Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Catamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,241 in Catamarca, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Catamarca
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Catamarca Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Catamarca

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $1,241 in Catamarca.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Catamarca $1,241

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $2,080 in Catamarca.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Catamarca $2,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,920 in Catamarca.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Catamarca $2,920

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 8% less than in Catamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Catamarca 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$16.82 ARS 25.9K

16.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$63.6 ARS 97.9K

22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$11.26 ARS 17.3K

2.84%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$3.52 ARS 5,411

-7.39%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$2.30 ARS 3,534

13.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.97 ARS 3,038

3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$4.23 ARS 6,510

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$3.50 ARS 5,391

2.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.21 ARS 1,859

1.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$2.07 ARS 3,183

7.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.96 ARS 3,012

44.90%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$2.79 ARS 4,294

16.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$13.21 ARS 20.3K

-6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$8.42 ARS 12.9K

-8.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$10.69 ARS 16.4K

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$2.26 ARS 3,471

36.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$1.95 ARS 3,000

23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.38 ARS 2,124

39.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.30 ARS 3,542

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$1.09 ARS 1,674

-32.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$1.00 ARS 1,541

-22.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$1.32 ARS 2,030

-47.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$3.18 ARS 4,889

11.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$5.58 ARS 8,583

-25.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$1.90 ARS 2,920

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$3.37 ARS 5,182

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$0.90 ARS 1,384

45.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$1.73 ARS 2,665

-17.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.33 ARS 2,044

3.76%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$27.4K ARS 42.1M

13.93%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$34.2K ARS 52.6M

33.64%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$135 ARS 207.0K

-20.13%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$14.59 ARS 22.4K

-27.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$25.50 ARS 39.2K

-7.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$35.94 ARS 55.3K

-12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$17.93 ARS 27.6K

80.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$8.10 ARS 12.5K

21.23%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$216 ARS 331.6K

17.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,300 ARS 6.6M

35.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$122 ARS 187.2K

-25.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$82.1 ARS 126.2K

-14.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$120 ARS 185.3K

-9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$98.7 ARS 151.9K

-43.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$473 ARS 727.0K

3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$309 ARS 474.9K

-18.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$1,173 ARS 1.8M

-29.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$749 ARS 1.2M

14.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

-19.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

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 Catamarca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Catamarca

$256 20.6% 6.6% $18

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Catamarca

$254 * 20.5% 3.1% $8.2

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Catamarca

$309 24.9% 23.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Catamarca

$190 15.3% 29.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Catamarca

$175 14.1% 23.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Catamarca

$52 4.2% 2% $1

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Catamarca

$5.3 * 0.4% 50% $5.3

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 $473 in Catamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $64 in Catamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $254 per month, with Catamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Catamarca

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

160,058

💱 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

Mar del Plata Catamarca 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Catamarca

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 Catamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Catamarca. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,705 in Mar del Plata and $1,862 in Catamarca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $489 in Mar del Plata versus $473 in Catamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Catamarca pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,137 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,241 in Catamarca – Mar del Plata is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Catamarca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.