Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Pilar

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,248 in Pilar, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Pilar
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Pilar Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Pilar

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $1,248 in Pilar.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Pilar $1,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $2,153 in Pilar.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Pilar $2,153

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $3,058 in Pilar.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Pilar $3,058

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 9% less than in Pilar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Pilar 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.3K

$18.36 ARS 28.3K

6.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.3K

$60.6 ARS 93.4K

28.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$13.02 ARS 20.1K

-11.06%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,021

$3.75 ARS 5,778

-13.07%

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

$2.60 ARS 4,008

$2.07 ARS 3,188

25.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,123

$1.60 ARS 2,474

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,262

$4.04 ARS 6,234

-15.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,542

$4.70 ARS 7,245

-23.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,892

$1.51 ARS 2,325

-18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,426

$2.56 ARS 3,948

-13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,383

$1.52 ARS 2,339

86.84%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,017

$2.31 ARS 3,556

40.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$11.06 ARS 17.1K

12.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$2.92 ARS 4,497

164.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.9K

$10.10 ARS 15.6K

14.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,748

$2.80 ARS 4,324

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,716

$2.08 ARS 3,204

15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,961

$1.41 ARS 2,169

36.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,014

$1.99 ARS 3,068

30.65%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,140

$1.22 ARS 1,878

-39.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,200

$1.16 ARS 1,791

-32.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 ARS 2,484

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,061

$1.78 ARS 2,749

-61.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,479

$4.20 ARS 6,472

-15.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,414

$5.73 ARS 8,834

-27.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,513

$2.03 ARS 3,129

12.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,059

$2.80 ARS 4,321

86.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,014

$0.94 ARS 1,445

39.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,185

$1.63 ARS 2,507

-12.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,238

$1.03 ARS 1,586

-22.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,651

$8.16 ARS 12.6K

-23.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,128

$1.07 ARS 1,654

28.97%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.1M

$23.6K ARS 36.4M

32.25%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.5M

$31.7K ARS 48.8M

44.35%

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

$107 ARS 165.7K

$63.3 ARS 97.5K

69.88%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$9.81 ARS 15.1K

8.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.3K

$19.66 ARS 30.3K

19.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.5K

$31.40 ARS 48.4K

0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.8K

$18.18 ARS 28.0K

77.78%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$10.88 ARS 16.8K

-9.74%

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

$254 ARS 391.2K

$239 ARS 367.8K

6.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,171 ARS 6.4M

39.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.6K

$119 ARS 183.3K

-23.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.8K

$95.2 ARS 146.7K

-26.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.8K

$115 ARS 176.6K

-4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.3K

$140 ARS 215.6K

-60.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 754.1K

$520 ARS 801.1K

-5.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 386.5K

$369 ARS 568.4K

-32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$1,046 ARS 1.6M

-21.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$937 ARS 1.4M

-8.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,276 ARS 2.0M

-18.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$987 ARS 1.5M

7.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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 Pilar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Pilar

$275 22.1% 0.5% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Pilar

$237 19% 9.6% $25

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Pilar

$369 29.5% 47.1% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Pilar

$211 16.9% 43.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Pilar

$93 7.4% 34.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Pilar

$53 4.3% 4% $2

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Pilar

$11 * 0.8% 1.3% $0.1

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 $520 in Pilar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 7% 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 $61 in Pilar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $237 per month, with Pilar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Pilar

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

81,120

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mar del Plata Pilar 410 km

From you

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 Pilar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Pilar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% 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 $520 in Pilar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pilar pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,137 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,248 in Pilar – Mar del Plata is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Pilar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.