Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Santiago del Estero

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,250 in Santiago del Estero, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Santiago del Estero
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Santiago del Estero Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Santiago del Estero

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Santiago del Estero

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 Santiago del Estero actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $1,250 in Santiago del Estero.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Santiago del Estero $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $2,041 in Santiago del Estero.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Santiago del Estero $2,041

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,831 in Santiago del Estero.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Santiago del Estero $2,831

Living in Mar del Plata costs roughly 9% less than in Santiago del Estero, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Santiago del Estero 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.3K

$15.19 ARS 23.4K

29.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.3K

$58.3 ARS 89.9K

33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$12.14 ARS 18.7K

-4.61%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,021

$4.25 ARS 6,552

-23.29%

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

$2.60 ARS 4,008

$2.24 ARS 3,447

16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,123

$2.01 ARS 3,099

1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,262

$4.23 ARS 6,525

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,542

$4.24 ARS 6,531

-15.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,892

$1.39 ARS 2,147

-11.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,426

$1.93 ARS 2,976

15.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,383

$1.79 ARS 2,767

58.66%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,017

$2.72 ARS 4,198

19.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$13.15 ARS 20.3K

-5.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$8.50 ARS 13.1K

-9.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.9K

$11.08 ARS 17.1K

4.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,748

$2.20 ARS 3,397

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,716

$2.44 ARS 3,759

-1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,961

$1.33 ARS 2,052

44.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,014

$2.68 ARS 4,127

-2.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,140

$1.14 ARS 1,756

-35.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,200

$0.99 ARS 1,523

-21.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,061

$1.40 ARS 2,153

-50.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,479

$3.03 ARS 4,671

17.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,414

$5.16 ARS 7,955

-19.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,513

$2.01 ARS 3,099

13.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,059

$2.94 ARS 4,527

77.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,014

$0.86 ARS 1,318

52.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,185

$1.29 ARS 1,982

10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,238

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,651

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,128

$1.37 ARS 2,117

0.73%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.1M

$25.4K ARS 39.1M

22.98%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.5M

$28.4K ARS 43.8M

60.84%

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

$107 ARS 165.7K

$112 ARS 172.3K

-3.86%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$16.69 ARS 25.7K

-36.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.3K

$27.28 ARS 42.0K

-13.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.5K

$30.77 ARS 47.4K

2.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.8K

$20.24 ARS 31.2K

59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$8.02 ARS 12.4K

22.44%

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

$254 ARS 391.2K

$211 ARS 325.5K

20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$4,592 ARS 7.1M

27.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.6K

$118 ARS 181.3K

-22.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.8K

$84.8 ARS 130.7K

-17.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.8K

$103 ARS 159.3K

5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.3K

$107 ARS 165.2K

-48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 754.1K

$520 ARS 802.0K

-5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 386.5K

$342 ARS 527.9K

-26.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$1,033 ARS 1.6M

-20.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$713 ARS 1.1M

20.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,266 ARS 2.0M

-17.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

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 Santiago del Estero: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Santiago del Estero

$256 20.4% 6.6% $18

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Santiago del Estero

$259 * 20.7% 1.1% $3

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Santiago del Estero

$342 27.4% 36.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Santiago del Estero

$186 14.9% 26.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Santiago del Estero

$156 12.5% 10% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Santiago del Estero

$47 3.7% 8.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Santiago del Estero

$4.7 * 0.4% 55.8% $6

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 $520 in Santiago del Estero. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $58 in Santiago del Estero for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $259 per month, with Santiago del Estero cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Santiago del Estero

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

252,192

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mar del Plata Santiago del Estero 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Santiago del Estero

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 Santiago del Estero: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Santiago del Estero. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,705 in Mar del Plata and $1,876 in Santiago del Estero 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: $489 in Mar del Plata versus $520 in Santiago del Estero. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,137 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,250 in Santiago del Estero – Mar del Plata is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago del Estero – a meal for two runs $58 versus $78 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Mar del Plata 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 Santiago del Estero are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.