Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,038 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

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

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,038

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,038 per month in Mar del Plata vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Mar del Plata $1,038
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,787 per month in Mar del Plata vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Mar del Plata $1,787
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,536 per month in Mar del Plata vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Mar del Plata $2,536
Budapest $3,489

Mar del Plata is about 36% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mar del Plata sits 23% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.74 ARS 29.9K

$13.99 Ft 4,555

41.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 ARS 91.4K

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

-0.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

$9.96 Ft 3,244

25.70%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ARS 4,741

$3.38 Ft 1,102

-7.40%

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

$2.51 ARS 3,812

$2.13 Ft 693

17.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,070

$1.87 Ft 609

8.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,149

$3.75 Ft 1,222

8.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,584

$3.57 Ft 1,163

-15.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ARS 1,634

$1.13 Ft 369

-4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 ARS 3,329

$1.84 Ft 600

19.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ARS 4,784

$2.39 Ft 777

32.22%

Eggs

$2.36 ARS 3,573

$3.83 Ft 1,246

-38.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 ARS 8,882

$11.33 Ft 3,689

-48.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ARS 10.1K

$6.74 Ft 2,194

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

$14.69 Ft 4,784

-14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 ARS 5,028

$1.84 Ft 598

80.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ARS 3,685

$2.01 Ft 654

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ARS 2,241

$2.36 Ft 767

-37.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ARS 3,114

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-45.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ARS 1,532

$1.03 Ft 335

-1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 ARS 5,461

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-54.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.94 ARS 4,455

$6.01 Ft 1,956

-51.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ARS 1,954

$1.50 Ft 490

-14.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.30 Ft 1,075

-50.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ARS 967

$1.30 Ft 424

-50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 ARS 9,704

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-67.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,063

$1.81 Ft 591

-24.86%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

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

$79.0 ARS 119.8K

$170 Ft 55.3K

-53.51%

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

$8.23 ARS 12.5K

$23.98 Ft 7,809

-65.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 ARS 45.6K

$23.42 Ft 7,628

28.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.31 ARS 47.5K

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$9.52 Ft 3,101

5.78%

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

$304 ARS 460.3K

$537 Ft 174.8K

-43.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 ARS 133.0K

$101 Ft 33.0K

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ARS 184.2K

$113 Ft 36.7K

7.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ARS 83.1K

$119 Ft 38.7K

-53.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 ARS 497.0K

$805 Ft 262.2K

-59.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ARS 383.8K

$629 Ft 204.9K

-59.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ARS 1.2M

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-48.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ARS 992.0K

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-43.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$610 ARS 925.2K

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-62.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

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

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 4, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$278 27%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 19.2% $53

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$253 24.7%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 149% $376

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$198 * 19.3%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 29.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$119 * 11.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 42.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$117 11.4%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 85.2% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 5%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 65.8% $34

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$10 * 1%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 336% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $328 in Mar del Plata versus $805 in Budapest. 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 166% higher in Budapest, 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 $60.0 in Mar del Plata versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $258 – making Mar del Plata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

5 h ahead of Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mar del Plata Budapest 12,150 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,557 per month in Mar del Plata and $2,432 in Budapest. 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 $60.0 in Mar del Plata and $60.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mar del Plata, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Mar del Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest 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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.