Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and San Luis

For one person, living costs are similar in Mar del Plata and in San Luis: $1,161 and $1,158 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
Learn more

San Luis Living Index

Jump to prices

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Mar del Plata versus $1,158 in San Luis.

Mar del Plata $1,161
San Luis $1,158

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,072 in Mar del Plata versus $1,982 in San Luis.

Mar del Plata $2,072
San Luis $1,982

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Mar del Plata versus $2,806 in San Luis.

Mar del Plata $2,983
San Luis $2,806

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

$8.58 ARS 13.3K

131.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

$50.1 ARS 77.4K

60.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

$8.69 ARS 13.4K

33.83%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ARS 5,064

$2.11 ARS 3,261

55.45%

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

$2.47 ARS 3,816

$2.34 ARS 3,613

5.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ARS 3,124

$1.98 ARS 3,066

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ARS 5,536

$3.33 ARS 5,140

7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,297

$4.62 ARS 7,129

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,884

$1.21 ARS 1,874

0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,499

$2.03 ARS 3,135

11.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,269

$1.06 ARS 1,635

160.38%

Eggs

$3.95 ARS 6,097

$3.01 ARS 4,652

31.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

$14.55 ARS 22.5K

-13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

$6.37 ARS 9,839

31.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

$11.12 ARS 17.2K

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ARS 4,682

$2.32 ARS 3,581

30.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,622

$2.16 ARS 3,331

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,991

$1.37 ARS 2,112

41.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,978

$3.17 ARS 4,902

-18.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,133

$1.03 ARS 1,588

-29.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,131

$1.51 ARS 2,334

-51.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ARS 3,085

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,064

$2.48 ARS 3,829

-72.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 ARS 4,162

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 ARS 6,567

$5.04 ARS 7,791

-15.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ARS 3,603

$1.71 ARS 2,633

36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 ARS 7,980

$3.08 ARS 4,764

67.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ARS 2,088

$0.62 ARS 962

117.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ARS 2,302

$0.65 ARS 1,006

129.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ARS 1,219

$0.99 ARS 1,522

-20.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ARS 9,765

$4.86 ARS 7,505

30.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,253

$1.27 ARS 1,966

14.96%

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

$31.9K ARS 49.2M

$27.0K ARS 41.7M

17.95%

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

$45.2K ARS 69.8M

$32.7K ARS 50.5M

38.38%

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

$106 ARS 164.0K

$39.88 ARS 61.6K

166.32%

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

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

$16.80 ARS 26.0K

-36.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

$23.86 ARS 36.8K

-1.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

$31.50 ARS 48.6K

-1.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

$20.86 ARS 32.2K

54.79%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

$5.53 ARS 8,541

77.94%

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

$257 ARS 396.5K

$177 ARS 272.6K

45.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

$4,156 ARS 6.4M

37.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 192.7K

$128 ARS 197.8K

-2.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

$142 ARS 219.0K

-50.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ARS 166.9K

$141 ARS 217.8K

-23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 ARS 246.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 760.1K

$522 ARS 806.8K

-5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ARS 430.5K

$335 ARS 517.7K

-16.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ARS 1.4M

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

-11.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 ARS 1.2M

$819 ARS 1.3M

-5.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

$1,264 ARS 2.0M

-20.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

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: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Luis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$279 24%

San Luis

$335 29% 20.2% $56

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8%

San Luis

$163 14.1% 40.9% $113

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1%

San Luis

$272 23.5% 1.6% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1%

San Luis

$81 7% 42.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8%

San Luis

$257 22.2% 87.7% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4%

San Luis

$43 3.7% 16.3% $8.3

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

San Luis

$8.1 * 0.7% 25.6% $2.8

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 $522 in San Luis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80 in Mar del Plata vs $50 in San Luis. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $272, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

204,019

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata San Luis 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
San Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,742 in Mar del Plata and $1,737 in San Luis 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $492 in Mar del Plata versus $522 in San Luis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $257 in Mar del Plata versus $177 in San Luis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Luis – a meal for two runs $50 versus $80 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though San Luis 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 San Luis are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.