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City comparison

San Martín 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 — −21%

  • Ready-made house

    in Santa Cruz cheaper — −61%

In numbers

Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.

  • House or apartment rent

    per month
    San Martín de los Andes≈ $547–772ARS 850k – 1.2M
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra≈ $342–700BOB 4,100–8,400
    cheaper by 21%
  • Precipitation

    per year
    San Martín de los Andes1,500 mm1,500 mm
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra1,372 mm1,372 mm
  • Ready-made house

    purchase
    San Martín de los Andes$295–400k$295–400k
    Santa Cruz de la Sierra$87,900 – 180k$87,900 – 180k
    cheaper by 61%

By topic

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

Housing

San Martín de los Andes

Long-term rental

In the eastern suburb, 2 bedrooms are about ARS 1.0 million a month, a 120 m² house is USD 1,200 plus expensas. The center and prestigious neighborhoods go up to USD 2,500/month. Listings are few.

SpecialistLong-term rental listings — Zonaprop, Mercado Libre, local agencies · checked 30 Aug 2026

Building plot

The most expensive land among the cities checked: Las Nalcas, USD 37–55k for 1,000–1,180 m² with underground utilities; good plots near town, about USD 95k for 800 m².

SpecialistListings for land and houses for sale — Zonaprop, Mercado Libre, Argenprop · checked 1 Sep 2026

Ready-built house

A decent 105 m² house is about USD 295k, a 120 m² house in the center about USD 400k. The expensive segment is noticeably higher.

SpecialistListings for land and houses for sale — Zonaprop, Mercado Libre, Argenprop · checked 1 Sep 2026

Everything about housing in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Buying a house

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

Apartment rent

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

Anticrético instead of rent

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

Everything about housing in Santa Cruz →

Money and prices

San Martín de los Andes

Groceries for a family

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 city itself.

OfficialIPIEC (Tierra del Fuego) - Evolución de las canastas básicas, región Patagonia, first half of 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026

Budget for a family of four

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 city.

OfficialIPIEC (Tierra del Fuego) - Evolución de las canastas básicas, región Patagonia, first half of 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026

Everything about money and prices in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Monthly family budget

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

Groceries for a family

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

Everything about money and prices in Santa Cruz →

Family and kids

San Martín de los Andes

Schools and kindergartens

From 2026, public kindergartens are being converted into Escuelas Infantiles with younger age groups; Jardín Nº12 has already enrolled a sala de 2. The best of the cities checked for early childhood.

OfficialState kindergartens in San Martín are moving to the Escuelas Infantiles format · checked 31 Aug 2026

Everything about family and kids in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Private and public schools

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

Everything about family and kids in Santa Cruz →

Healthcare

San Martín de los Andes

Hospital

Hospital Dr. Ramón Carrillo works as a regional hospital; in 2026 specialist positions are still being filled.

OfficialBoletín Oficial Neuquén — staffing of Hospital Ramón Carrillo, 2026 · checked 27 Aug 2026

Everything about healthcare in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Hospital beds

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

Everything about healthcare in Santa Cruz →

Transport

San Martín de los Andes

Airport

Chapelco (Aviador Carlos Campos) on RN 40 between San Martín and Junín, serving both towns. Regular flights: Aerolíneas Argentinas.

OfficialAviador Carlos Campos airport (Chapelco) · checked 27 Aug 2026

Everything about transport in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Airports and roads

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

Everything about transport in Santa Cruz →

Climate

San Martín de los Andes

Precipitation and seasons

About 1,500 mm a year, 1–10 °C by day in winter, 9–27 °C in summer. 10–40 km further east it is noticeably drier, while the Andes remain close.

OfficialSan Martín de los Andes municipal tourism — climate · checked 27 Aug 2026

Everything about climate in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Precipitation and seasons

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 climate

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

Everything about climate in Santa Cruz →

Safety

San Martín de los Andes

Natural hazards

SEGEMAR 2025: floods and slope movements; on the Ruta de los Siete Lagos the main risk is landslides, mudflows and rockfalls. In July 2026 a slide of mud and rocks closed RN 40.

OfficialSEGEMAR 2025 — hazard map of the San Martín / Villa La Angostura area · checked 28 Aug 2026

Intentional homicides

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 San Martín.

OfficialSNIC — Informe del Sistema Nacional de Información Criminal, year 2025, table 5 (intentional homicides by province) · checked 9 Sep 2026

Everything about safety in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Crime reports

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

Everything about safety in Santa Cruz →

Internet and phone

San Martín de los Andes

Internet

COTESMA fiber up to 1,000 Mbps, with symmetric connections and a rural service available. The best of the cities checked, but check coverage by the exact address.

SpecialistCOTESMA — internet and coverage maps · checked 2 Sep 2026

Everything about internet and phone service in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Fiber internet

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

Everything about internet and phone service in Santa Cruz →

Services

San Martín de los Andes

Gas and electricity

Piped gas is supplied by Camuzzi, which has accepted connection requests again since 5 January 2026. Tariff from 1 August 2026: ARS 250.11 per m³ plus a fixed part, before taxes. Electricity: EPEN.

SpecialistCamuzzi — gas connections resume in the Cordillera · checked 1 Oct 2026

Everything about services in San Martín de los Andes →

Santa Cruz de la Sierra

Bottled gas

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

Electricity from CRE

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

Water and sewerage

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

Everything about services in Santa Cruz →

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