Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $891 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $891 in San Juan.

Mar del Plata $1,137
San Juan $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $1,398 in San Juan.

Mar del Plata $2,096
San Juan $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $1,904 in San Juan.

Mar del Plata $3,055
San Juan $1,904

Living in Mar del Plata is roughly 28% more expensive than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, San Juan 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.4K

$7.16 ARS 11.1K

174.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.6K

$39.73 ARS 61.4K

96.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.9K

$12.51 ARS 19.3K

-7.43%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,032

$2.62 ARS 4,048

24.43%

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

$2.60 ARS 4,017

$2.19 ARS 3,380

18.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,130

$1.82 ARS 2,810

11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,274

$3.96 ARS 6,121

-13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,555

$4.56 ARS 7,042

-21.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,896

$1.35 ARS 2,084

-8.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,434

$1.38 ARS 2,131

60.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,393

$1.39 ARS 2,147

104.32%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,029

$1.45 ARS 2,237

124.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.2K

$2.90 ARS 4,483

327.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$6.37 ARS 9,843

21.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.9K

$10.75 ARS 16.6K

7.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,758

$1.45 ARS 2,238

112.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,725

$1.38 ARS 2,133

74.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,968

$1.37 ARS 2,112

40.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,023

$1.45 ARS 2,233

79.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,143

$1.46 ARS 2,254

-49.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,202

$1.38 ARS 2,136

-43.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ARS 2,147

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,063

$1.46 ARS 2,251

-52.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,492

$2.69 ARS 4,157

31.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,428

$4.95 ARS 7,650

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,521

$1.46 ARS 2,251

56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,077

$1.43 ARS 2,214

265.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,018

$1.04 ARS 1,603

25.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,190

$2.03 ARS 3,139

-30.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,240

$0.97 ARS 1,501

-17.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,673

$5.04 ARS 7,792

24.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,133

$1.13 ARS 1,749

22.12%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.2M

$26.8K ARS 41.4M

16.51%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.6M

$33.6K ARS 52.0M

35.93%

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

$107 ARS 166.1K

$141 ARS 217.8K

-23.77%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.4K

$9.91 ARS 15.3K

6.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

$17.96 ARS 27.7K

31.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.6K

$29.64 ARS 45.8K

6.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.9K

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.2K

$6.96 ARS 10.8K

41.09%

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

$254 ARS 392.1K

$173 ARS 267.6K

46.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

40.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.9K

$108 ARS 166.2K

-15.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 108.0K

$42.19 ARS 65.2K

65.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 169.1K

$56.8 ARS 87.8K

92.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.5K

$36.24 ARS 56.0K

52.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 755.8K

$248 ARS 382.6K

97.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 387.3K

$198 ARS 305.2K

26.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$500 ARS 772.8K

64.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$408 ARS 629.8K

110.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$696 ARS 1.1M

51.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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 San Juan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

San Juan

$171 19.2% 37.5% $103

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 27.6% $72

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

San Juan

$198 22.2% 21.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

San Juan

$109 12.3% 25.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

San Juan

$169 19% 19.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

San Juan

$44 4.9% 14.8% $7.6

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 3.6% $0.4

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 $248 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $40 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $190 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

522,029

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata San Juan 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Juan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% 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 $248 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% 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 $891 in San Juan – San Juan is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Juan 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 San Juan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – San Juan 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.