Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and La Rioja

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,309 in La Rioja, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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 La Rioja
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La Rioja Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

La Rioja

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $1,309 in La Rioja.

Mar del Plata $1,137
La Rioja $1,309

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $2,128 in La Rioja.

Mar del Plata $2,096
La Rioja $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,948 in La Rioja.

Mar del Plata $3,055
La Rioja $2,948

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 13% less than in La Rioja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, La Rioja 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$18.25 ARS 28.1K

7.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$59.4 ARS 91.4K

31.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$14.57 ARS 22.4K

-20.52%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$3.74 ARS 5,758

-12.83%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$2.15 ARS 3,306

20.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.75 ARS 2,686

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$4.14 ARS 6,366

-17.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$3.91 ARS 6,014

-7.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.39 ARS 2,134

-11.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$2.12 ARS 3,264

4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.84 ARS 2,833

54.35%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$2.73 ARS 4,198

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$11.69 ARS 18.0K

6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$7.90 ARS 12.1K

-2.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$2.77 ARS 4,262

11.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$2.50 ARS 3,846

-3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.59 ARS 2,447

20.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.49 ARS 3,823

4.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$1.06 ARS 1,633

-30.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$1.03 ARS 1,578

-24.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$1.52 ARS 2,344

-54.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$3.24 ARS 4,986

9.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$4.35 ARS 6,698

-4.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$2.24 ARS 3,441

1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$3.73 ARS 5,743

40.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$0.89 ARS 1,368

47.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$1.34 ARS 2,064

5.97%

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

$1.35 ARS 2,069

2.22%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$22.7K ARS 34.9M

37.65%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$36.8K ARS 56.7M

24.07%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$140 ARS 215.7K

-23.35%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$18.18 ARS 28.0K

-41.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$21.59 ARS 33.2K

9.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$27.30 ARS 42.0K

15.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$17.61 ARS 27.1K

83.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$8.19 ARS 12.6K

19.90%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$258 ARS 396.4K

-1.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,734 ARS 7.3M

23.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$104 ARS 159.4K

-11.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$91.4 ARS 140.6K

-23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$120 ARS 184.3K

-8.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$109 ARS 168.1K

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$578 ARS 889.8K

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$350 ARS 538.4K

-28.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$1,178 ARS 1.8M

-30.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$741 ARS 1.1M

15.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,437 ARS 2.2M

-27.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$604 ARS 929.8K

74.76%

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 La Rioja: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

La Rioja

$279 21.3% 1.8% $5

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

La Rioja

$261 * 20% 0.4% $1

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

La Rioja

$350 26.7% 39.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

La Rioja

$191 14.6% 30.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

La Rioja

$180 13.8% 27.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

La Rioja

$44 3.3% 14.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

La Rioja

$4.9 * 0.4% 54% $5.8

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 $578 in La Rioja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 75% 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 $59 in La Rioja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $261 per month, with La Rioja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 La Rioja

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

180,219

💱 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 La Rioja 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
La Rioja

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 Rioja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata and La Rioja differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,137 vs $1,309 including rent). Mar del Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $578 in La Rioja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $254 in Mar del Plata versus $258 in La Rioja. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,137 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,309 in La Rioja – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 La Rioja are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.