Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,038 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
42

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

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,038 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Mar del Plata $1,038

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,787 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Mar del Plata $1,787

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,536 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Mar del Plata $2,536

Budapest costs about 56% more than Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Mar del Plata is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$19.74 ARS 29.9K

-29.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$60.3 ARS 91.4K

0.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

-20.45%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.13 ARS 4,743

7.99%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.51 ARS 3,813

-15.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$2.03 ARS 3,071

-7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$4.06 ARS 6,151

-7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.02 ARS 4,585

18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.08 ARS 1,634

4.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$2.20 ARS 3,330

-16.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$3.16 ARS 4,785

-24.37%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$2.36 ARS 3,575

62.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$5.86 ARS 8,885

93.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.65 ARS 10.1K

1.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$3.32 ARS 5,030

-44.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.43 ARS 3,687

-17.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.48 ARS 2,242

59.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.05 ARS 3,115

83.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.01 ARS 1,532

1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.60 ARS 5,463

121.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$2.94 ARS 4,457

104.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.29 ARS 1,954

16.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.63 ARS 2,468

102.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.64 ARS 967

103.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$6.40 ARS 9,707

209.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.36 ARS 2,064

33.09%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$79.0 ARS 119.8K

115.09%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$8.23 ARS 12.5K

191.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$30.10 ARS 45.6K

-22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$31.31 ARS 47.5K

111.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-5.46%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$304 ARS 460.4K

76.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$87.7 ARS 133.1K

15.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$121 ARS 184.2K

-7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$54.8 ARS 83.1K

116.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$328 ARS 497.2K

145.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$253 ARS 383.9K

148.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$801 ARS 1.2M

93.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$654 ARS 992.3K

78.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$610 ARS 925.5K

166.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 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

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Mar del Plata

$253 24.7% 59.8% $376

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Mar del Plata

$198 * 19.3% 23% $59

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Mar del Plata

$278 27% 23.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Mar del Plata

$117 11.4% 46% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Mar del Plata

$119 * 11.6% 29.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Mar del Plata

$51 5% 39.7% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Mar del Plata

$10 * 1% 77% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest 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 166% higher in Budapest, 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $60.0 in Mar del Plata. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $198 in Mar del Plata – so Mar del Plata wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

04:31 4:31 AM

5 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

593,337

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mar del Plata 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

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

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest 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 $60.0 in Budapest 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 30% more in Budapest, 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 Budapest at $1,621. In Mar del Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.