Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Porto

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Mar del Plata versus $1,936 in Porto.

Mar del Plata $1,161
Porto $1,936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,072 in Mar del Plata versus $2,902 in Porto.

Mar del Plata $2,072
Porto $2,902

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Mar del Plata versus $3,869 in Porto.

Mar del Plata $2,983
Porto $3,869

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 40% less than in Porto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mar del Plata is 14% below, Porto is 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

$14.53 €12.94

36.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

$55.2 €49.12

45.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

$11.22 €9.99

3.65%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ARS 5,064

$2.76 €2.46

18.84%

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

$2.47 ARS 3,816

$2.22 €1.98

11.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ARS 3,124

$1.31 €1.16

54.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ARS 5,536

$3.26 €2.91

9.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,297

$4.59 €4.09

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,884

$1.14 €1.01

7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,499

$1.74 €1.55

30.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,269

$1.47 €1.31

87.76%

Eggs

$3.95 ARS 6,097

$4.09 €3.64

-3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

$11.63 €10.36

7.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

$6.94 €6.18

20.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

$16.65 €14.83

-31.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ARS 4,682

$2.21 €1.97

37.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,622

$1.68 €1.50

39.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,991

$1.89 €1.68

2.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,978

$2.50 €2.22

3.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,133

$1.77 €1.57

-58.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,131

$1.86 €1.66

-60.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,064

$0.75 €0.67

-8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 ARS 6,567

$5.57 €4.96

-23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ARS 3,603

$1.34 €1.19

73.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 ARS 7,980

$2.67 €2.38

93.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ARS 2,088

$1.59 €1.41

-15.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.07 €40.13

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ARS 2,302

$3.96 €3.52

-62.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ARS 1,219

$0.82 €0.73

-3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ARS 9,765

$16.66 €14.83

-62.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,253

$2.17 €1.93

-32.72%

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

$31.9K ARS 49.2M

$33.3K €29.7K

-4.38%

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

$45.2K ARS 69.8M

$36.2K €32.3K

24.75%

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

$106 ARS 164.0K

$163 €145

-34.96%

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

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

$14.92 €13.29

-29.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

$34.60 €30.81

-31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

$43.69 €38.90

-28.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

$15.37 €13.68

110.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

$9.01 €8.02

9.21%

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

$257 ARS 396.5K

$557 €496

-53.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

$11.6K €10.3K

-50.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 192.7K

$104 €92.9

19.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

$32.84 €29.24

115.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ARS 166.9K

$93.7 €83.5

15.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.3

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 760.1K

$1,325 €1,180

-62.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ARS 430.5K

$970 €864

-71.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ARS 1.4M

$2,276 €2,027

-59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 ARS 1.2M

$1,704 €1,517

-54.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,306 €4,724

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

$3,956 €3,523

-74.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

$1,621 €1,443

-17.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

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

Last update for Mar del Plata: November 3, 2026

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$279 24%

Porto

$970 50.1% 248% $691

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8%

Porto

$223 11.5% 19.3% $53

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1%

Porto

$259 13.4% 3.1% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1%

Porto

$213 11% 51.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8%

Porto

$150 7.8% 9.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4%

Porto

$62 3.2% 21.4% $11

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Porto

$59 3.1% 449% $49

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 $492 in Mar del Plata and $1,325 in Porto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porto pays 21% 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: $80 in Mar del Plata vs $55 in Porto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $259 per month, with Porto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇵🇹 Porto

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

3 h ahead of Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

231,828

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata Porto 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Porto

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 Porto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Porto. 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 18% 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: $492 in Mar del Plata versus $1,325 in Porto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Porto pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,161 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,936 in Porto – Mar del Plata is about 40% 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.

For families, Mar del Plata is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Porto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mar del Plata and Porto are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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