Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendoza and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,081 a month against $1,387 in Mendoza, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Mendoza
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Mendoza Living Index
53

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

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Mendoza

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,387

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mendoza 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 Mendoza and in Mar del Plata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,387 in Mendoza versus $1,081 in Mar del Plata.

Mendoza $1,387
Mar del Plata $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,185 in Mendoza versus $2,026 in Mar del Plata.

Mendoza $2,185
Mar del Plata $2,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,984 in Mendoza versus $2,971 in Mar del Plata.

Mendoza $2,984
Mar del Plata $2,971

Living in Mendoza is roughly 28% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mendoza is 3% above, Mar del Plata is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ARS 16.7K

$20.07 ARS 30.5K

-45.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.80 ARS 75.6K

$79.4 ARS 120.5K

-37.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.36 ARS 21.8K

$11.55 ARS 17.5K

24.33%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ARS 6,896

$3.26 ARS 4,947

39.26%

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

$2.32 ARS 3,517

$2.60 ARS 3,939

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ARS 2,949

$1.95 ARS 2,955

-0.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 ARS 6,191

$3.47 ARS 5,265

17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ARS 6,775

$3.43 ARS 5,202

30.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,102

$1.22 ARS 1,853

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ARS 3,358

$2.15 ARS 3,257

2.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,034

$2.79 ARS 4,231

-4.66%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,836

$3.16 ARS 4,796

0.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

$7.75 ARS 11.8K

89.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,447

$7.50 ARS 11.4K

-16.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ARS 16.8K

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

-4.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ARS 3,478

$2.96 ARS 4,491

-22.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,386

$2.39 ARS 3,624

-6.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,036

$1.94 ARS 2,950

-30.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 ARS 4,974

$2.66 ARS 4,043

23.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,067

$0.74 ARS 1,128

172.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,268

$0.80 ARS 1,211

86.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ARS 3,074

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ARS 3,743

$0.63 ARS 962

292.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ARS 4,275

$3.52 ARS 5,342

-19.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 ARS 7,712

$4.20 ARS 6,375

20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,608

$2.36 ARS 3,582

-27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ARS 4,583

$5.23 ARS 7,944

-42.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,486

$1.36 ARS 2,062

-27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ARS 29.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ARS 3,059

$1.44 ARS 2,188

40.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$0.87 ARS 1,318

13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.82 ARS 7,318

$6.43 ARS 9,764

-25.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,897

$1.29 ARS 1,963

-3.10%

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

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

$31.4K ARS 47.6M

-12.03%

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

$33.0K ARS 50.1M

$45.8K ARS 69.4M

-27.81%

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

$144 ARS 218.4K

$106 ARS 160.4K

36.17%

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

$17.72 ARS 26.9K

$6.49 ARS 9,850

173.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.92 ARS 36.3K

$23.16 ARS 35.1K

3.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.32 ARS 49.0K

$31.15 ARS 47.3K

3.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 ARS 27.4K

$32.91 ARS 49.9K

-45.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 ARS 10.8K

$9.83 ARS 14.9K

-27.77%

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

$176 ARS 266.3K

$252 ARS 382.3K

-30.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,178 ARS 6.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 ARS 192.2K

$90.2 ARS 136.9K

40.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$141 ARS 214.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 217.9K

$107 ARS 162.6K

34.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ARS 238.0K

$54.5 ARS 82.8K

187.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 ARS 838.5K

$337 ARS 510.8K

64.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ARS 531.6K

$248 ARS 375.9K

41.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$993 ARS 1.5M

$798 ARS 1.2M

24.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 ARS 1.0M

$882 ARS 1.3M

-22.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 ARS 2.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 ARS 1.7M

$1,043 ARS 1.6M

9.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$766 ARS 1.2M

$1,058 ARS 1.6M

-27.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Mendoza: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendoza

$350 25.3%

Mar del Plata

$248 22.9% 29.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Mendoza

$286 20.6%

Mar del Plata

$245 * 22.7% 14.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mendoza

$256 18.4%

Mar del Plata

$113 * 10.5% 55.7% $142

Eating Out

Mendoza

$232 16.7%

Mar del Plata

$277 25.6% 19.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendoza

$186 13.4%

Mar del Plata

$135 12.5% 27.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mendoza

$47 3.4%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.7% 9.3% $4.3

Getting Around

Mendoza

$31 2.2%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1% 63.3% $19

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 $553 in Mendoza and $337 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mendoza vs $79.0 in Mar del Plata. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $245, with Mar del Plata cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Mendoza

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

Same time as Mendoza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

937,154

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mendoza Mar del Plata 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mendoza
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Mendoza. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Mar del Plata. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $553 in Mendoza versus $337 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Mendoza. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,387 per month in Mendoza versus $1,081 in Mar del Plata – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,081 in Mar del Plata versus $1,387 in Mendoza, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Mendoza. 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 $1,081 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mar del Plata hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mendoza 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 28% less than in Mendoza. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.