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City comparison

Mendoza vs Arequipa

In short

Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.

  • Rent

    in Mendoza cheaper — −51%

  • Family groceries

    in Arequipa cheaper — −38%

  • Private school

    in Mendoza cheaper — −81%

In numbers

Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.

  • House or apartment rent

    per month
    Mendoza≈ $425–492ARS 665–770k
    cheaper by 51%
    Arequipa≈ $585–1,290S/ 2,000–4,420
  • Family groceries

    per month
    Mendoza≈ $392ARS 614,072
    Arequipa≈ $243S/ 830
    cheaper by 38%
  • Private school

    per month
    Mendoza≈ $26–118ARS 40,417–183,910
    cheaper by 81%
    Arequipa≈ $219–519S/ 750–1,775
  • Winter

    average
    Mendoza9 °C9 °C
    Arequipa6–21 °C6–21 °C
  • Precipitation

    per year
    Mendoza240 mm240 mm
    Arequipa94.6 mm94.6 mm
  • Ready-made house

    purchase
    Mendoza$94,500 – 295k$94,500 – 295k
    cheaper by 40%
    Arequipa$157–490k$157–490k

By topic

A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.

Housing

Mendoza

Rent for a two-bedroom flat by district

A flat with two bedrooms: Guaymallén about 665k pesos a month, Ciudad 700k, Godoy Cruz 770k. Expensas and utilities on top.

SpecialistMercado Libre - two-bedroom apartments for rent, Ciudad (city of Mendoza) · checked 29 Sep 2026

House with three bedrooms

A three-bedroom house in Greater Mendoza – about 1.2 million pesos a month. In the gated communities of Chacras de Coria, Luján and Dalvian they ask 1,500–2,000 dollars.

SpecialistMercado Libre - three-bedroom houses for rent, Mendoza province · checked 29 Sep 2026

Buying a house

A three-bedroom house: in Godoy Cruz the median is about 95k dollars, in Chacras de Coria about 295k. The difference between the districts is about threefold.

SpecialistMercado Libre - three-bedroom houses for sale, Godoy Cruz · checked 29 Sep 2026

Plot in Chacras de Coria

A plot of 500–1,300 m² in Chacras de Coria usually costs 61–83k dollars, median 69k. That is about 100 dollars per square metre.

SpecialistMercado Libre - plots for sale in Chacras de Coria (Luján de Cuyo) · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about housing in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Rent: Yanahuara and Cayma

A three-bedroom apartment in Yanahuara or Cayma is 2000–4400 soles a month, most often 2500–3000 (about 700–900 dollars). Building maintenance fees on top.

SpecialistUrbania: apartments for rent in Yanahuara · checked 29 Sep 2026

Buying an apartment in Cayma

A three-bedroom apartment in Cayma by listings: 157–490k dollars, median about 225k. Sellers quote prices in dollars.

SpecialistUrbania: apartments for sale in Cayma · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about housing in Arequipa →

Money and prices

Mendoza

Food for a family

The minimum food basket for a family of four in Greater Mendoza is 614k pesos a month (August 2026). Up 43% over the year.

OfficialDEIE Mendoza - basic food basket and total basket for Greater Mendoza, August 2026 (press release) · checked 29 Sep 2026

Budget for a family of four

The poverty line for a family of four is 1.47 million pesos a month (August 2026), rent not included. With a rented two-bedroom flat the total starts at 2.1–2.2 million.

OfficialDEIE Mendoza - basic food basket and total basket for Greater Mendoza, August 2026 (press release) · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about money and prices in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Family budget per month

The average resident of the region spends 876 soles a month, which for a family of four is about 3500. Rent alone for a three-bedroom apartment in Cayma is 2500–3000.

OfficialINEI: Arequipa, statistical compendium 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026

Groceries for a family

A rough guide is about 830 soles a month for a family of four: food accounts for 23.7% of the urban price basket, and average spending per person is 876 soles.

OfficialINEI: Arequipa, statistical compendium 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026

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Family and kids

Mendoza

Private schools

Schools with state support from August 2026: primary 40–162k pesos a month, median 81k; secondary 50–184k, median about 100k.

OfficialDGE Mendoza - fee for each private school with state subsidy from August 2026 (Resolución 140/2026, annex) · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about family and kids in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Private schools: prices

The most expensive schools in the city charged 750–1775 soles a month in 2024. In 80% of private schools the fee is below 400 soles a month.

SpecialistEncuentro: 80% of private schools in Arequipa charge under 400 soles, table of monthly fees 2023-2024 from Identicole · checked 29 Sep 2026

Private and public

Almost every second pupil in Arequipa attends a private school: 47% across the two city education authorities, 54% in the northern one (2024 census).

OfficialINEI: Arequipa, statistical compendium 2025 · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about family and kids in Arequipa →

Healthcare

Mendoza

Hospitals and foreigners

With residency, provincial hospitals are free, as for Argentines. Without it, since August 2024 elective care has been paid, emergency care is free.

SpecialistADN País - Mendoza and fees for medical care for non-resident foreigners · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about healthcare in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Altitude and children

The city is at 2335 m, just below the CDC altitude sickness threshold (2450 m). For children the CDC sees no particular risk, and it advises caution with infants under 6 weeks.

OfficialCDC Yellow Book: high-altitude travel and altitude sickness · checked 29 Sep 2026

Hospitals in the city

The level III public hospital Honorio Delgado: paediatrics, neonatology, intensive care, neurosurgery, oncology. The social insurer EsSalud has 29 facilities in the region.

OfficialHospital Regional III Honorio Delgado: website and list of services · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about healthcare in Arequipa →

Transport

Mendoza

The pass to Chile in winter

The main road to Chile over the Cristo Redentor pass was closed for 34 days in a row from 14 July in winter 2026. For trips between July and September, plan with a margin.

SpecialistInfobae - Cristo Redentor pass closed again after 34 days of full closure · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about transport in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Airport and flights

The airport is 8 km from the centre and is open between 5 and 22 hours. The departures board on 29 September 2026 showed 22 departures: 20 to Lima and 2 to Cusco, with no international ones.

SpecialistAeropuertos Andinos del Perú: Arequipa airport and departures board · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about transport in Arequipa →

Climate

Mendoza

Winter

The average July temperature is 8.6 degrees: about 15 by day, about 2 at night. Night frosts are frequent, down to -3.5 on the coldest nights. Winter is dry, snow is a rarity.

SpecialistClimates to Travel - climate of Mendoza, 1991-2020 normals · checked 29 Sep 2026

Summer and heat

The average January temperature is 26 degrees, about 33 by day. On hot days it reaches 39, the record is 44.4. Nights are noticeably cooler – about 19.

SpecialistClimates to Travel - climate of Mendoza, 1991-2020 normals · checked 29 Sep 2026

Annual precipitation

About 240 mm a year – an arid climate. Most in January (47 mm, thunderstorms), least in July (5 mm). About 2,970 hours of sun a year.

SpecialistClimates to Travel - climate of Mendoza, 1991-2020 normals · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about climate in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Winter climate

In winter it is about 5.5 degrees at night and 21–22 during the day. Daytime temperature is almost the same all year round, with a day-night difference of 13–16 degrees.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Arequipa · checked 29 Sep 2026

Precipitation and seasonality

About 95 mm a year, and almost all of it in January–March. From April to November, 0 to 2 mm a month falls.

OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Arequipa · checked 29 Sep 2026

Ultraviolet

Even in July, SENAMHI forecast an ultraviolet index of 8–12 for Arequipa, from “very high” to “extreme”. The weather service advises staying out of the sun from 9 to 16.

SpecialistInfobae: SENAMHI warns of extreme ultraviolet in the southern sierra, 4-6 July 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about climate in Arequipa →

Nature

Mendoza

Water and drought

According to the irrigation department's forecast, the Mendoza river will deliver 61% of an average year's water in the 2025–2026 season. Before that there were 10–12 years of drought, which the authorities call the new normal.

OfficialDepartamento General de Irrigación - river runoff forecast for Mendoza for the 2025-2026 season · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about nature in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Nothing yet

Safety

Mendoza

Earthquakes

The north of Mendoza with Greater Mendoza is zone 4, the highest seismic hazard in the country (INPRES). The 1861 earthquake destroyed the whole city.

OfficialINPRES - update of Argentina's seismic hazard map and the current zoning · checked 29 Sep 2026

Intentional homicides

Mendoza province, 2025: 65 victims of intentional homicide, 3.2 per 100k residents; in 2024 it was 71 and 3.5. There is no separate figure for the city.

OfficialSNIC - victims of intentional homicide and their rate per 100k residents, Mendoza province · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about safety in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Misti volcano

IGP calls Misti the most dangerous volcano in Peru: more than a million people live on its slopes and around it. The last eruption was in the fifteenth century.

OfficialIGP: volcanic Arequipa, 5 facts about active volcanoes · checked 29 Sep 2026

Earthquakes

The 2001 earthquake of magnitude 8.2 caused shaking of intensity VIII on the Mercalli scale in Arequipa. According to IGP, about 30% of the energy off the southern coast has still not been released.

OfficialIGP: memories of the earthquake that will happen again (Arequipa, 2001) · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about safety in Arequipa →

Internet and phone

Mendoza

Internet

The local provider Wiber offers symmetric fibre up to 1,000 Mbps in Ciudad, Godoy Cruz, Guaymallén, Maipú, Luján and Chacras de Coria.

SpecialistWiber - home fiber plans and coverage zones in Greater Mendoza · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in Mendoza →

Arequipa

Fibre-optic internet

Movistar sells home fibre at 400 Mbit/s for 89.90 soles a month, 79.90 for the first two months. Arequipa is on Movistar's list of fibre zones.

SpecialistMovistar Perú: “Solo internet” plans · checked 29 Sep 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in Arequipa →

Services

Mendoza

Electricity, gas and water

Without subsidies, electricity is about 113k pesos a month, gas 65k, water about 35k – roughly 213k in total. Electricity is 20% more expensive than the national average.

SpecialistEl Sol, citing the Observatorio de Tarifas y Subsidios IIEP (UBA-CONICET) - electricity and gas in Mendoza versus the national average, September 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026

Electricity (Edemsa)

Edemsa electricity without a subsidy: 240–280 pesos per kWh plus a fixed charge, billed every two months. 300 kWh a month: 85–97k pesos (55–63 dollars), depending on the category.

OfficialEPRE Mendoza: annex I to resolution 189/2026, Edemsa cuadro tarifario, in effect from 1 September 2026 · checked 30 Sep 2026

Mains gas (Ecogas)

Ecogas gas in Mendoza without a subsidy: 291 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge of 7.5k (R1), without taxes. 100 m³ in winter – about 36.7k pesos (24 dollars).

OfficialENReGE (formerly ENARGAS): natural gas tariffs of all distributors from 1 September 2026 (Excel), Distribuidora de Gas Cuyana, Mendoza · checked 30 Sep 2026

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Arequipa

Electricity at the SEAL tariff

For consumption above 140 kWh, electricity costs 0.66 soles per kWh plus 3.60 soles a month, without IGV tax. 200 kWh is about 136 soles before tax.

OfficialSEAL: tariff schedule No. 003-2026 for end users, from 4 February 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026

Water and sewerage SEDAPAR

Water and sewerage: the first 10 m³ at 1.65 soles, then 2.96 and 6.00. A bill for 15 m³ is about 41 soles with tax; this is a calculation based on the SEDAPAR tariff.

OfficialSunass: resolution 00146-2025-SUNASS-CD, SEDAPAR tariff structure for year 5 of the 2021-2026 period · checked 30 Sep 2026

Gas: networks and cylinders

There is no piped gas concessionaire in Arequipa; the network is being built under the state Bonogas programme in five districts. The rest cook on cylinders, and we did not find their price.

OfficialMINEM: first stage of gas network construction in Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna (Sur Oeste concession) · checked 30 Sep 2026

Everything about services in Arequipa →

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