Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Santa Fe

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,077 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. The total is higher in Mar del Plata despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
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Santa Fe Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,077

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Santa Fe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $1,077 in Santa Fe.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Santa Fe $1,077

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $1,662 in Santa Fe.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Santa Fe $1,662

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,247 in Santa Fe.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Santa Fe $2,247

Living in Mar del Plata is roughly 6% more expensive than in Santa Fe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Santa Fe 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$10.16 ARS 15.6K

93.31%

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

$12.35 ARS 19.0K

-6.23%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$1.72 ARS 2,644

89.53%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$1.48 ARS 2,274

75.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.34 ARS 2,054

51.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$3.47 ARS 5,337

-1.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$5.03 ARS 7,738

-28.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.01 ARS 1,561

21.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$1.56 ARS 2,399

42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$1.02 ARS 1,575

178.43%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$1.54 ARS 2,375

111.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$8.17 ARS 12.6K

51.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$6.04 ARS 9,287

27.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$10.32 ARS 15.9K

12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$2.00 ARS 3,073

54.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$1.51 ARS 2,325

59.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$0.87 ARS 1,344

120.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.51 ARS 3,854

3.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$0.58 ARS 895

27.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$0.68 ARS 1,047

14.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ARS 1,631

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$1.07 ARS 1,644

-35.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$3.17 ARS 4,875

11.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$4.84 ARS 7,440

-14.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$1.26 ARS 1,940

80.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$2.13 ARS 3,280

145.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$1.07 ARS 1,640

22.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$0.98 ARS 1,505

44.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

$0.98 ARS 1,509

-18.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.15 ARS 1,770

20.00%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$19.8K ARS 30.5M

57.49%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$29.7K ARS 45.7M

53.78%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$59.6 ARS 91.7K

80.37%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$19.80 ARS 30.5K

-46.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$21.28 ARS 32.7K

10.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$33.94 ARS 52.2K

-7.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$19.38 ARS 29.8K

66.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$4.91 ARS 7,550

100.00%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$260 ARS 400.2K

-2.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,522 ARS 7.0M

28.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$86.8 ARS 133.6K

5.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

14.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$115 ARS 176.2K

-4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$142 ARS 218.3K

-61.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$505 ARS 776.9K

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$365 ARS 561.9K

-31.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$936 ARS 1.4M

-12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$595 ARS 915.2K

43.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,271 ARS 2.0M

-18.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

$854 ARS 1.3M

23.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

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 Santa Fe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Santa Fe

$178 16.5% 35.1% $96

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Santa Fe

$197 18.3% 24.8% $65

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Santa Fe

$365 33.9% 45.7% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Santa Fe

$182 16.9% 24% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Santa Fe

$101 9.4% 28.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Santa Fe

$44 4.1% 14.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9% 4.8% $0.5

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 $489 in Mar del Plata and $505 in Santa Fe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 24% 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 Santa Fe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $197 per month, with Santa Fe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

391,164

💱 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 Santa Fe 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Santa Fe

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 Santa Fe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Fe wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Fe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% 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 $505 in Santa Fe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% 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 $1,077 in Santa Fe – Santa Fe is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Fe 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.