Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,038 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

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

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Mar del Plata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,038 in Mar del Plata.

Medellin $1,589
Mar del Plata $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $1,787 in Mar del Plata.

Medellin $2,364
Mar del Plata $1,787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $2,536 in Mar del Plata.

Medellin $3,139
Mar del Plata $2,536

Living in Medellin is roughly 53% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Mar del Plata is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$19.74 ARS 29.9K

-59.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$60.3 ARS 91.4K

-22.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

-24.68%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.13 ARS 4,743

-7.03%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.51 ARS 3,813

-30.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$2.03 ARS 3,071

-34.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$4.06 ARS 6,151

-22.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.02 ARS 4,585

83.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.08 ARS 1,634

30.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$2.20 ARS 3,330

10.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$3.16 ARS 4,785

-48.42%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$2.36 ARS 3,575

19.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$5.86 ARS 8,885

65.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$6.65 ARS 10.1K

40.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$12.52 ARS 19.0K

7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$3.32 ARS 5,030

20.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$2.43 ARS 3,687

-39.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.48 ARS 2,242

43.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$2.05 ARS 3,115

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.01 ARS 1,532

60.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.60 ARS 5,463

6.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$2.94 ARS 4,457

345.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$1.29 ARS 1,954

-9.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$1.63 ARS 2,468

-22.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.64 ARS 967

220.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$6.40 ARS 9,707

28.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.36 ARS 2,064

-6.62%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$79.0 ARS 119.8K

105.30%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$8.23 ARS 12.5K

59.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$30.10 ARS 45.6K

-6.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$31.31 ARS 47.5K

41.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

-39.52%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$304 ARS 460.4K

151.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$87.7 ARS 133.1K

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$121 ARS 184.2K

8.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$54.8 ARS 83.1K

74.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$328 ARS 497.2K

213.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$253 ARS 383.9K

138.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$801 ARS 1.2M

124.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$654 ARS 992.3K

51.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$610 ARS 925.5K

2.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Mar del Plata

$253 24.7% 58.1% $351

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Mar del Plata

$198 * 19.3% 31.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Mar del Plata

$117 11.4% 42.3% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Mar del Plata

$119 * 11.6% 28.6% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Mar del Plata

$278 27% 66.8% $111

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Mar del Plata

$10 * 1% 89.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Mar del Plata

$51 5% 8.9% $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 $1,028 in Medellin and $328 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $60.0 in Mar del Plata. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $198, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

2 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

593,337

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mar del Plata 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mar del Plata

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

Medellin vs Mar del Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $328 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $1,038 in Mar del Plata – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,038 in Mar del Plata versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mar del Plata delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,038 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mar del Plata hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Mar del Plata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mar del Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.