Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
55

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

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,161 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Mar del Plata $1,161

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,072 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Mar del Plata $2,072

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,983 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Mar del Plata $2,983

Cape Town costs about 32% more than Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Mar del Plata is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

-39.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

-46.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

-47.12%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$3.28 ARS 5,064

-27.74%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.47 ARS 3,816

-48.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$2.02 ARS 3,124

-53.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$3.58 ARS 5,536

-17.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.43 ARS 5,297

7.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.22 ARS 1,884

8.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.27 ARS 3,499

-46.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.76 ARS 4,269

-20.29%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.95 ARS 6,097

-21.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

-30.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

-17.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

-19.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$3.03 ARS 4,682

-39.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.34 ARS 3,622

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.94 ARS 2,991

-14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$2.58 ARS 3,978

-17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.73 ARS 1,133

116.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$0.73 ARS 1,131

101.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.69 ARS 1,064

65.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.25 ARS 6,567

42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$2.33 ARS 3,603

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$5.17 ARS 7,980

-57.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.35 ARS 2,088

3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.49 ARS 2,302

-37.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.79 ARS 1,219

13.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$6.32 ARS 9,765

-21.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.46 ARS 2,253

5.48%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$31.9K ARS 49.2M

10.93%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$45.2K ARS 69.8M

-26.19%

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

$117 R 1,935

$106 ARS 164.0K

10.23%

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

$25.71 R 425

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

142.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

67.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

65.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

-64.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

-9.65%

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

$308 R 5,085

$257 ARS 396.5K

19.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

42.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$125 ARS 192.7K

-54.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

-55.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$108 ARS 166.9K

7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$492 ARS 760.1K

112.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$279 ARS 430.5K

140.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$932 ARS 1.4M

99.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$777 ARS 1.2M

81.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

56.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

22.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Cape Town: 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

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Mar del Plata

$279 24% 58.3% $390

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1% 19.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1% 23% $42

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8% 58.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8% 0.7% $1

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 84.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4% 26.7% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $492 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 22% higher in Cape Town, 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $80 in Mar del Plata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $268 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

593,337

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Mar del Plata 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

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

Cape Town costs about 32% more than Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,742 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,161 in Mar del Plata. That makes Mar del Plata about 24% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $257 in Mar del Plata. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,161 in Mar del Plata. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.

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