Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Quilmes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $957 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Mar del Plata despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $957 in Quilmes.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Quilmes $957

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $1,615 in Quilmes.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Quilmes $1,615

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,273 in Quilmes.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Quilmes $2,273

Living in Mar del Plata is roughly 19% more expensive than in Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Quilmes 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$5.55 ARS 8,543

253.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$35.20 ARS 54.1K

121.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$8.82 ARS 13.6K

31.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$2.93 ARS 4,501

11.26%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$1.71 ARS 2,634

52.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.63 ARS 2,500

24.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$3.90 ARS 5,993

-12.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$2.29 ARS 3,519

57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$0.97 ARS 1,495

26.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$1.58 ARS 2,426

40.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.58 ARS 2,425

79.75%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$2.28 ARS 3,508

42.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$13.31 ARS 20.5K

-6.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$6.11 ARS 9,398

26.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$9.80 ARS 15.1K

18.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$1.96 ARS 3,016

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$1.53 ARS 2,350

57.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.01 ARS 1,557

90.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.95 ARS 4,538

-11.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$0.92 ARS 1,412

-19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$0.64 ARS 990

21.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ARS 1,111

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$0.69 ARS 1,060

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$4.99 ARS 7,671

-28.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$4.29 ARS 6,603

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$1.23 ARS 1,896

85.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$1.89 ARS 2,904

176.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$1.02 ARS 1,574

28.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$1.49 ARS 2,285

-4.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

$1.02 ARS 1,576

-21.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.14 ARS 1,756

21.05%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$50.3K ARS 77.4M

-38.02%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$38.0K ARS 58.4M

20.45%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$60.2 ARS 92.6K

78.57%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$14.48 ARS 22.3K

-26.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$21.58 ARS 33.2K

9.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$26.79 ARS 41.2K

17.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$18.31 ARS 28.2K

76.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$10.13 ARS 15.6K

-3.06%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$240 ARS 369.2K

5.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,307 ARS 6.6M

35.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$95.2 ARS 146.4K

-4.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$34.45 ARS 53.0K

103.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$62.9 ARS 96.8K

74.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$70.1 ARS 107.8K

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$518 ARS 796.8K

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$330 ARS 507.0K

-23.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

-22.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$817 ARS 1.3M

4.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,378 ARS 3.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,264 ARS 1.9M

-17.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$1,102 ARS 1.7M

-4.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

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 Quilmes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Quilmes

$143 15% 47.6% $130

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Quilmes

$212 22.2% 19.1% $50

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Quilmes

$330 34.4% 31.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Quilmes

$118 12.3% 19.4% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Quilmes

$96 10.1% 32% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 8% $4.1

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Quilmes

$11 * 1.1% 0.4% $0

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 $518 in Quilmes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quilmes pays 4% 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 $35 in Quilmes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $212 per month, with Quilmes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

230,810

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mar del Plata Quilmes 370 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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quilmes wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Quilmes the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $518 in Quilmes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Mar del Plata. 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 $957 in Quilmes – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Quilmes 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 Quilmes are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.