Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $3,690 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dublin, Ireland
Mar del Plata, Argentina
Dublin
🇮🇪 Ireland
$3,690
/mo nomad
Mar del Plata
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,161
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,690 per month in Dublin vs $1,161 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

  • Dublin $3,690
  • Mar del Plata $1,161

A couple spends around $5,210 per month in Dublin vs $2,072 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

  • Dublin $5,210
  • Mar del Plata $2,072

A family of three spends $6,731 per month in Dublin vs $2,983 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

  • Dublin $6,731
  • Mar del Plata $2,983

Dublin costs about 218% more than Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Dublin sits 173% above the global median, while Mar del Plata is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.63 €20.15
$19.87 ARS 30.7K
13.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$100 €89.4
$80.5 ARS 124.3K
24.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.29 €11.83
$11.63 ARS 18.0K
14.27%
Cappuccino
$5.00 €4.45
$3.28 ARS 5,064
52.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.67
$2.47 ARS 3,816
21.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 €2.03
$2.02 ARS 3,124
12.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.85 €6.99
$3.58 ARS 5,536
119.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.76 €6.91
$3.43 ARS 5,297
126.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 €1.42
$1.22 ARS 1,884
31.15%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 €2.17
$2.27 ARS 3,499
7.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.07 €1.84
$2.76 ARS 4,269
-25.00%
Eggs
$5.14 €4.57
$3.95 ARS 6,097
30.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.40 €9.26
$12.52 ARS 19.3K
-16.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.81 €11.41
$8.35 ARS 12.9K
53.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.20 €14.42
$11.47 ARS 17.7K
41.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 €2.41
$3.03 ARS 4,682
-10.56%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$2.34 ARS 3,622
-5.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 €2.34
$1.94 ARS 2,991
35.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.23 €4.66
$2.58 ARS 3,978
102.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 €1.79
$0.73 ARS 1,133
175.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 €1.37
$0.73 ARS 1,131
110.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 €1.15
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 €1.80
$0.69 ARS 1,064
192.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.94 €18.65
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$13.66 €12.16
$4.25 ARS 6,567
221.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.33 €2.96
$2.33 ARS 3,603
42.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 €3.05
$5.17 ARS 7,980
-33.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.23 €1.98
$1.35 ARS 2,088
65.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 €96.6
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.94 €4.40
$1.49 ARS 2,302
231.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 €1.34
$0.79 ARS 1,219
89.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.17 €29.54
$6.32 ARS 9,765
424.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.46 ARS 2,253
43.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K €34.7K
$31.9K ARS 49.2M
22.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.2K €34.0K
$45.2K ARS 69.8M
-15.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$279 €248
$106 ARS 164.0K
162.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.14 €16.16
$10.59 ARS 16.4K
71.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.4 €47.56
$23.56 ARS 36.4K
126.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$65.8 €58.6
$31.16 ARS 48.1K
111.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.29 €18.06
$32.29 ARS 49.9K
-37.16%
Cinema Ticket
$15.42 €13.73
$9.84 ARS 15.2K
56.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,260 €1,122
$257 ARS 396.5K
390.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K €10.4K
$5,698 ARS 8.8M
105.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$109 €96.8
$125 ARS 192.7K
-12.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.8 €45.22
$70.8 ARS 109.4K
-28.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 €99.7
$108 ARS 166.9K
3.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €116
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,463 €2,193
$492 ARS 760.1K
400.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,210 €1,968
$279 ARS 430.5K
692.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,258 €3,791
$932 ARS 1.4M
356.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,424 €3,048
$777 ARS 1.2M
340.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,503 €7,571
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,983 €5,327
$1,006 ARS 1.6M
494.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dublin
Mar del Plata
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,741 €3,331
$1,336 ARS 2.1M
180.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.81
0
-

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

Last update for Dublin: 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
Dublin
$2.2K
Mar del Plata
$279 87.4% $1.9K
Groceries & Markets
Dublin
$366
Mar del Plata
$268 * 26.8% $98
Eating Out
Dublin
$357
Mar del Plata
$276 22.7% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dublin
$351
Mar del Plata
$140 60% $210
Clothing & Footwear
Dublin
$181
Mar del Plata
$137 * 24.3% $44
Getting Around
Dublin
$130
Mar del Plata
$11 * 91.6% $119
Sport & Entertainment
Dublin
$97
Mar del Plata
$51 47.4% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,463 in Dublin 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 in Dublin are about 2.8 times higher, 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 $100 in Dublin versus $80 in Mar del Plata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $268 – making Mar del Plata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇪 Dublin
🇦🇷 Mar del Plata
🕒 Local time
08:03 8:03 AM
05:03 5:03 AM
3 h behind Dublin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
588,233 Capital
593,337
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dublin Mar del Plata 11,290 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dublin
  • 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
Dublin vs Mar del Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Dublin and in Mar del Plata compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,690 in Dublin, $1,161 in Mar del Plata – Mar del Plata comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Dublin compared to Mar del Plata?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,535 per month in Dublin and $1,742 in Mar del Plata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Dublin and Mar del Plata?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mar del Plata, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $2,463 in Dublin.
Which city is more expensive overall: Dublin or Mar del Plata?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,690 in Dublin and $1,161 in Mar del Plata. That makes Mar del Plata about 69% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Dublin and Mar del Plata?
Kindergarten costs $1,260 per month in Dublin and $257 in Mar del Plata. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is feasible on a $1,000 budget?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,690 in Dublin and $1,161 in Mar del Plata. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Where should families live: Dublin or Mar del Plata?
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.
Is Dublin or Mar del Plata safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Dublin and Mar del Plata?
If budget matters most, go with Mar del Plata. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dublin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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