Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Salta

For one person, living costs are similar in Mar del Plata and in Salta: $1,161 and $1,149 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Salta
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Salta Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Salta

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Mar del Plata versus $1,149 in Salta.

Mar del Plata $1,161
Salta $1,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,072 in Mar del Plata versus $1,934 in Salta.

Mar del Plata $2,072
Salta $1,934

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Mar del Plata versus $2,719 in Salta.

Mar del Plata $2,983
Salta $2,719

Monthly costs are close between Mar del Plata and Salta; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 14% lower, Salta 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

$7.43 ARS 11.5K

167.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

$57.3 ARS 88.6K

40.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

$13.17 ARS 20.4K

-11.69%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ARS 5,066

$2.58 ARS 3,986

27.13%

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

$2.47 ARS 3,817

$1.54 ARS 2,377

60.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ARS 3,125

$1.87 ARS 2,892

8.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ARS 5,538

$1.61 ARS 2,482

122.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,298

$3.17 ARS 4,899

8.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,885

$1.37 ARS 2,110

-10.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,500

$1.70 ARS 2,627

33.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,270

$2.02 ARS 3,126

36.63%

Eggs

$3.95 ARS 6,099

$2.86 ARS 4,413

38.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

$11.79 ARS 18.2K

6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

$7.76 ARS 12.0K

7.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

$11.36 ARS 17.5K

0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ARS 4,684

$2.47 ARS 3,821

22.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,623

$1.68 ARS 2,597

39.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,992

$1.57 ARS 2,418

23.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,979

$2.11 ARS 3,259

22.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,133

$1.10 ARS 1,702

-33.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,131

$0.96 ARS 1,483

-23.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,065

$1.53 ARS 2,370

-54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ARS 5,101

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 ARS 6,569

$4.92 ARS 7,605

-13.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ARS 3,604

$1.41 ARS 2,186

65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 ARS 7,983

$3.98 ARS 6,146

29.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ARS 2,089

$0.96 ARS 1,489

40.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ARS 2,302

$1.53 ARS 2,368

-2.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ARS 1,219

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ARS 9,769

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,254

$1.19 ARS 1,843

22.69%

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

$31.9K ARS 49.3M

$25.4K ARS 39.2M

25.57%

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

$45.2K ARS 69.9M

$32.3K ARS 49.8M

40.15%

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

$106 ARS 164.1K

$126 ARS 195.3K

-15.99%

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

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

$16.68 ARS 25.8K

-36.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

$23.88 ARS 36.9K

-1.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

$29.29 ARS 45.2K

6.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

$20.39 ARS 31.5K

58.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

$9.21 ARS 14.2K

6.84%

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

$257 ARS 396.7K

$239 ARS 369.1K

7.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

$4,175 ARS 6.4M

36.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 192.8K

$112 ARS 173.3K

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

$81.4 ARS 125.7K

-12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ARS 167.0K

$112 ARS 173.8K

-3.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ARS 181.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 760.4K

$513 ARS 792.3K

-4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ARS 430.7K

$335 ARS 516.8K

-16.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ARS 1.4M

$1,053 ARS 1.6M

-11.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 ARS 1.2M

$816 ARS 1.3M

-4.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 ARS 3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

$1,292 ARS 2.0M

-22.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

$861 ARS 1.3M

55.17%

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 Salta: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$279 24%

Salta

$335 29.1% 20% $56

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8%

Salta

$158 13.7% 42.8% $118

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1%

Salta

$246 * 21.4% 8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1%

Salta

$167 14.5% 19% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8%

Salta

$190 16.6% 39.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4%

Salta

$48 4.2% 6.2% $3.1

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Salta

$5.4 * 0.5% 50.3% $5.5

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 $513 in Salta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 55% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Mar del Plata vs $57 in Salta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $246 per month, with Salta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Salta

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

535,303

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata Salta 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Salta

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 Salta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 55% 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: $492 in Mar del Plata versus $513 in Salta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Mar del Plata. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Salta – a meal for two runs $57 versus $80 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Salta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

It comes down to priorities – Salta 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.