Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Rosario

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $942 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$942

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $942 in Rosario.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Rosario $942

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $1,654 in Rosario.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Rosario $1,654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,366 in Rosario.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Rosario $2,366

Living in Mar del Plata is roughly 21% more expensive than in Rosario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Rosario 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$9.90 ARS 15.2K

98.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

104.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$11.44 ARS 17.6K

1.22%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$2.96 ARS 4,555

10.14%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$1.78 ARS 2,735

46.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.70 ARS 2,613

19.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$4.01 ARS 6,171

-14.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$2.29 ARS 3,530

57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.27 ARS 1,953

-3.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$1.64 ARS 2,527

35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.59 ARS 2,442

78.62%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$2.28 ARS 3,500

42.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$8.44 ARS 13.0K

46.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$5.90 ARS 9,068

30.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

9.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$1.94 ARS 2,979

58.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$1.57 ARS 2,416

53.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.06 ARS 1,630

81.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.08 ARS 3,195

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$0.98 ARS 1,505

-24.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$0.69 ARS 1,062

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 ARS 2,341

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$1.73 ARS 2,656

-60.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$3.32 ARS 5,111

6.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$4.71 ARS 7,251

-11.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$1.22 ARS 1,870

86.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$2.72 ARS 4,180

92.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$1.01 ARS 1,554

29.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$1.59 ARS 2,438

-10.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

$1.01 ARS 1,559

-20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

$7.89 ARS 12.1K

-20.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.10 ARS 1,686

25.45%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$23.9K ARS 36.8M

30.46%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$29.7K ARS 45.6M

54.05%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

76.40%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$20.06 ARS 30.9K

-47.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$27.30 ARS 42.0K

-13.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$29.57 ARS 45.5K

6.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$21.98 ARS 33.8K

47.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$4.93 ARS 7,583

99.19%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$240 ARS 369.6K

5.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,274 ARS 6.6M

36.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$91.6 ARS 140.9K

-0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$59.1 ARS 90.9K

18.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$114 ARS 176.0K

-4.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$136 ARS 209.5K

-59.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$253 ARS 389.6K

93.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$199 ARS 305.5K

26.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$726 ARS 1.1M

13.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$654 ARS 1.0M

30.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,047 ARS 3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,380 ARS 2.1M

-24.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$686 ARS 1.1M

53.91%

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 Rosario: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Rosario

$188 19.9% 31.5% $86

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Rosario

$217 23% 17.3% $45

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Rosario

$199 21.1% 20.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Rosario

$181 19.2% 23.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Rosario

$108 11.5% 23.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Rosario

$39 4.2% 22.9% $12

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Rosario

$11 * 1.1% 0.3% $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 $253 in Rosario. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $38 in Rosario for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $217 per month, with Rosario cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Rosario

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

1,029,619

💱 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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Between locations

Mar del Plata Rosario 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Rosario

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 Rosario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rosario wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rosario the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 54% 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 $253 in Rosario. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% 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 $942 in Rosario – Rosario is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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