Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Calafate and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $1,081 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
Learn more

El Calafate Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index

Jump to prices

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $961 in El Calafate versus $1,081 in Mar del Plata.

El Calafate $961
Mar del Plata $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in El Calafate versus $2,026 in Mar del Plata.

El Calafate $1,574
Mar del Plata $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,187 in El Calafate versus $2,971 in Mar del Plata.

El Calafate $2,187
Mar del Plata $2,971

Living in El Calafate costs roughly 11% less than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: El Calafate 29% lower, Mar del Plata 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

$20.07 ARS 30.5K

-46.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

$79.4 ARS 120.5K

-57.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

$11.55 ARS 17.5K

-23.38%

Cappuccino

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$3.26 ARS 4,947

-15.03%

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

$1.64 ARS 2,484

$2.60 ARS 3,939

-36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$1.95 ARS 2,955

-23.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 ARS 3,157

$3.47 ARS 5,265

-40.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ARS 4,452

$3.43 ARS 5,202

-14.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ARS 1,887

$1.22 ARS 1,853

1.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ARS 2,446

$2.15 ARS 3,257

-25.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 ARS 2,930

$2.79 ARS 4,231

-30.82%

Eggs

$2.20 ARS 3,346

$3.16 ARS 4,796

-30.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

$7.75 ARS 11.8K

32.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,209

$7.50 ARS 11.4K

-19.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

-18.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ARS 2,963

$2.96 ARS 4,491

-34.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 ARS 3,205

$2.39 ARS 3,624

-11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ARS 2,015

$1.94 ARS 2,950

-31.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ARS 3,973

$2.66 ARS 4,043

-1.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,808

$0.74 ARS 1,128

60.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$0.80 ARS 1,211

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ARS 1,973

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ARS 2,245

$0.63 ARS 962

134.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ARS 4,800

$3.52 ARS 5,342

-10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 ARS 7,536

$4.20 ARS 6,375

18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$2.36 ARS 3,582

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ARS 4,799

$5.23 ARS 7,944

-39.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 ARS 1,159

$1.36 ARS 2,062

-44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ARS 2,293

$1.44 ARS 2,188

4.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ARS 1,322

$0.87 ARS 1,318

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.89 ARS 8,934

$6.43 ARS 9,764

-8.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ARS 1,600

$1.29 ARS 1,963

-18.60%

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

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

$31.4K ARS 47.6M

-12.50%

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

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

$45.8K ARS 69.4M

-33.95%

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

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

$106 ARS 160.4K

-37.10%

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

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

$6.49 ARS 9,850

159.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

$23.16 ARS 35.1K

-3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

$31.15 ARS 47.3K

-14.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

$32.91 ARS 49.9K

-58.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 ARS 9,617

$9.83 ARS 14.9K

-35.50%

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

$224 ARS 340.0K

$252 ARS 382.3K

-11.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

$90.2 ARS 136.9K

-19.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.7K

$107 ARS 162.6K

6.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ARS 172.2K

$54.5 ARS 82.8K

108.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 518.6K

$337 ARS 510.8K

1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ARS 357.2K

$248 ARS 375.9K

-4.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ARS 1.1M

$798 ARS 1.2M

-12.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ARS 809.3K

$882 ARS 1.3M

-39.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

$1,043 ARS 1.6M

53.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

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

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 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

El Calafate

$235 24.5%

Mar del Plata

$248 22.9% 5.2% $12

Groceries & Markets

El Calafate

$231 24%

Mar del Plata

$245 * 22.7% 6.2% $14

Eating Out

El Calafate

$174 18.1%

Mar del Plata

$277 25.6% 59.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

El Calafate

$167 17.4%

Mar del Plata

$113 * 10.5% 32.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Calafate

$106 11%

Mar del Plata

$135 12.5% 28% $30

Sport & Entertainment

El Calafate

$39 4.1%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.7% 29.2% $12

Getting Around

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1% 25.8% $2.3

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 $342 in El Calafate and $337 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in El Calafate vs $79.0 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $245 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

Same time as El Calafate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,844

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Calafate Mar del Plata 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

El Calafate
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

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

El Calafate and Mar del Plata differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($961 vs $1,081 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,442 in El Calafate and $1,621 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: $342 in El Calafate versus $337 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $224 in El Calafate versus $252 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 El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $79.0 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $1,081 in Mar del Plata, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Mar del Plata. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate 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, El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Mar del Plata. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.