Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and San Isidro, Argentina

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,077 a month against $1,161 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Mar del Plata despite lower rent and utilities.

Mar del Plata, Argentina
San Isidro, Argentina
Mar del Plata
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,161
/mo nomad
San Isidro
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,077
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in San Isidro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Mar del Plata versus $1,077 in San Isidro.

  • Mar del Plata $1,161
  • San Isidro $1,077

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,072 in Mar del Plata versus $1,804 in San Isidro.

  • Mar del Plata $2,072
  • San Isidro $1,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Mar del Plata versus $2,530 in San Isidro.

  • Mar del Plata $2,983
  • San Isidro $2,530

Living in Mar del Plata is roughly 8% more expensive than in San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 14% lower, San Isidro 20% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.87 ARS 30.7K
$9.90 ARS 15.3K
100.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.5 ARS 124.3K
$37.65 ARS 58.2K
113.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.63 ARS 18.0K
$11.38 ARS 17.6K
2.20%
Cappuccino
$3.28 ARS 5,066
$3.03 ARS 4,679
8.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 ARS 3,817
$1.69 ARS 2,603
46.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 ARS 3,125
$1.70 ARS 2,621
18.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.58 ARS 5,538
$4.04 ARS 6,248
-11.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 ARS 5,298
$2.27 ARS 3,508
51.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.22 ARS 1,885
$1.27 ARS 1,959
-3.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.27 ARS 3,500
$1.63 ARS 2,521
39.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.76 ARS 4,270
$1.51 ARS 2,326
82.78%
Eggs
$3.95 ARS 6,099
$2.33 ARS 3,595
69.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ARS 19.3K
$8.49 ARS 13.1K
47.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.35 ARS 12.9K
$5.83 ARS 9,003
43.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.47 ARS 17.7K
$10.61 ARS 16.4K
8.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 ARS 4,684
$2.01 ARS 3,102
50.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.34 ARS 3,623
$1.51 ARS 2,336
54.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 ARS 2,992
$1.07 ARS 1,646
81.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 ARS 3,979
$2.04 ARS 3,156
26.47%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ARS 1,133
$1.00 ARS 1,539
-27.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 ARS 1,131
$0.68 ARS 1,050
7.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.53 ARS 2,371
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ARS 1,065
$1.78 ARS 2,755
-61.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$3.28 ARS 5,072
-
Wine (Bottle)
$4.25 ARS 6,569
$4.62 ARS 7,143
-8.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 ARS 3,604
$1.26 ARS 1,949
84.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 ARS 7,983
$2.65 ARS 4,102
95.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ARS 2,089
$1.02 ARS 1,576
32.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 ARS 2,302
$1.59 ARS 2,451
-6.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 ARS 1,219
$1.02 ARS 1,582
-22.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.32 ARS 9,769
$7.74 ARS 12.0K
-18.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 ARS 2,254
$1.15 ARS 1,781
26.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.9K ARS 49.3M
$23.9K ARS 36.9M
33.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.2K ARS 69.9M
$30.5K ARS 47.1M
48.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 ARS 164.1K
$58.9 ARS 91.0K
80.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.59 ARS 16.4K
$20.03 ARS 30.9K
-47.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.56 ARS 36.4K
$27.30 ARS 42.2K
-13.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.16 ARS 48.1K
$31.74 ARS 49.0K
-1.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$32.29 ARS 49.9K
$20.56 ARS 31.8K
57.05%
Cinema Ticket
$9.84 ARS 15.2K
$4.90 ARS 7,571
100.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$257 ARS 396.7K
$235 ARS 363.8K
9.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,698 ARS 8.8M
$4,273 ARS 6.6M
33.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$125 ARS 192.8K
$90.5 ARS 139.8K
37.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$70.8 ARS 109.4K
$59.7 ARS 92.3K
18.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 ARS 167.0K
$118 ARS 181.6K
-8.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$138 ARS 213.2K
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$492 ARS 760.4K
$515 ARS 796.0K
-4.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$279 ARS 430.7K
$331 ARS 511.8K
-15.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$932 ARS 1.4M
$1,064 ARS 1.6M
-12.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$777 ARS 1.2M
$814 ARS 1.3M
-4.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,006 ARS 1.6M
$1,269 ARS 2.0M
-20.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mar del Plata
San Isidro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,336 ARS 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
57.25
-

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 San Isidro: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mar del Plata
$279
San Isidro
$331 18.8% $52
Eating Out
Mar del Plata
$276
San Isidro
$188 31.9% $88
Groceries & Markets
Mar del Plata
$268 *
San Isidro
$217 18.9% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mar del Plata
$140
San Isidro
$106 24.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Mar del Plata
$137 *
San Isidro
$183 33.6% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Mar del Plata
$51
San Isidro
$42 18.3% $9.3
Getting Around
Mar del Plata
$11 *
San Isidro
$11 * 0.5% $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 $492 in Mar del Plata and $515 in San Isidro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80 in Mar del Plata vs $38 in San Isidro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $217 per month, with San Isidro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Mar del Plata
🇦🇷 San Isidro
🕒 Local time
18:09 6:09 PM
18:09 6:09 PM
Same time as Mar del Plata
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
593,337
45,190
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1,545 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,728 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mar del Plata San Isidro 400 km
From you
  • Mar del Plata
  • San Isidro

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 San Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mar del Plata or San Isidro?
San Isidro wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Isidro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mar del Plata and in San Isidro?
You’d need roughly $1,742 in Mar del Plata and $1,616 in San Isidro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mar del Plata compared to San Isidro?
Rent for a central apartment: $492 in Mar del Plata versus $515 in San Isidro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Mar del Plata or in San Isidro?
Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Mar del Plata. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Mar del Plata compared to San Isidro?
All in, you’ll spend $1,161 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,077 in San Isidro – San Isidro is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Mar del Plata or in San Isidro?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though San Isidro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mar del Plata or San Isidro?
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.
How safe is Mar del Plata compared to San Isidro?
Safety-wise, Mar del Plata and San Isidro are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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