Junín de los Andes vs Santa Cruz de la Sierra
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Santa Cruz cheaper — −47%
Ready-made house
✓in Santa Cruz cheaper — −19%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per monthJunín de los Andes≈ $545–1,410ARS 850k – 2.2M✓Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $342–700BOB 4,100–8,400cheaper by 47%Winter
averageJunín de los Andes4 °C4 °CSanta Cruz de la Sierra22 °C22 °CPrecipitation
per yearJunín de los Andes540 mm540 mmSanta Cruz de la Sierra1,372 mm1,372 mmReady-made house
purchaseJunín de los Andes$122–210k$122–210k✓Santa Cruz de la Sierra$87,900 – 180k$87,900 – 180kcheaper by 19%
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Housing
Junín de los Andes
Roughly from USD 122k for 66 m² to USD 210k for 248 m²; a 250 m² family complex on a 2,500 m² plot is USD 300k.
SpecialistListings for land and houses for sale — Zonaprop, Mercado Libre, Argenprop · checked 1 Sep 2026
There is no reliable median: listings get mixed with San Martín. A single house at a local agency is ARS 2.2 million a month; good houses quickly move into the expensive segment.
SpecialistGrupo Patagonia SMA — local agency · checked 30 Aug 2026
There is almost nothing on offer. As of 1 October 2026 there were two listings: a 35 m² cabin with 1 bedroom at ARS 850,000, and a furnished 80 m² house in the center at ARS 2,200,000 a month.
SpecialistMercado Libre - Propiedades en alquiler en Junín de los Andes (as of 1 October 2026) · checked 1 Oct 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
A three-bedroom house by listings costs 88-180 thousand dollars, median 123 thousand. In Urubó about 228 thousand, in the north of the city about 117 thousand.
SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: sale of three-bedroom houses in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026
A three-bedroom apartment by listings costs 4100-8400 Bs a month, median about 5500 Bs (about 460 dollars at 11.97). Almost twice as much in Equipetrol.
SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: rental of three-bedroom apartments in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026
Instead of renting you can give the owner a large sum for a term and live without paying: a three-bedroom apartment in anticrético is about 35-50 thousand dollars.
SpecialistInfoCasas Bolivia: three-bedroom apartments in anticrético in Santa Cruz · checked 6 Oct 2026
Money and prices
Junín de los Andes
Regional estimate: the minimum food basket for a family of four in Patagonia is ARS 708,288 a month (June 2026). This is not a measurement in the town itself.
OfficialIPIEC (Tierra del Fuego) - Evolución de las canastas básicas, región Patagonia, first half of 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Regional estimate: the poverty line excluding rent for a family of four is ARS 1,784,886 a month (June 2026, Patagonia). Add rent on top. Not a measurement in the town.
OfficialIPIEC (Tierra del Fuego) - Evolución de las canastas básicas, región Patagonia, first half of 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
A family of four in Santa Cruz is considered poor with an income below 4917 Bs a month (about 410 dollars). This is the lowest line among the cities in the INE table.
OfficialINE: poverty line and extreme poverty line per person per month by city, 2016 - December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
The minimum food basket for a family of four in Santa Cruz is about 2490 Bs a month (about 210 dollars) by the INE extreme poverty line for December 2025.
OfficialINE: poverty line and extreme poverty line per person per month by city, 2016 - December 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Family and kids
Junín de los Andes
In March 2026, Escuela Primaria Nº153 opened in Nehuén Che for growing neighborhoods, for about 900 families: a shortage of primary school places in the eastern corridor is less likely.
OfficialNew primary school Nº153 in Junín de los Andes · checked 31 Aug 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
In 2025 the department of Santa Cruz had 822 thousand students, about 104 thousand (12.6%) in private schools and kindergartens. Private school fees: not found.
OfficialINE with Ministry of Education data: students in public and private schools by department, 2011 - 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Healthcare
Junín de los Andes
The nearest regional hospital is Hospital Dr. Ramón Carrillo in San Martín, about 40 km along RN 40.
OfficialBoletín Oficial Neuquén — staffing of Hospital Ramón Carrillo, 2026 · checked 27 Aug 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
The department of Santa Cruz had 5131 hospital beds in 2024, about 691 inhabitants per bed. This is slightly worse than the national average (669).
OfficialINE with Ministry of Health data: hospital beds and inhabitants per bed by department, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Transport
Junín de los Andes
About 40 km along RN 40, with regular intercity service and the Chapelco airport between the towns. 30–45 minutes by car; check the road in winter on the spot.
OfficialAviador Carlos Campos airport (Chapelco) · checked 27 Aug 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
INE names Viru Viru near Santa Cruz one of the three key international airports; the city also has El Trompillo. A highway runs to Cochabamba and La Paz.
OfficialINE: geographic information on Bolivia (roads and international airports) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Climate
Junín de los Andes
About 540 mm a year, almost three times drier than San Martín. The western lake zones are noticeably wetter; the transition to steppe begins at Junín.
OfficialStrategic territorial development plan of Junín de los Andes · checked 24 Aug 2026
The average January temperature is about 17.3 °C, according to the territorial plan.
OfficialStrategic territorial development plan of Junín de los Andes · checked 24 Aug 2026
The average July temperature is about 3.9 °C, according to the territorial plan.
OfficialStrategic territorial development plan of Junín de los Andes · checked 24 Aug 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
About 1370 mm of precipitation a year, from 980 to 1740 mm in different years. The rainiest are December and January (about 180 mm), the driest is July (about 26 mm).
OfficialINE with SENAMHI data: mean temperature and precipitation by city by month, 1990 - 2026; annual tables by weather station, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Winter is warm: the mean temperature in June-August is about 21.7 degrees. But the yearly absolute minimum at the city weather station is 2-9 degrees.
OfficialINE with SENAMHI data: mean temperature and precipitation by city by month, 1990 - 2026; annual tables by weather station, 2005 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Safety
Junín de los Andes
Neuquén province in 2025: 5.7 per 100k, the highest of all provinces (average 3.6), up 32.5% from 2024. The figure is driven by the provincial capital; there is no separate data for Junín.
OfficialSNIC — Informe del Sistema Nacional de Información Criminal, year 2025, table 5 (intentional homicides by province) · checked 9 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
In 2024 police in the department of Santa Cruz got 15.6 thousand crime reports, 5.1 thousand on robberies. Homicide reports in 2023: 228, three times La Paz.
OfficialINE with police data: crime reports in the department of Santa Cruz by type, 2007 - 2024 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Internet and phone
Junín de los Andes
COTESMA publishes an address-level fiber coverage map for Junín: the same network as in San Martín, up to 1,000 Mbps.
SpecialistCOTESMA — coverage in Junín de los Andes · checked 2 Sep 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
The state operator Entel sells home fiber at 200 Mbps for 229 Bs a month, 1000 Mbps for 450 Bs. Installation is 200 Bs, subject to an address check.
SpecialistEntel: home fiber internet, Simple plans · checked 6 Oct 2026
Services
Junín de los Andes
Piped gas is supplied by Camuzzi, which has accepted connection requests again since 5 January 2026, including in Junín. Electricity: EPEN, with an office in the town. The table has no tariffs specifically for Junín.
SpecialistCamuzzi — gas connections resume in the Cordillera · checked 1 Oct 2026
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Liquefied gas at a regulated price of 2.25 Bs per kg, a 10 kg cylinder is 22.50 Bs (under 2 dollars). We did not find the piped gas tariff.
OfficialANH: regulated prices of petroleum products on the domestic market, including liquefied gas (GLP) · checked 6 Oct 2026
The average residential tariff of the CRE cooperative in 2024 was 11 US cents per kWh without VAT, about 0.77 Bs. 300 kWh a month is about 230 Bs before tax.
OfficialAETN: statistical yearbook 2024, average tariff for the final consumer by category (CRE, Área Integrada) · checked 6 Oct 2026
The SAGUAPAC water utility received on average about 7 Bs per billed m³ in 2025. Only two thirds of residents in its area have sewerage.
OfficialSAGUAPAC: annual report (Memoria) for 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026

