Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,038 a month against $1,310 in Bogota, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
42

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

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,310

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota 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 Bogota and in Mar del Plata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,310 per month in Bogota vs $1,038 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Bogota $1,310
Mar del Plata $1,038

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Bogota vs $1,787 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Bogota $2,073
Mar del Plata $1,787

A family of three spends $2,836 per month in Bogota vs $2,536 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Bogota $2,836
Mar del Plata $2,536

Bogota costs about 26% more than Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bogota and Mar del Plata are more affordable than the global median – Bogota 2% lower, Mar del Plata 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 COP 24.5K

$19.74 ARS 29.9K

-61.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.93 COP 131.8K

$60.3 ARS 91.4K

-32.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 COP 32.1K

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

-20.45%

Cappuccino

$2.46 COP 7,933

$3.13 ARS 4,741

-21.41%

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

$1.36 COP 4,394

$2.51 ARS 3,812

-45.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 COP 2,631

$2.03 ARS 3,070

-59.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 COP 6,472

$4.06 ARS 6,149

-50.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 COP 12.4K

$3.02 ARS 4,584

27.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 COP 5,213

$1.08 ARS 1,634

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 COP 7,909

$2.20 ARS 3,329

11.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,311

$3.16 ARS 4,784

-47.78%

Eggs

$3.45 COP 11.1K

$2.36 ARS 3,573

46.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.69 COP 24.8K

$5.86 ARS 8,882

31.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 COP 22.6K

$6.65 ARS 10.1K

5.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 COP 31.3K

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

-22.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 COP 11.2K

$3.32 ARS 5,028

4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,732

$2.43 ARS 3,685

-26.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,305

$1.48 ARS 2,241

32.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 COP 5,637

$2.05 ARS 3,114

-14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,507

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 COP 4,479

$1.01 ARS 1,532

37.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 COP 4,232

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 COP 3,724

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 COP 13.4K

$3.60 ARS 5,461

15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.24 COP 39.4K

$2.94 ARS 4,455

316.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,575

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 9,117

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 COP 3,426

$1.29 ARS 1,954

-17.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.65 COP 156.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 COP 7,335

$1.63 ARS 2,467

39.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 COP 7,454

$0.64 ARS 967

260.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.8K

$6.40 ARS 9,704

44.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 COP 4,042

$1.36 ARS 2,063

-7.35%

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

$23.4K COP 75.3M

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

$35.3K COP 113.7M

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

$121 COP 389.4K

$79.0 ARS 119.8K

53.07%

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

$15.63 COP 50.3K

$8.23 ARS 12.5K

89.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 COP 93.4K

$30.10 ARS 45.6K

-3.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.55 COP 104.8K

$31.31 ARS 47.5K

3.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 COP 24.3K

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-25.02%

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

$465 COP 1.5M

$304 ARS 460.3K

53.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,119 COP 26.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 COP 265.6K

$87.7 ARS 133.0K

-5.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.69 COP 150.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 457.4K

$121 ARS 184.2K

16.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 335.2K

$54.8 ARS 83.1K

89.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 COP 2.5M

$328 ARS 497.0K

138.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 COP 1.4M

$253 ARS 383.8K

73.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 COP 4.1M

$801 ARS 1.2M

57.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 COP 3.1M

$654 ARS 992.0K

48.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,755 COP 8.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,239 COP 7.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$795 COP 2.6M

$610 ARS 925.2K

30.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

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

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$440 34%

Mar del Plata

$253 24.7% 42.5% $187

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$256 19.9%

Mar del Plata

$198 * 19.3% 22.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$169 13.1%

Mar del Plata

$119 * 11.6% 29.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$166 12.8%

Mar del Plata

$117 11.4% 29.1% $48

Eating Out

Bogota

$147 11.4%

Mar del Plata

$278 27% 88.9% $131

Getting Around

Bogota

$67 5.2%

Mar del Plata

$10 * 1% 85.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$48 3.7%

Mar del Plata

$51 5% 8% $3.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $781 in Bogota versus $328 in Mar del Plata. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Bogota, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bogota versus $60.0 in Mar del Plata. Groceries tell a different story – $256 in Bogota vs $198 in Mar del Plata – so Mar del Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

2 h ahead of Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

593,337

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bogota Mar del Plata 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
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

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

Yes – Bogota is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,966 per month in Bogota and $1,557 in Mar del Plata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mar del Plata, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bogota and $60.0 in Mar del Plata. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Bogota, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mar del Plata, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Bogota at $1,310. In Mar del Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bogota it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mar del Plata – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mar del Plata. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bogota makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.