Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and La Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in La Plata: $960 a month against $1,133 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in La Plata
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La Plata Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,133

/mo nomad

La Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,133 per month in Mar del Plata vs $960 in La Plata, rent included.

Mar del Plata $1,133
La Plata $960

A couple spends around $2,097 per month in Mar del Plata vs $1,722 in La Plata, rent included.

Mar del Plata $2,097
La Plata $1,722

A family of three spends $3,062 per month in Mar del Plata vs $2,483 in La Plata, rent included.

Mar del Plata $3,062
La Plata $2,483

Mar del Plata costs about 18% more than La Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mar del Plata and La Plata are more affordable than the global median – Mar del Plata 16% lower, La Plata 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.50 ARS 29.6K

$15.60 ARS 23.7K

25.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 ARS 118.2K

$50.2 ARS 76.1K

55.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 ARS 18.0K

$10.19 ARS 15.5K

16.68%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ARS 4,931

$3.91 ARS 5,936

-16.88%

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

$2.52 ARS 3,817

$1.54 ARS 2,329

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 2,984

$0.93 ARS 1,407

111.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 ARS 5,411

$3.97 ARS 6,018

-10.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,199

$3.49 ARS 5,292

-1.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 ARS 1,794

$1.07 ARS 1,627

10.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 ARS 3,297

$2.15 ARS 3,269

0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ARS 4,157

$0.87 ARS 1,324

214.94%

Eggs

$3.16 ARS 4,794

$2.31 ARS 3,507

36.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 ARS 19.2K

$8.75 ARS 13.3K

44.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.78 ARS 11.8K

$5.49 ARS 8,326

41.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.6K

$9.61 ARS 14.6K

20.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 ARS 4,577

$2.08 ARS 3,159

45.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ARS 3,684

$1.97 ARS 2,991

23.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ARS 2,901

$0.70 ARS 1,063

172.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,919

$1.56 ARS 2,363

65.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,129

$0.55 ARS 841

34.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 ARS 1,192

$0.59 ARS 897

33.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ARS 1,608

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,047

$1.06 ARS 1,602

-34.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ARS 5,230

$3.09 ARS 4,682

11.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 ARS 6,301

$5.03 ARS 7,632

-17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 ARS 3,419

$2.07 ARS 3,137

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 ARS 8,178

$2.73 ARS 4,139

97.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ARS 2,030

$0.67 ARS 1,014

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.42 ARS 6,707

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ARS 2,245

$1.54 ARS 2,334

-3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ARS 1,235

$0.68 ARS 1,031

19.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,504

$7.73 ARS 11.7K

-19.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,112

$1.16 ARS 1,758

19.83%

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

$31.1K ARS 47.2M

$22.3K ARS 33.9M

39.16%

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

$46.0K ARS 69.8M

$34.3K ARS 52.0M

34.06%

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

$107 ARS 163.1K

$68.5 ARS 103.9K

56.95%

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

$10.53 ARS 16.0K

$11.03 ARS 16.7K

-4.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.64 ARS 35.9K

$24.25 ARS 36.8K

-2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.63 ARS 46.5K

$26.11 ARS 39.6K

17.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.34 ARS 50.6K

$10.81 ARS 16.4K

208.42%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ARS 15.4K

$5.15 ARS 7,817

96.50%

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

$256 ARS 388.0K

$136 ARS 205.9K

88.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,841 ARS 8.9M

$4,957 ARS 7.5M

17.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.4 ARS 140.2K

$106 ARS 161.0K

-12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

$20.41 ARS 31.0K

244.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ARS 168.3K

$97.0 ARS 147.2K

14.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.9 ARS 81.8K

$55.1 ARS 83.6K

-2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ARS 738.3K

$349 ARS 530.2K

39.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 ARS 375.0K

$238 ARS 360.5K

4.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 ARS 1.2M

$1,220 ARS 1.9M

-34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 ARS 1.3M

$770 ARS 1.2M

12.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,990 ARS 3.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ARS 1.5M

$1,221 ARS 1.9M

-16.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,051 ARS 1.6M

$713 ARS 1.1M

47.26%

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: October 18, 2026

Last update for La Plata: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$273 24.1%

La Plata

$239 24.9% 12.6% $34

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$261 * 23.1%

La Plata

$206 21.5% 21.2% $56

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$247 21.8%

La Plata

$238 24.7% 3.9% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 13%

La Plata

$125 13.1% 15% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

La Plata

$104 10.8% 26.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

La Plata

$36 3.8% 28.4% $14

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1%

La Plata

$12 1.3% 10.4% $1.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Mar del Plata versus $349 in La Plata. 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 47% higher in Mar del Plata, 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 $78.0 in Mar del Plata versus $50.0 in La Plata. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $206 – making La Plata the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 La Plata

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

193,144

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Mar del Plata La Plata 340 km

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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 La Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,133 in Mar del Plata, $960 in La Plata – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,699 per month in Mar del Plata and $1,440 in La Plata. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La 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 $78.0 in Mar del Plata and $50.0 in La Plata. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Mar del Plata, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in La Plata, where all-in costs run around $960, than in Mar del Plata at $1,133. In La Plata it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mar del Plata it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La 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 La Plata. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mar del Plata makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.