Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Paso de los Libres

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,133 a month against $1,268 in Paso de los Libres, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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 Paso de los Libres
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Paso de los Libres Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,133

/mo nomad

Paso de los Libres

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,268

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Paso de los Libres

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 Paso de los Libres actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,133 in Mar del Plata versus $1,268 in Paso de los Libres.

Mar del Plata $1,133
Paso de los Libres $1,268

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,097 in Mar del Plata versus $2,121 in Paso de los Libres.

Mar del Plata $2,097
Paso de los Libres $2,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,062 in Mar del Plata versus $2,974 in Paso de los Libres.

Mar del Plata $3,062
Paso de los Libres $2,974

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 11% less than in Paso de los Libres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Paso de los Libres 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.50 ARS 29.6K

$16.10 ARS 24.4K

21.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 ARS 118.2K

$57.5 ARS 87.3K

35.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 ARS 18.0K

$12.84 ARS 19.5K

-7.40%

Cappuccino

$3.25 ARS 4,931

$3.71 ARS 5,630

-12.40%

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

$2.52 ARS 3,817

$2.22 ARS 3,370

13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ARS 2,984

$1.94 ARS 2,945

1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 ARS 5,411

$3.83 ARS 5,816

-6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,199

$4.00 ARS 6,075

-14.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 ARS 1,794

$1.39 ARS 2,113

-15.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 ARS 3,297

$2.26 ARS 3,434

-3.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ARS 4,157

$1.90 ARS 2,890

44.21%

Eggs

$3.16 ARS 4,794

$2.73 ARS 4,138

15.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 ARS 19.2K

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

22.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.78 ARS 11.8K

$7.81 ARS 11.8K

-0.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.6K

$11.58 ARS 17.6K

0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 ARS 4,577

$2.39 ARS 3,624

26.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ARS 3,684

$2.18 ARS 3,313

11.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ARS 2,901

$1.57 ARS 2,389

21.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,919

$2.66 ARS 4,033

-3.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,129

$1.10 ARS 1,669

-32.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 ARS 1,192

$1.02 ARS 1,546

-22.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,047

$1.72 ARS 2,610

-59.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ARS 5,230

$3.48 ARS 5,276

-0.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 ARS 6,301

$4.94 ARS 7,491

-15.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 ARS 3,419

$1.94 ARS 2,950

15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 ARS 8,178

$3.40 ARS 5,152

58.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ARS 2,030

$1.03 ARS 1,570

30.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ARS 2,245

$1.50 ARS 2,271

-1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ARS 1,235

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,504

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,112

$1.23 ARS 1,861

13.01%

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

$31.1K ARS 47.2M

$28.3K ARS 42.9M

9.92%

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

$46.0K ARS 69.8M

$34.4K ARS 52.2M

33.65%

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

$107 ARS 163.1K

$124 ARS 188.0K

-13.26%

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

$10.53 ARS 16.0K

$17.51 ARS 26.6K

-39.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.64 ARS 35.9K

$26.29 ARS 39.9K

-10.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.63 ARS 46.5K

$31.47 ARS 47.8K

-2.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.34 ARS 50.6K

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 ARS 15.4K

$9.48 ARS 14.4K

6.75%

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

$256 ARS 388.0K

$278 ARS 422.5K

-8.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,841 ARS 8.9M

$4,884 ARS 7.4M

19.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.4 ARS 140.2K

$108 ARS 163.9K

-14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

$93.7 ARS 142.3K

-24.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ARS 168.3K

$114 ARS 173.3K

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.9 ARS 81.8K

$134 ARS 203.9K

-59.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ARS 738.3K

$510 ARS 774.7K

-4.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$247 ARS 375.0K

$329 ARS 499.2K

-24.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 ARS 1.2M

$965 ARS 1.5M

-17.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 ARS 1.3M

$826 ARS 1.3M

4.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ARS 1.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,051 ARS 1.6M

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 Paso de los Libres: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$273 24.1%

Paso de los Libres

$256 20.2% 6.5% $18

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$261 * 23.1%

Paso de los Libres

$257 * 20.3% 1.8% $4.7

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$247 21.8%

Paso de los Libres

$329 25.9% 33.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 13%

Paso de los Libres

$203 16% 37.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Paso de los Libres

$168 13.2% 18.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Paso de los Libres

$50 4% 0.9% $0.4

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1%

Paso de los Libres

$5.6 * 0.4% 48.3% $5.3

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 $487 in Mar del Plata and $510 in Paso de los Libres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78.0 in Mar del Plata vs $58.0 in Paso de los Libres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $257 per month, with Paso de los Libres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Paso de los Libres

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

43,251

💱 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 Paso de los Libres 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Mar del Plata
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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 Paso de los Libres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Paso de los Libres. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,699 in Mar del Plata and $1,902 in Paso de los Libres to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $487 in Mar del Plata versus $510 in Paso de los Libres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Paso de los Libres pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,133 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,268 in Paso de los Libres – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,133 in Mar del Plata versus $1,268 in Paso de los Libres, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Paso de los Libres. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Paso de los Libres 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 12% less than in Paso de los Libres. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.