Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,133 a month against $1,646 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,133 in Mar del Plata.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Mar del Plata $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,097 in Mar del Plata.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Mar del Plata $2,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $3,062 in Mar del Plata.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Mar del Plata $3,062

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 45% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 21% above, Mar del Plata is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$19.50 ARS 29.6K

-8.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$77.9 ARS 118.2K

-16.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$11.89 ARS 18.0K

10.34%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$3.25 ARS 4,931

18.77%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$2.52 ARS 3,817

-18.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$1.97 ARS 2,984

-14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$3.57 ARS 5,411

14.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$3.43 ARS 5,199

37.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.18 ARS 1,794

27.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$2.17 ARS 3,297

19.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$2.74 ARS 4,157

-42.70%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$3.16 ARS 4,794

-13.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$12.65 ARS 19.2K

-14.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$7.78 ARS 11.8K

29.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$11.60 ARS 17.6K

13.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$3.02 ARS 4,577

-7.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$2.43 ARS 3,684

-13.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.91 ARS 2,901

-24.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$2.58 ARS 3,919

-22.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$0.74 ARS 1,129

62.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.79 ARS 1,192

51.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$0.69 ARS 1,047

159.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$3.45 ARS 5,230

15.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$4.15 ARS 6,301

33.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$2.25 ARS 3,419

-5.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$5.39 ARS 8,178

-48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$1.34 ARS 2,030

-48.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$1.48 ARS 2,245

10.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.81 ARS 1,235

19.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$6.26 ARS 9,504

26.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$1.39 ARS 2,112

2.16%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$31.1K ARS 47.2M

-24.94%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$46.0K ARS 69.8M

-30.53%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$107 ARS 163.1K

85.62%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$10.53 ARS 16.0K

121.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$23.64 ARS 35.9K

32.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$30.63 ARS 46.5K

62.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$33.34 ARS 50.6K

-50.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$10.12 ARS 15.4K

6.72%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$256 ARS 388.0K

80.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$5,841 ARS 8.9M

50.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$92.4 ARS 140.2K

29.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

34.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$111 ARS 168.3K

4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$53.9 ARS 81.8K

154.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$487 ARS 738.3K

54.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$247 ARS 375.0K

108.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$799 ARS 1.2M

96.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$865 ARS 1.3M

38.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,017 ARS 1.5M

84.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$1,051 ARS 1.6M

-12.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Mar del Plata

$247 21.8% 51.9% $267

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Mar del Plata

$261 * 23.1% 8.2% $23

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Mar del Plata

$273 24.1% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 44.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Mar del Plata

$147 13% 30% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 28.8% $21

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1% 70.7% $26

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 $750 in Buenos Aires and $487 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $78.0 in Mar del Plata. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $261, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,133 including rent). Mar del Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Mar del Plata. 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $487 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $256 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 Mar del Plata – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $65.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,133 in Mar del Plata versus $1,646 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mar del Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.