price (for areas with a regional discount); for Greater Mendoza the full one applies, in our estimate, but this was not checked by address. The price of gas with transport is the same for all categories R1–R3 – 291.32 pesos per m³; what changes is the fixed charge, which grows with annual consumption: R1 (up to 900 m³ a year) – 7,530.42 pesos; R2 1° (901–1,000 m³) – 13,970.15; R2 2° (1,001–1,200) – 16,101.72; R2 3° (1,201–1,400) – 18,963.87; R3 1° (1,401–1,600) – 21,919.00; R3 2° (1,601–1,800) – 24,841.44; R3 3° (1,801–2,200) – 28,991.87; R3 4° (over 2,200) – 35,408.12. The ranges come from ENARGAS resolution I-4343/17. The file does not state taxes; for Metrogas the same tables are labelled “without taxes”, so the real bill is higher by IVA and other taxes. Example for a house whose annual consumption is up to 900 m³ (category R1): 30 m³ in summer – 7,530.42 + 30 × 291.32 = about 16,270 pesos (11 dollars), 100 m³ in winter with gas heating – 7,530.42 + 100 × 291.32 = about 36,660 pesos (24 dollars). The unit of the fixed charge in the file is marked simply “$”; for Metrogas the same row in its own PDF is labelled “$/mes”, so we treat it as monthly here too, but we did not see such a label for Ecogas; if the bill is bimonthly, the total differs. This is arithmetic on the published tariff, not anyone's real bill.

The official scale of the Mendoza schools directorate (DGE), resolution 140/2026, in force from 1 August 2026 for private schools that receive state support (aporte estatal) of 30% to 100%, replaces the March scale. The full monthly fee (the programme portion plus the non-programme portion): primary school – from ARS 40,417 to ARS 161,942, median across the 110 schools on the list ARS 80,835 (this is the typical fee at 100% support); secondary school – from ARS 49,915 to ARS 183,910, median across 97 schools ARS 99,831. The smaller the share of state support, the more expensive: schools with 30–40% support have fees at the upper limit. The annex states an increase of 10% approved by the DGE. Schools without state support, including private bilingual ones, are not covered by the scale and set their own prices – their fees were not checked here.

According to the Mendoza ministry of health and sport (ADN País, 11 August 2026): since August 2024 the province has charged non-resident foreigners for care in public hospitals and health centres, while foreigners living in Argentina as residents are served on the same terms as citizens. Over the latest period the province collected about 70 million pesos this way; the aim, in the words of minister Rodolfo Montero, is to stop people coming solely for free treatment. Bills are issued by the provincial body Reforsal, which also recovers money from patients' insurers and private health companies. In 2026 the country introduced a similar rule for national hospitals: foreigners without permanent residency pay for elective appointments and outpatient consultations, and only urgent care is free. The practical conclusion: until you have residency and a DNI, a family should cover elective medical care with insurance, and how the province treats temporary residency is better clarified at the hospital.

The current INPRES seismic zoning divides the country into five zones, from 0 (very low hazard) to 4 (very high). According to an INPRES representative (La Nación, 2023) and the hazard map revised in 2022 for the first time in 40 years, the centre and north of Mendoza province, together with the south of San Juan, belong to zone 4 – the most hazardous in Argentina; Diario NDI in 2026 states directly that zone 4 covers Greater Mendoza. In this zone buildings must meet requirements for strength, ductility and materials under the INPRES-CIRSOC 103 regulation. The earthquake of 20 March 1861 completely destroyed the city of Mendoza: according to reports of the time a third of the inhabitants died, in modern retellings more than 4,200 people. INPRES separately stresses that risk is made up of hazard and the vulnerability of buildings: Mendoza's hazard is lower than San Juan's, but its buildings are on average older. The practical conclusion: when renting or buying, find out the year the house was built and whether it meets seismic standards.

Official SNIC series (the National Criminal Information System, published on datos.gob.ar): in Mendoza province in 2025 there were 65 victims of intentional homicide, 3.18 per 100k residents; in 2024 – 71 victims and 3.48, in 2023 – 65 and 3.19. This is a figure for the whole province, not for Greater Mendoza and not for districts, so a district cannot be chosen on it. The press also gives a rounding to 3.1 – here the value from the official series is used.

Infobae, 2 September 2026: the Cristo Redentor system – the main land crossing between Argentina and Chile on the route from Mendoza – was fully closed because of snow for 34 days starting 14 July 2026. From 18 August it was reopened gradually, first for trucks; for all vehicles in both directions the crossing resumed only on 1 September, and on 2 September it was closed again because of a forecast of heavy snowfall. Closure decisions are taken by the road services of the two countries; the status is published by the Undersecretariat for Political Affairs of Argentina's Interior Ministry. For a family planning to travel to Chile by car or bus, a backup plan is needed in winter.

1991–2020 normals (Climates to Travel): July is the coldest month, average 8.6 °C, average minimum 2 °C, average maximum 15.3 °C; in June the average minimum is 2.9 °C, in August 4.3 °C. On the coldest nights of the month the temperature usually drops to about -2.5 °C in June, -3.5 °C in July and -2 °C in August; the record is -7.8 °C in July 1976. Night frosts are frequent, and the difference between day and night is about 13 degrees. Winter is dry: about 5 mm of precipitation falls in July, and the sun shines for about 65% of daylight hours. Snow in the city is a rarity, but it does happen – for example, in July 2000, 2007 and 2010. The dry Zonda wind descending from the Andes can raise the temperature even in winter, to about 30 °C.

1991–2020 normals (Climates to Travel): January is the warmest month, average 26 °C, average maximum 32.8 °C, average minimum 19.3 °C; February – 24.4 °C on average and 31 °C by day. On the hottest days of the month the temperature usually reaches about 39 °C in January and 37.5 °C in February, the record is 44.4 °C in January 2003. Heat waves of 40 °C and above occur from December to February, sometimes already in October and November. The city stands at an altitude of about 750 m in an arid climate, and the difference between day and night is large. Summer accounts for most of the annual precipitation, more often in the form of thunderstorms, and an incursion of cold air from the south can sharply cut the heat for two or three days.

1991–2020 normals (Climates to Travel): about 240 mm of precipitation a year. The maximum is in summer – January 47.2 mm over 4 days with precipitation, February 40.8 mm, March 31.6 mm; the rain mostly falls as thunderstorms. Winter is almost without precipitation: June 5.7 mm, July 5 mm, August 7.9 mm, about one day with precipitation a month. About 2,970 sunshine hours a year. The city does not get enough rain of its own; water comes from snow melting in the Andes – see the separate fact on drought.

The province's irrigation department (DGI), runoff forecast of 8 October 2025 for the 2025–2026 season: for the Mendoza river, which feeds Greater Mendoza, 61% of an average year is expected (Guido gauging point), for the Tunuyán 63%, for the Diamante 62%, for the Atuel 73%. The cause is meteorological drought and the low-snow winter of 2025: the province's rivers are fed by snowmelt in the Andes. The head of the DGI called runoff of about 60% of an average year the “new normal” and recalled that before two relatively high-water seasons the province went through 10–12 years of consecutive drought, depending on the river. The winter of 2026 turned out snowy (the Cristo Redentor pass was fully closed for 34 days), but a forecast for the 2026–2027 season was not found in this check. We do not give exact volumes in million m³ here: the DGI text gives two different figures for the Mendoza river.

The Mendoza provider Wiber, on its home plans page (checked 29 September 2026), offers fibre with equal download and upload speeds: WIGO – 50/50 Mbps, WIGO MEDIUM – 500/500 Mbps, WIGO FULL – 1,000/1,000 Mbps, and lists the connection zones: Luján, Chacras, Maipú, Ciudad, Godoy Cruz, Guaymallén. Prices are not published on the site – a manager quotes them after an application; a 40% discount for 24 months is announced. The same speed in both directions matters for video calls and uploading large files. The plans of the national operators for Mendoza were not checked here. Availability must be checked for the exact address.