Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Ushuaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $960 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
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Mar del Plata Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
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Ushuaia Living Index

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Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Ushuaia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in Mar del Plata versus $960 in Ushuaia.

Mar del Plata $1,137
Ushuaia $960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,096 in Mar del Plata versus $1,575 in Ushuaia.

Mar del Plata $2,096
Ushuaia $1,575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,055 in Mar del Plata versus $2,190 in Ushuaia.

Mar del Plata $3,055
Ushuaia $2,190

Living in Mar del Plata is roughly 18% more expensive than in Ushuaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 16% lower, Ushuaia 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

$10.44 ARS 16.1K

88.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

$33.71 ARS 51.8K

131.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

$9.19 ARS 14.1K

26.01%

Cappuccino

$3.26 ARS 5,010

$2.68 ARS 4,119

21.64%

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

$2.60 ARS 3,999

$1.73 ARS 2,655

50.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,117

$1.55 ARS 2,389

30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 ARS 5,251

$2.06 ARS 3,170

65.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ARS 5,531

$2.94 ARS 4,522

22.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,888

$1.26 ARS 1,936

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ARS 3,419

$1.62 ARS 2,485

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,374

$2.02 ARS 3,106

40.59%

Eggs

$3.25 ARS 5,007

$2.24 ARS 3,449

45.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

$10.03 ARS 15.4K

23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

$6.35 ARS 9,762

21.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

$9.09 ARS 14.0K

27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 ARS 4,738

$1.96 ARS 3,012

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ARS 3,708

$2.15 ARS 3,311

12.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ARS 2,955

$1.27 ARS 1,954

51.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,005

$2.60 ARS 3,993

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ARS 1,138

$1.14 ARS 1,758

-35.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 ARS 1,197

$1.19 ARS 1,830

-34.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ARS 1,941

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,059

$1.44 ARS 2,216

-52.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 ARS 5,468

$3.20 ARS 4,921

10.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 ARS 6,400

$5.02 ARS 7,727

-17.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ARS 3,505

$2.04 ARS 3,140

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 ARS 8,042

$3.05 ARS 4,699

71.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ARS 2,010

$0.77 ARS 1,180

70.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ARS 2,180

$1.54 ARS 2,374

-7.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

$0.92 ARS 1,416

-13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

$6.15 ARS 9,463

1.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,124

$1.10 ARS 1,686

25.45%

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

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

$27.8K ARS 42.8M

12.25%

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

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

$30.3K ARS 46.6M

51.01%

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

$107 ARS 165.3K

$66.4 ARS 102.1K

61.89%

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

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

$17.26 ARS 26.6K

-38.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

$22.37 ARS 34.4K

5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

$26.18 ARS 40.3K

20.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

$14.02 ARS 21.6K

130.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

$6.27 ARS 9,638

56.62%

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

$254 ARS 390.4K

$222 ARS 341.6K

14.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

$2,648 ARS 4.1M

120.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

$73.6 ARS 113.2K

23.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

$68.9 ARS 106.0K

1.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ARS 168.4K

$116 ARS 179.1K

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

$111 ARS 171.5K

-50.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ARS 752.5K

$336 ARS 517.1K

45.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ARS 385.6K

$237 ARS 364.5K

5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$673 ARS 1.0M

22.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$857 ARS 1.3M

$543 ARS 835.5K

57.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 ARS 2.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

$1,281 ARS 2.0M

-18.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

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 Ushuaia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1%

Ushuaia

$173 18% 37% $101

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1%

Ushuaia

$230 24% 12.2% $32

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1%

Ushuaia

$237 24.7% 5.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9%

Ushuaia

$167 17.4% 13.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5%

Ushuaia

$106 11% 25.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5%

Ushuaia

$39 4% 24.3% $12

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Ushuaia

$9.2 * 1% 13.5% $1.4

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 $336 in Ushuaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $78 in Mar del Plata vs $34 in Ushuaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $230 per month, with Ushuaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

79,538

💱 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 Ushuaia 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Ushuaia

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 Ushuaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ushuaia wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ushuaia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,705 in Mar del Plata and $1,440 in Ushuaia 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 $336 in Ushuaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% 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 $960 in Ushuaia – Ushuaia is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Ushuaia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.