Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Catamarca and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,241 in Catamarca, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
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Catamarca Living Index
55

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

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Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,241

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Catamarca versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Catamarca $1,241
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,080 in Catamarca versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Catamarca $2,080
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Catamarca versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Catamarca $2,920
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Catamarca is roughly 9% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Catamarca 9% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 ARS 25.9K

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

-14.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 ARS 97.9K

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

-18.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 ARS 17.3K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

-2.76%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ARS 5,411

$3.26 ARS 5,010

7.98%

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

$2.30 ARS 3,534

$2.60 ARS 3,999

-11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 3,038

$2.03 ARS 3,117

-2.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 ARS 6,510

$3.41 ARS 5,251

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ARS 5,391

$3.60 ARS 5,531

-2.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ARS 1,859

$1.23 ARS 1,888

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ARS 3,183

$2.22 ARS 3,419

-6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 ARS 3,012

$2.84 ARS 4,374

-30.99%

Eggs

$2.79 ARS 4,294

$3.25 ARS 5,007

-14.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 ARS 20.3K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 ARS 12.9K

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 ARS 16.4K

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

-7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ARS 3,471

$3.08 ARS 4,738

-26.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 3,000

$2.41 ARS 3,708

-19.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.92 ARS 2,955

-28.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ARS 3,542

$2.60 ARS 4,005

-11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 ARS 1,674

$0.74 ARS 1,138

47.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ARS 1,541

$0.78 ARS 1,197

28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ARS 2,030

$0.69 ARS 1,059

91.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ARS 4,889

$3.55 ARS 5,468

-10.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 ARS 8,583

$4.16 ARS 6,400

34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,920

$2.28 ARS 3,505

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ARS 5,182

$5.23 ARS 8,042

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ARS 1,384

$1.31 ARS 2,010

-31.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 ARS 2,665

$1.42 ARS 2,180

21.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ARS 2,044

$1.38 ARS 2,124

-3.62%

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

$27.4K ARS 42.1M

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

-12.23%

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

$34.2K ARS 52.6M

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

-25.17%

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

$135 ARS 207.0K

$107 ARS 165.3K

25.20%

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

$14.59 ARS 22.4K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

37.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.50 ARS 39.2K

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

8.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.94 ARS 55.3K

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

14.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.93 ARS 27.6K

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

-44.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ARS 12.5K

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-17.52%

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

$216 ARS 331.6K

$254 ARS 390.4K

-15.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,300 ARS 6.6M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-26.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 187.2K

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

33.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.1 ARS 126.2K

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

17.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ARS 185.3K

$109 ARS 168.4K

10.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ARS 151.9K

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

78.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 ARS 727.0K

$489 ARS 752.5K

-3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ARS 474.9K

$251 ARS 385.6K

23.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ARS 1.8M

$823 ARS 1.3M

42.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ARS 1.2M

$857 ARS 1.3M

-12.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

24.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

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

Last update for Catamarca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Catamarca

$309 24.9%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 18.8% $58

Eating Out

Catamarca

$256 20.6%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 7% $18

Groceries & Markets

Catamarca

$254 * 20.5%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 3.2% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Catamarca

$190 15.3%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 22.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Catamarca

$175 14.1%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 18.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Catamarca

$52 4.2%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 1.9% $1

Getting Around

Catamarca

$5.3 * 0.4%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 100% $5.3

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 $473 in Catamarca and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64 in Catamarca vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $262 per month, with Catamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

Same time as Catamarca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,058

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Catamarca Mar del Plata 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Catamarca
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Catamarca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,862 in Catamarca and $1,705 in Mar del Plata to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $473 in Catamarca versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Catamarca pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,241 per month in Catamarca versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Catamarca 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.