Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 49% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mar del Plata is 16% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$16.65 €14.96

17.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$61.7 €55.5

26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$11.36 €10.20

1.94%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$2.97 €2.67

9.76%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$2.29 €2.06

13.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.74 €1.56

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$3.40 €3.06

0.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$3.31 €2.97

8.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.16 €1.04

6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$1.91 €1.72

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.51 €1.36

88.08%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$4.02 €3.61

-19.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$12.94 €11.62

-4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$7.77 €6.99

-0.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$17.76 €15.96

-34.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$2.30 €2.07

33.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$1.73 €1.56

39.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.86 €1.67

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.59 €2.33

0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$1.82 €1.64

-59.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$1.97 €1.77

-60.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$0.72 €0.65

-4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$6.58 €5.92

-46.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$5.61 €5.04

-25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$1.36 €1.22

67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$2.14 €1.92

144.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$2.33 €2.10

-43.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$3.85 €3.46

-63.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

$1.07 €0.96

-25.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

$16.46 €14.79

-61.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$2.20 €1.98

-37.27%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$34.2K €30.7K

-8.74%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$38.7K €34.8K

18.05%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$161 €145

-33.33%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$18.41 €16.54

-42.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$32.74 €29.41

-28.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$44.55 €40.03

-29.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$19.10 €17.16

69.21%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$9.60 €8.62

2.29%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$668 €600

-61.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$17.6K €15.8K

-66.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$102 €91.7

-10.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$44.46 €39.95

57.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$98.5 €88.5

11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$124 €111

-55.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$1,608 €1,445

-69.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$1,190 €1,069

-78.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$2,812 €2,527

-70.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$2,013 €1,809

-57.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$4,576 €4,111

-77.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$1,575 €1,415

-32.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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 Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 11.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 3.8% $10

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 375% $939

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 13.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 49.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 24.7% $13

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 493% $53

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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 49% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $272, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

3 h ahead of Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,538 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,712 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata Lisbon 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata and Lisbon differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($1,137 vs $2,210 including rent). Mar del Plata is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Mar del Plata. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $489 in Mar del Plata versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,137 per month in Mar del Plata versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 94% 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 Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Mar del Plata wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.