Mendoza vs Córdoba
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Mendoza cheaper — −21%
Family budget
≈ about equal≈ $942ARS 1,473,774 and ≈ $974ARS 1,505,487 per month
Private school
✓in Mendoza cheaper — −89%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per month✓Mendoza≈ $425–492ARS 665–770kcheaper by 21%Córdoba≈ $511–647ARS 790k – 1MPiped gas
✓Mendoza≈ $0.19 per m³ARS 291.32 per m³cheaper by 12%Córdoba≈ $0.21 per m³ARS 329.29 per m³Family budget
per monthalmost equalMendoza≈ $942ARS 1,473,774Córdoba≈ $974ARS 1,505,487Private school
per month✓Mendoza≈ $26–118ARS 40,417–183,910cheaper by 89%Córdoba≈ $520–802ARS 804,069–1,239,033Winter
averageMendoza9 °C9 °CCórdoba11 °C11 °CSummer
averageMendoza26 °C26 °CCórdoba24 °C24 °CPrecipitation
per yearMendoza240 mm240 mmCórdoba855 mm855 mmReady-made house
purchase✓Mendoza$94,500 – 295k$94,500 – 295kcheaper by 15%Córdoba$163,500–296,250$163,500–296,250
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Housing
Mendoza
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
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
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
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
Córdoba
A two-bedroom apartment: Centro about 790k pesos a month, General Paz 950k, Nueva Córdoba 1 million (520–660 dollars). Building fees on top.
SpecialistMercado Libre: two-bedroom apartments for rent, city of Córdoba · checked 6 Oct 2026
A three-bedroom house in the city by listings is most often 165–295k dollars, median about 208k. Sellers quote prices in dollars.
SpecialistMercado Libre: three-bedroom houses for sale, city of Córdoba · checked 6 Oct 2026
Money and prices
Mendoza
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
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
Córdoba
The minimum food basket for a family of four in the Pampas region (INDEC) is about 678k pesos a month, June 2026. There is no separate figure for Córdoba.
OfficialIPEC Santa Fe, INDEC series: basic food basket (extreme poverty line) per adult equivalent, Pampas region, 2017 to June 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
The poverty line for a family of four in the Pampas region is 1.51 million pesos a month (June 2026), without rent. With a rented two-bedroom: 2.3–2.5 million.
OfficialIPEC Santa Fe, INDEC series: total basic basket (poverty line) per adult equivalent, Pampas region, 2017 to June 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Family and kids
Mendoza
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
Córdoba
Córdoba's most expensive schools in March 2026: primary 0.8–1.08 million pesos a month, secondary 0.9–1.24 million. Subsidised private schools are cheaper.
SpecialistInfoNegocios: a map of fees and enrolment charges at Córdoba's most expensive schools, 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Healthcare
Mendoza
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
Córdoba
Córdoba's provincial hospitals do not charge foreigners without residence. Only two national hospitals charge them: Hospital de Clínicas and Maternidad Nacional.
SpecialistLa Voz de San Justo: in Córdoba, foreigners without residence will be charged only in two hospitals · checked 6 Oct 2026
Transport
Mendoza
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
Córdoba
In 2025 Córdoba had direct flights to Madrid, Panama, Santiago, Lima, Rio and São Paulo. Buenos Aires (Aeroparque) carried 1.44 million passengers a year.
OfficialArgentina's Ministry of Tourism, “Conectividad Aérea”: main air routes by year (flights and passengers) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Climate
Mendoza
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
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
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
Córdoba
The average July temperature is 10.7 degrees: about 18 by day and 4 at night. Cold nights reach -4, snow is rare. Winter is dry; the north wind can bring 30.
SpecialistClimates to Travel: climate of Córdoba, normals 1991–2020 · checked 6 Oct 2026
January averages 23.7 degrees, about 30 by day and 17 at night. From September to February there are heat waves up to 38–40, the record is 40.8 in January 2012.
SpecialistClimates to Travel: climate of Córdoba, normals 1991–2020 · checked 6 Oct 2026
About 855 mm a year, almost all of it from October to April, often in thunderstorms. May to September is dry: 6–8 mm a month in June–August.
SpecialistClimates to Travel: climate of Córdoba, normals 1991–2020 · checked 6 Oct 2026
Nature
Mendoza
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
Córdoba
Nothing yet
Safety
Mendoza
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
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
Córdoba
Córdoba province, 2025: 96 victims of intentional homicide, 2.4 per 100k residents; in 2024 there were 117 and 3.0. There is no separate figure for the city.
OfficialSNIC: victims of intentional homicide and rate per 100,000 residents, Córdoba province · checked 6 Oct 2026
Internet and phone
Mendoza
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
Córdoba
Nothing yet
Services
Mendoza
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
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
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
Córdoba
EPEC electricity without subsidy from 1 October 2026: 250 pesos per kWh up to 120 kWh, 301 pesos beyond, plus 2.9k a month. 300 kWh is about 87k pesos (57 dollars).
OfficialEPEC: summary tariff schedule, in force from 1 October 2026 (published 29 September 2026) · checked 6 Oct 2026
Ecogas gas in Córdoba without subsidy: 329 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge from 4.8k (R1), before taxes. 100 m³ in winter is about 37.7k pesos (25 dollars).
OfficialENReGE (formerly ENARGAS): natural gas tariffs of all distributors from 1 September 2026 (Excel), Distribuidora de Gas del Centro, Córdoba · checked 6 Oct 2026

