Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,081 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
53

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

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Durban vs $1,081 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Durban $1,150
Mar del Plata $1,081

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in Durban vs $2,026 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Durban $1,777
Mar del Plata $2,026

A family of three spends $2,404 per month in Durban vs $2,971 in Mar del Plata, rent included.

Durban $2,404
Mar del Plata $2,971

Durban costs about 6% more than Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Mar del Plata are more affordable than the global median – Durban 15% lower, Mar del Plata 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.84 R 129

$20.07 ARS 30.5K

-60.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.75 R 638

$79.4 ARS 120.5K

-51.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.7

$11.55 ARS 17.5K

-49.18%

Cappuccino

$2.63 R 43.30

$3.26 ARS 4,947

-19.33%

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

$1.08 R 17.85

$2.60 ARS 3,939

-58.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$1.95 ARS 2,955

-54.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 38.99

$3.47 ARS 5,265

-31.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R 43.10

$3.43 ARS 5,202

-23.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.33

$1.22 ARS 1,853

0.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.23

$2.15 ARS 3,257

-53.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$2.79 ARS 4,231

-46.24%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.58

$3.16 ARS 4,796

-25.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 R 133

$7.75 ARS 11.8K

4.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 R 83.8

$7.50 ARS 11.4K

-32.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 R 123

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

-35.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.78

$2.96 ARS 4,491

-34.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.36

$2.39 ARS 3,624

-20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.42

$1.94 ARS 2,950

-1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.09

$2.66 ARS 4,043

-38.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.61

$0.74 ARS 1,128

101.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.11

$0.80 ARS 1,211

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.84

$0.63 ARS 962

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.0

$3.52 ARS 5,342

3.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R 78.2

$4.20 ARS 6,375

13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.27

$2.36 ARS 3,582

-40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.45

$5.23 ARS 7,944

-64.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

$1.36 ARS 2,062

32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$1.44 ARS 2,188

-72.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.47

$0.87 ARS 1,318

-12.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R 124

$6.43 ARS 9,764

17.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.52

$1.29 ARS 1,963

20.16%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$31.4K ARS 47.6M

11.74%

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

$31.3K R 515.5K

$45.8K ARS 69.4M

-31.63%

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

$148 R 2,435

$106 ARS 160.4K

39.83%

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

$35.20 R 580

$6.49 ARS 9,850

442.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 R 642

$23.16 ARS 35.1K

68.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.79 R 524

$31.15 ARS 47.3K

2.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.10 R 150

$32.91 ARS 49.9K

-72.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 R 121

$9.83 ARS 14.9K

-25.53%

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

$312 R 5,143

$252 ARS 382.3K

23.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 R 124.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 905

$90.2 ARS 136.9K

-39.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 R 509

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,648

$107 ARS 162.6K

-6.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$54.5 ARS 82.8K

54.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 R 7,621

$337 ARS 510.8K

37.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,555

$248 ARS 375.9K

60.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$798 ARS 1.2M

2.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 R 13.0K

$882 ARS 1.3M

-10.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

$1,043 ARS 1.6M

-44.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 R 20.9K

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

20.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

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

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$398 34.6%

Mar del Plata

$248 22.9% 37.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$222 19.3%

Mar del Plata

$135 12.5% 39% $87

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.7%

Mar del Plata

$245 * 22.7% 27.4% $53

Eating Out

Durban

$137 11.9%

Mar del Plata

$277 25.6% 102% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$122 10.6%

Mar del Plata

$113 * 10.5% 6.8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.7% 9.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1% 66.2% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $463 in Durban versus $337 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 20% higher in Durban, 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 $39.00 in Durban versus $79.0 in Mar del Plata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $245 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

5 h behind Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

593,337

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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Between locations

Durban Mar del Plata 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
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

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

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,726 per month in Durban and $1,621 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 $39.00 in Durban and $79.0 in Mar del Plata. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mar del Plata, where all-in costs run around $1,081, than in Durban at $1,150. In Mar del Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban 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, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.