Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Bariloche

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $1,660 in Bariloche, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Bariloche
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Bariloche Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Bariloche

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Bariloche

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mar del Plata and in Bariloche actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Mar del Plata versus $1,660 in Bariloche.

Mar del Plata $1,161
Bariloche $1,660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,072 in Mar del Plata versus $2,532 in Bariloche.

Mar del Plata $2,072
Bariloche $2,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Mar del Plata versus $3,405 in Bariloche.

Mar del Plata $2,983
Bariloche $3,405

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 30% less than in Bariloche, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mar del Plata is 14% below, Bariloche is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

$20.19 ARS 31.2K

-1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

$59.1 ARS 91.3K

36.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

$14.22 ARS 22.0K

-18.21%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ARS 5,064

$4.02 ARS 6,205

-18.41%

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

$2.47 ARS 3,816

$1.72 ARS 2,652

43.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ARS 3,124

$1.87 ARS 2,894

8.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ARS 5,536

$5.13 ARS 7,929

-30.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,297

$4.59 ARS 7,094

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,884

$1.39 ARS 2,149

-12.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,499

$2.04 ARS 3,143

11.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,269

$1.51 ARS 2,333

82.78%

Eggs

$3.95 ARS 6,097

$2.71 ARS 4,188

45.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

$15.42 ARS 23.8K

-18.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

$10.35 ARS 16.0K

-19.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

$13.48 ARS 20.8K

-14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ARS 4,682

$2.31 ARS 3,569

31.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,622

$2.70 ARS 4,163

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,991

$2.00 ARS 3,088

-3.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,978

$2.66 ARS 4,114

-3.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,133

$0.95 ARS 1,470

-23.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,131

$0.74 ARS 1,147

-1.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 ARS 3,054

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,064

$1.29 ARS 1,991

-46.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.05 ARS 4,717

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 ARS 6,567

$7.55 ARS 11.7K

-43.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ARS 3,603

$1.90 ARS 2,941

22.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 ARS 7,980

$3.94 ARS 6,080

31.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ARS 2,088

$1.03 ARS 1,585

31.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ARS 2,302

$1.03 ARS 1,588

44.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ARS 1,219

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ARS 9,765

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,253

$1.06 ARS 1,637

37.74%

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

$31.9K ARS 49.2M

$20.0K ARS 30.9M

59.45%

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

$45.2K ARS 69.8M

$32.5K ARS 50.2M

38.97%

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

$106 ARS 164.0K

$86.1 ARS 133.0K

23.30%

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

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

$16.82 ARS 26.0K

-37.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

$24.23 ARS 37.4K

-2.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

$51.0 ARS 78.7K

-38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

$40.15 ARS 62.0K

-19.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

$8.65 ARS 13.4K

13.76%

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

$257 ARS 396.5K

$306 ARS 472.5K

-16.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

$4,330 ARS 6.7M

31.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 192.7K

$73.5 ARS 113.6K

69.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

$39.62 ARS 61.2K

78.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ARS 166.9K

$109 ARS 169.1K

-1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ARS 148.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 760.1K

$1,307 ARS 2.0M

-62.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ARS 430.5K

$716 ARS 1.1M

-61.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ARS 1.4M

$1,182 ARS 1.8M

-21.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 ARS 1.2M

$1,154 ARS 1.8M

-32.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,004 ARS 4.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

$2,468 ARS 3.8M

-59.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

$962 ARS 1.5M

38.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Mar del Plata: November 3, 2026

Last update for Bariloche: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$279 24%

Bariloche

$716 43.1% 157% $437

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8%

Bariloche

$302 18.2% 9.3% $26

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1%

Bariloche

$299 18% 11.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1%

Bariloche

$127 7.7% 9.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8%

Bariloche

$143 8.6% 5% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4%

Bariloche

$68 4.1% 34.3% $17

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Bariloche

$5.1 * 0.3% 52.7% $5.7

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 $492 in Mar del Plata and $1,307 in Bariloche. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $80 in Mar del Plata vs $59 in Bariloche. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $299, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Bariloche

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

135,755

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mar del Plata Bariloche 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Bariloche

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

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

Mar del Plata is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Mar del Plata, 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: $492 in Mar del Plata versus $1,307 in Bariloche. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $257 in Mar del Plata versus $306 in Bariloche. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bariloche – a meal for two runs $59 versus $80 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Mar del Plata and Bariloche are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.