Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,081 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,081

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Mar del Plata vs $1,150 in Durban, rent included.

Mar del Plata $1,081
Durban $1,150

A couple spends around $2,026 per month in Mar del Plata vs $1,777 in Durban, rent included.

Mar del Plata $2,026
Durban $1,777

A family of three spends $2,971 per month in Mar del Plata vs $2,404 in Durban, rent included.

Mar del Plata $2,971
Durban $2,404

Mar del Plata is about 6% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mar del Plata and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Mar del Plata 20% lower, Durban 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 ARS 30.5K

$7.84 R 129

155.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 ARS 120.5K

$38.75 R 638

104.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 ARS 17.5K

$5.87 R 96.7

96.76%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 4,947

$2.63 R 43.30

23.95%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,939

$1.08 R 17.85

140.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 2,955

$0.89 R 14.72

119.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 ARS 5,265

$2.37 R 38.99

46.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,202

$2.62 R 43.10

30.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,853

$1.23 R 20.33

-0.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ARS 3,257

$0.99 R 16.23

117.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 ARS 4,231

$1.50 R 24.71

86.00%

Eggs

$3.16 ARS 4,796

$2.34 R 38.58

35.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 ARS 11.8K

$8.10 R 133

-4.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.50 ARS 11.4K

$5.09 R 83.8

47.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

$7.48 R 123

55.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ARS 4,491

$1.93 R 31.78

53.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 ARS 3,624

$1.90 R 31.36

25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,950

$1.91 R 31.42

1.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,043

$1.64 R 27.09

62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,128

$1.49 R 24.61

-50.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 ARS 1,211

$1.40 R 23.11

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ARS 962

$1.14 R 18.84

-44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 ARS 5,342

$3.64 R 60.0

-3.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.20 ARS 6,375

$4.75 R 78.2

-11.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ARS 3,582

$1.41 R 23.27

67.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 7,944

$1.85 R 30.45

182.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ARS 2,062

$1.80 R 29.63

-24.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 ARS 2,188

$0.40 R 6.60

260.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ARS 1,318

$0.76 R 12.47

14.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 ARS 9,764

$7.53 R 124

-14.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ARS 1,963

$1.55 R 25.52

-16.77%

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

$31.4K ARS 47.6M

$35.0K R 577.2K

-10.51%

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

$45.8K ARS 69.4M

$31.3K R 515.5K

46.27%

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

$106 ARS 160.4K

$148 R 2,435

-28.48%

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

$6.49 ARS 9,850

$35.20 R 580

-81.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.16 ARS 35.1K

$38.95 R 642

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 ARS 47.3K

$31.79 R 524

-2.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.91 ARS 49.9K

$9.10 R 150

261.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 ARS 14.9K

$7.32 R 121

34.29%

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

$252 ARS 382.3K

$312 R 5,143

-19.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 R 124.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 ARS 136.9K

$55.0 R 905

64.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 R 509

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ARS 162.6K

$100 R 1,648

7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.5 ARS 82.8K

$84.3 R 1,389

-35.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 ARS 510.8K

$463 R 7,621

-27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ARS 375.9K

$398 R 6,555

-37.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ARS 1.2M

$818 R 13.5K

-2.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 ARS 1.3M

$789 R 13.0K

11.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,043 ARS 1.6M

$580 R 9,557

79.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

$1,271 R 20.9K

-16.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

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

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 11, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$277 25.6%

Durban

$137 11.9% 50.5% $140

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$248 22.9%

Durban

$398 34.6% 60.6% $150

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$245 * 22.7%

Durban

$193 16.7% 21.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$135 12.5%

Durban

$222 19.3% 64% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$113 * 10.5%

Durban

$122 10.6% 7.3% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.7%

Durban

$46 4% 8.7% $4.4

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 196% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $337 in Mar del Plata versus $463 in Durban. 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 20% higher in Durban, 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 $79.0 in Mar del Plata versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $193 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

04:21 4:21 AM

5 h ahead of Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

3,442,361

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata Durban 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Durban

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 Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,621 per month in Mar del Plata and $1,726 in Durban. 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 $79.0 in Mar del Plata and $39.00 in Durban. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mar del Plata, where all-in costs run around $1,081, than in Durban at $1,150. In Mar del Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban 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, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.