Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,038 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,038

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Mar del Plata versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Mar del Plata $1,038
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,787 in Mar del Plata versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Mar del Plata $1,787
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,536 in Mar del Plata versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Mar del Plata $2,536
Nosara $3,712

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 43% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mar del Plata is 23% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.74 ARS 29.9K

$12.22 ₡5,509

61.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 ARS 91.4K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

0.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

$7.54 ₡3,399

66.05%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ARS 4,743

$4.31 ₡1,941

-27.38%

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

$2.51 ARS 3,813

$1.72 ₡773

45.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,071

$1.35 ₡608

50.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ARS 6,151

$3.24 ₡1,459

25.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,585

$4.48 ₡2,018

-32.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ARS 1,634

$1.57 ₡707

-31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 ARS 3,330

$3.17 ₡1,429

-30.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 ARS 4,785

$2.42 ₡1,091

30.58%

Eggs

$2.36 ARS 3,575

$3.57 ₡1,609

-33.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 ARS 8,885

$7.43 ₡3,349

-21.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ARS 10.1K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-36.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 ARS 5,030

$2.32 ₡1,044

43.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ARS 3,687

$1.61 ₡728

50.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ARS 2,242

$4.74 ₡2,138

-68.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ARS 3,115

$1.66 ₡747

23.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 ARS 1,532

$3.57 ₡1,611

-71.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 ARS 5,463

$4.95 ₡2,232

-27.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.94 ARS 4,457

$20.01 ₡9,020

-85.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ARS 1,954

$1.19 ₡537

8.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,468

$2.24 ₡1,011

-27.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ARS 967

$1.55 ₡701

-58.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 ARS 9,707

$8.86 ₡3,993

-27.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,064

$1.57 ₡708

-13.38%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$79.0 ARS 119.8K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-15.45%

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

$8.23 ARS 12.5K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-76.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.10 ARS 45.6K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-41.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.31 ARS 47.5K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-56.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$7.84 ₡3,535

28.44%

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

$304 ARS 460.4K

$490 ₡220.7K

-37.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 ARS 133.1K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

63.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ARS 184.2K

$79.3 ₡35.7K

53.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ARS 83.1K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-30.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 ARS 497.2K

$786 ₡354.3K

-58.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ARS 383.9K

$780 ₡351.6K

-67.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ARS 1.2M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-79.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ARS 992.3K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-53.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$610 ARS 925.5K

$876 ₡395.0K

-30.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$278 27%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 24.5% $68

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$253 24.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 208% $527

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$198 * 19.3%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 76.1% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$119 * 11.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 1.3% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$117 11.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 53.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 69.3% $36

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$10 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 771% $77

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 $328 in Mar del Plata and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 44% 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: $60.0 in Mar del Plata vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $350 per month, with Mar del Plata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

3 h behind Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

4,912

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata Nosara 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Nosara. 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: $328 in Mar del Plata versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,038 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,038 in Mar del Plata versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mar del Plata delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,038 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mar del Plata hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mar del Plata and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mar del Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.