Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index

Jump to prices

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Lisbon $2,210
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Lisbon $3,275
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Lisbon $4,341
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Lisbon is roughly 94% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Mar del Plata is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

-15.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

-20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

-1.90%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.26 ARS 5,010

-8.90%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.60 ARS 3,999

-11.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.03 ARS 3,117

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$3.41 ARS 5,251

-0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.60 ARS 5,531

-8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.23 ARS 1,888

-5.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.22 ARS 3,419

-13.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.84 ARS 4,374

-46.83%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.25 ARS 5,007

23.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

4.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

53.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.08 ARS 4,738

-25.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.41 ARS 3,708

-28.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.92 ARS 2,955

-3.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.60 ARS 4,005

-0.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.74 ARS 1,138

145.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.78 ARS 1,197

152.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.69 ARS 1,059

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.55 ARS 5,468

85.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$4.16 ARS 6,400

34.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.28 ARS 3,505

-40.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$5.23 ARS 8,042

-59.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.31 ARS 2,010

77.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.42 ARS 2,180

171.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.80 ARS 1,235

33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$6.26 ARS 9,631

162.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.38 ARS 2,124

59.42%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

9.58%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

-15.29%

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

$161 €145

$107 ARS 165.3K

50.00%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

73.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

38.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

41.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

-40.90%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-2.24%

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

$668 €600

$254 ARS 390.4K

163.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

202.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$109 ARS 168.4K

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

123.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$489 ARS 752.5K

228.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$251 ARS 385.6K

374.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$823 ARS 1.3M

241.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$857 ARS 1.3M

135.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

340.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

49.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 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

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 78.9% $939

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 3.7% $10

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 12.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 33.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 11.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 19.8% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 83.1% $53

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 $1,608 in Lisbon and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $78 in Mar del Plata. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $262, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

593,337

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Mar del Plata 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

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

Lisbon and Mar del Plata differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $1,137 including rent). Mar del Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – a 94% 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, Lisbon 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mar del Plata wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.