Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Rioja and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,309 in La Rioja, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in La Rioja
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La Rioja Living Index
55

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

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La Rioja

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,309

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,309 in La Rioja versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

La Rioja $1,309
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,128 in La Rioja versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

La Rioja $2,128
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,948 in La Rioja versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

La Rioja $2,948
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in La Rioja is roughly 15% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Rioja 4% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.25 ARS 28.1K

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

-7.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 ARS 91.4K

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

-23.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.57 ARS 22.4K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

25.82%

Cappuccino

$3.74 ARS 5,758

$3.26 ARS 5,010

14.72%

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

$2.15 ARS 3,306

$2.60 ARS 3,999

-17.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ARS 2,686

$2.03 ARS 3,117

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.14 ARS 6,366

$3.41 ARS 5,251

21.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ARS 6,014

$3.60 ARS 5,531

8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,134

$1.23 ARS 1,888

13.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 ARS 3,264

$2.22 ARS 3,419

-4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 ARS 2,833

$2.84 ARS 4,374

-35.21%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,198

$3.25 ARS 5,007

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 ARS 18.0K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

-5.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 ARS 12.1K

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

2.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 ARS 4,262

$3.08 ARS 4,738

-10.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ARS 3,846

$2.41 ARS 3,708

3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 ARS 2,447

$1.92 ARS 2,955

-17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 ARS 3,823

$2.60 ARS 4,005

-4.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 ARS 1,633

$0.74 ARS 1,138

43.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ARS 1,578

$0.78 ARS 1,197

32.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 ARS 2,344

$0.69 ARS 1,059

120.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ARS 4,986

$3.55 ARS 5,468

-8.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.35 ARS 6,698

$4.16 ARS 6,400

4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ARS 3,441

$2.28 ARS 3,505

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ARS 5,743

$5.23 ARS 8,042

-28.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ARS 1,368

$1.31 ARS 2,010

-32.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ARS 2,064

$1.42 ARS 2,180

-5.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,069

$1.38 ARS 2,124

-2.17%

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

$22.7K ARS 34.9M

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

-27.35%

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

$36.8K ARS 56.7M

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

-19.40%

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

$140 ARS 215.7K

$107 ARS 165.3K

30.47%

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

$18.18 ARS 28.0K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

71.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.59 ARS 33.2K

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

-8.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ARS 42.0K

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

-13.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 ARS 27.1K

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

-45.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 ARS 12.6K

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-16.60%

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

$258 ARS 396.4K

$254 ARS 390.4K

1.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,734 ARS 7.3M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-18.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ARS 159.4K

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

13.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$91.4 ARS 140.6K

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

30.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ARS 184.3K

$109 ARS 168.4K

9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ARS 168.1K

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

97.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 ARS 889.8K

$489 ARS 752.5K

18.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ARS 538.4K

$251 ARS 385.6K

39.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 ARS 1.8M

$823 ARS 1.3M

43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$741 ARS 1.1M

$857 ARS 1.3M

-13.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,437 ARS 2.2M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

38.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 ARS 929.8K

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

-42.78%

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

Last update for La Rioja: October 26, 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

La Rioja

$350 26.7%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 28.4% $99

Eating Out

La Rioja

$279 21.3%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 1.8% $5

Groceries & Markets

La Rioja

$261 * 20%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

La Rioja

$191 14.6%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 23.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Rioja

$180 13.8%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 21.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

La Rioja

$44 3.3%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 17.1% $7.5

Getting Around

La Rioja

$4.9 * 0.4%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 118% $5.8

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 $578 in La Rioja and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59 in La Rioja vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $262 per month, with La Rioja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 La Rioja

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

Same time as La Rioja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,219

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

On the map

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Between locations

La Rioja Mar del Plata 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

La Rioja
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

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

La Rioja and Mar del Plata differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,309 vs $1,137 including rent). Mar del Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in La Rioja. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $578 in La Rioja versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $258 in La Rioja versus $254 in Mar del Plata. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,309 per month in La Rioja versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – a 15% 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, La Rioja 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.