Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mar del Plata and Villa María

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $1,270 in Villa María, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
Learn more

Villa María Living Index

Jump to prices

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mar del Plata and in Villa María

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Mar del Plata versus $1,270 in Villa María.

Mar del Plata $1,161
Villa María $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,072 in Mar del Plata versus $2,126 in Villa María.

Mar del Plata $2,072
Villa María $2,126

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Mar del Plata versus $2,982 in Villa María.

Mar del Plata $2,983
Villa María $2,982

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Mar del Plata 14% lower, Villa María 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.87 ARS 30.8K

$17.28 ARS 26.8K

14.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 ARS 124.8K

$57.6 ARS 89.3K

39.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

$12.91 ARS 20.0K

-9.91%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ARS 5,084

$3.79 ARS 5,875

-13.46%

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

$2.47 ARS 3,831

$2.25 ARS 3,486

9.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ARS 3,137

$1.95 ARS 3,024

3.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ARS 5,557

$3.66 ARS 5,673

-2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ARS 5,317

$4.01 ARS 6,212

-14.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,892

$1.34 ARS 2,072

-8.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ARS 3,513

$2.18 ARS 3,384

4.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ARS 4,285

$1.80 ARS 2,796

53.33%

Eggs

$3.95 ARS 6,121

$2.72 ARS 4,219

45.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ARS 19.4K

$11.75 ARS 18.2K

6.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

$7.80 ARS 12.1K

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 ARS 17.8K

$11.36 ARS 17.6K

0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 ARS 4,701

$2.45 ARS 3,795

23.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,636

$2.19 ARS 3,401

6.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 3,003

$1.49 ARS 2,315

30.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 ARS 3,993

$2.74 ARS 4,245

-5.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,137

$1.12 ARS 1,737

-34.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ARS 1,135

$0.95 ARS 1,471

-23.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ARS 1,069

$1.49 ARS 2,309

-53.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ARS 5,028

Wine (Bottle)

$4.25 ARS 6,592

$5.08 ARS 7,883

-16.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ARS 3,617

$2.14 ARS 3,324

8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 ARS 8,011

$3.41 ARS 5,280

51.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ARS 2,097

$1.02 ARS 1,576

32.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ARS 2,311

$1.47 ARS 2,274

1.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ARS 1,223

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.32 ARS 9,803

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,262

$1.17 ARS 1,821

24.79%

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

$31.9K ARS 49.4M

$25.3K ARS 39.2M

26.03%

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

$45.2K ARS 70.1M

$32.8K ARS 50.8M

37.95%

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

$106 ARS 164.7K

$126 ARS 195.2K

-15.65%

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

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

$17.16 ARS 26.6K

-38.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.56 ARS 36.5K

$23.88 ARS 37.0K

-1.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.16 ARS 48.3K

$31.02 ARS 48.1K

0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.29 ARS 50.1K

$20.35 ARS 31.6K

58.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 ARS 15.3K

$9.03 ARS 14.0K

8.97%

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

$257 ARS 398.1K

$234 ARS 362.4K

9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

$4,153 ARS 6.4M

37.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 193.5K

$114 ARS 176.4K

9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 ARS 109.8K

$82.2 ARS 127.5K

-13.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ARS 167.6K

$111 ARS 172.0K

-2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ARS 181.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 763.1K

$515 ARS 799.2K

-4.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ARS 432.2K

$335 ARS 519.3K

-16.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ARS 1.4M

$1,045 ARS 1.6M

-10.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 ARS 1.2M

$820 ARS 1.3M

-5.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

$1,266 ARS 2.0M

-20.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

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 Villa María: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mar del Plata

$279 24%

Villa María

$335 26.4% 20.1% $56

Eating Out

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8%

Villa María

$266 20.9% 3.8% $10

Groceries & Markets

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1%

Villa María

$257 * 20.3% 3.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1%

Villa María

$167 13.1% 19% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8%

Villa María

$191 15% 39.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4%

Villa María

$49 3.9% 3.5% $1.8

Getting Around

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9%

Villa María

$5.5 * 0.4% 49% $5.3

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 $515 in Villa María. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $80 in Mar del Plata vs $58 in Villa María for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $257 per month, with Villa María cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Villa María

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

Same time as Mar del Plata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,337

80,006

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.45 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mar del Plata Villa María 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mar del Plata
Villa María

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 Villa María: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Villa María. 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 $1,742 in Mar del Plata and $1,905 in Villa María 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 $515 in Villa María. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Villa María pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,161 per month in Mar del Plata versus $1,270 in Villa María – Mar del Plata is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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