Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,633 in Buenos Aires, 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $1,633 in Buenos Aires.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Buenos Aires $1,633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $2,640 in Buenos Aires.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Buenos Aires $2,640

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $3,646 in Buenos Aires.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Buenos Aires $3,646

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Mar del Plata is 16% below, Buenos Aires is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$18.24 ARS 28.1K

7.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$66.3 ARS 101.9K

17.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$12.96 ARS 19.9K

-10.65%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$3.73 ARS 5,742

-12.60%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$2.03 ARS 3,128

28.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.70 ARS 2,612

19.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$4.06 ARS 6,243

-16.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$4.75 ARS 7,301

-24.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.46 ARS 2,249

-15.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$2.54 ARS 3,904

-12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.58 ARS 2,434

79.75%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$2.68 ARS 4,123

21.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$11.14 ARS 17.1K

11.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$10.08 ARS 15.5K

-23.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$13.18 ARS 20.3K

-11.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$2.76 ARS 4,250

11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$2.20 ARS 3,384

9.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.40 ARS 2,148

37.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$1.99 ARS 3,055

30.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$1.20 ARS 1,845

-38.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$1.15 ARS 1,774

-32.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 ARS 2,500

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$1.80 ARS 2,769

-61.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$4.21 ARS 6,478

-15.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$5.51 ARS 8,480

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$2.07 ARS 3,177

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$2.77 ARS 4,254

88.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$0.74 ARS 1,143

77.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 ARS 45.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$1.61 ARS 2,481

-11.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

$0.97 ARS 1,497

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

$8.15 ARS 12.5K

-23.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.40 ARS 2,160

-1.43%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$23.2K ARS 35.7M

34.49%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$32.8K ARS 50.5M

39.17%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$196 ARS 301.9K

-45.24%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$23.91 ARS 36.8K

-55.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$31.50 ARS 48.5K

-25.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$48.01 ARS 73.8K

-34.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$16.62 ARS 25.6K

94.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

-7.10%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$501 ARS 770.1K

-49.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$8,870 ARS 13.6M

-34.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$121 ARS 186.8K

-24.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$95.6 ARS 147.0K

-26.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$116 ARS 178.5K

-5.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$139 ARS 213.2K

-60.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$731 ARS 1.1M

-33.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$503 ARS 773.8K

-50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$1,477 ARS 2.3M

-44.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$1,119 ARS 1.7M

-23.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,703 ARS 4.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,940 ARS 3.0M

-46.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$921 ARS 1.4M

14.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Buenos Aires

$274 16.8% 0.2% $0.6

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.4% 8.2% $22

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Buenos Aires

$503 30.8% 101% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Buenos Aires

$212 13% 44.7% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.4% 77.7% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$69 4.2% 35.2% $18

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Buenos Aires

$39 2.4% 269% $29

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 $489 in Mar del Plata and $731 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $66 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $284, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

2,891,082 Capital

💱 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

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Mar del Plata Buenos Aires 390 km

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Mar del Plata
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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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,137 vs $1,633 including rent). Mar del Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $489 in Mar del Plata versus $731 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $254 in Mar del Plata versus $501 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $66 versus $78 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 Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.