Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bariloche and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $1,660 in Bariloche, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Bariloche
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Bariloche Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index

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Bariloche

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,660

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bariloche and in Mar del Plata

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bariloche and in Mar del Plata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Bariloche versus $1,161 in Mar del Plata.

Bariloche $1,660
Mar del Plata $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,532 in Bariloche versus $2,072 in Mar del Plata.

Bariloche $2,532
Mar del Plata $2,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,405 in Bariloche versus $2,983 in Mar del Plata.

Bariloche $3,405
Mar del Plata $2,983

Living in Bariloche is roughly 43% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bariloche is 23% above, Mar del Plata is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.19 ARS 31.2K

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

1.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 ARS 91.4K

$80.5 ARS 124.5K

-26.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.22 ARS 22.0K

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

22.27%

Cappuccino

$4.02 ARS 6,215

$3.28 ARS 5,072

22.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,657

$2.47 ARS 3,822

-30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ARS 2,899

$2.02 ARS 3,129

-7.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 ARS 7,942

$3.58 ARS 5,545

43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ARS 7,105

$3.43 ARS 5,305

33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,153

$1.22 ARS 1,888

13.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 ARS 3,148

$2.27 ARS 3,505

-10.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ARS 2,336

$2.76 ARS 4,275

-45.29%

Eggs

$2.71 ARS 4,195

$3.95 ARS 6,107

-31.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.42 ARS 23.9K

$12.52 ARS 19.4K

23.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ARS 16.0K

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

23.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 ARS 20.8K

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

17.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ARS 3,574

$3.03 ARS 4,690

-23.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 ARS 4,169

$2.34 ARS 3,627

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,093

$1.94 ARS 2,996

3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,121

$2.58 ARS 3,984

3.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ARS 1,472

$0.73 ARS 1,135

30.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,148

$0.73 ARS 1,133

1.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 ARS 3,059

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ARS 1,994

$0.69 ARS 1,066

86.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ARS 4,725

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 ARS 11.7K

$4.25 ARS 6,577

77.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,945

$2.33 ARS 3,608

-18.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 ARS 6,090

$5.17 ARS 7,993

-23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ARS 1,588

$1.35 ARS 2,092

-23.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ARS 1,590

$1.49 ARS 2,305

-30.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ARS 1,221

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ARS 9,781

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ARS 1,639

$1.46 ARS 2,257

-27.40%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.0K ARS 30.9M

$31.9K ARS 49.3M

-37.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.5K ARS 50.3M

$45.2K ARS 69.9M

-28.04%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$86.1 ARS 133.3K

$106 ARS 164.3K

-18.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.82 ARS 26.0K

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

58.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.23 ARS 37.5K

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

2.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ARS 78.8K

$31.16 ARS 48.2K

63.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.15 ARS 62.1K

$32.29 ARS 50.0K

24.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 ARS 13.4K

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

-12.09%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$306 ARS 473.3K

$257 ARS 397.2K

19.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,330 ARS 6.7M

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

-24.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 ARS 113.7K

$125 ARS 193.0K

-41.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.62 ARS 61.3K

$70.8 ARS 109.6K

-44.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 169.4K

$108 ARS 167.2K

1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ARS 148.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 ARS 2.0M

$492 ARS 761.4K

165.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 ARS 1.1M

$279 ARS 431.2K

156.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 ARS 1.8M

$932 ARS 1.4M

26.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 ARS 1.8M

$777 ARS 1.2M

48.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,004 ARS 4.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,468 ARS 3.8M

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

145.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$962 ARS 1.5M

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

-28.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bariloche: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bariloche

$716 43.1%

Mar del Plata

$279 24% 61% $437

Eating Out

Bariloche

$302 18.2%

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8% 8.5% $26

Groceries & Markets

Bariloche

$299 18%

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1% 10.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bariloche

$143 8.6%

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8% 4.8% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bariloche

$127 7.7%

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1% 10.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Bariloche

$68 4.1%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4% 25.5% $17

Getting Around

Bariloche

$5.1 * 0.3%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 111% $5.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,307 in Bariloche and $492 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59 in Bariloche vs $80 in Mar del Plata. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $268, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Bariloche

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

Same time as Bariloche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,755

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.46 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.46 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bariloche Mar del Plata 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bariloche
Mar del Plata

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bariloche vs Mar del Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Bariloche. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,307 in Bariloche versus $492 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $306 in Bariloche versus $257 in Mar del Plata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bariloche – a meal for two runs $59 versus $80 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Mar del Plata is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bariloche and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.