Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Neuquen and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,133 a month against $1,265 in Neuquen, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Neuquen
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Neuquen Living Index
55

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

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Neuquen

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,265

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Neuquen versus $1,133 in Mar del Plata.

Neuquen $1,265
Mar del Plata $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,119 in Neuquen versus $2,097 in Mar del Plata.

Neuquen $2,119
Mar del Plata $2,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,972 in Neuquen versus $3,062 in Mar del Plata.

Neuquen $2,972
Mar del Plata $3,062

Living in Neuquen is roughly 12% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Neuquen 7% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 ARS 24.6K

$19.50 ARS 29.6K

-16.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.9 ARS 86.4K

$77.9 ARS 118.2K

-26.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.09 ARS 19.9K

$11.89 ARS 18.0K

10.09%

Cappuccino

$3.81 ARS 5,781

$3.25 ARS 4,931

17.23%

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

$2.23 ARS 3,381

$2.52 ARS 3,817

-11.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ARS 2,854

$1.97 ARS 2,984

-4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,833

$3.57 ARS 5,411

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 ARS 6,344

$3.43 ARS 5,199

21.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,046

$1.18 ARS 1,794

14.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 ARS 3,357

$2.17 ARS 3,297

1.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ARS 2,858

$2.74 ARS 4,157

-31.39%

Eggs

$2.81 ARS 4,263

$3.16 ARS 4,794

-11.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$12.65 ARS 19.2K

-17.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 ARS 11.8K

$7.78 ARS 11.8K

-0.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.44 ARS 17.4K

$11.60 ARS 17.6K

-1.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ARS 3,643

$3.02 ARS 4,577

-20.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,332

$2.43 ARS 3,684

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ARS 2,288

$1.91 ARS 2,901

-20.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 ARS 4,025

$2.58 ARS 3,919

2.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 ARS 1,699

$0.74 ARS 1,129

51.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ARS 1,557

$0.79 ARS 1,192

30.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ARS 2,643

$0.69 ARS 1,047

152.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ARS 5,021

$3.45 ARS 5,230

-4.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 ARS 7,436

$4.15 ARS 6,301

18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,080

$2.25 ARS 3,419

-9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ARS 5,220

$5.39 ARS 8,178

-36.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ARS 1,531

$1.34 ARS 2,030

-24.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 ARS 2,282

$1.48 ARS 2,245

1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ARS 1,235

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,504

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ARS 1,788

$1.39 ARS 2,112

-15.11%

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

$28.2K ARS 42.8M

$31.1K ARS 47.2M

-9.37%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$46.0K ARS 69.8M

-24.97%

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

$124 ARS 188.1K

$107 ARS 163.1K

15.34%

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

$17.18 ARS 26.1K

$10.53 ARS 16.0K

63.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.58 ARS 38.8K

$23.64 ARS 35.9K

8.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.18 ARS 47.3K

$30.63 ARS 46.5K

1.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.34 ARS 50.6K

Cinema Ticket

$9.43 ARS 14.3K

$10.12 ARS 15.4K

-6.82%

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

$281 ARS 425.7K

$256 ARS 388.0K

9.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,560 ARS 8.4M

$5,841 ARS 8.9M

-4.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ARS 161.3K

$92.4 ARS 140.2K

15.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$90.5 ARS 137.3K

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

28.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 174.1K

$111 ARS 168.3K

3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.3K

$53.9 ARS 81.8K

158.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.3K

$487 ARS 738.3K

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ARS 493.6K

$247 ARS 375.0K

31.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 ARS 1.5M

$799 ARS 1.2M

24.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 ARS 1.3M

$865 ARS 1.3M

-4.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ARS 1.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,051 ARS 1.6M

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

Last update for Neuquen: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Neuquen

$325 25.7%

Mar del Plata

$247 21.8% 24% $78

Eating Out

Neuquen

$259 20.4%

Mar del Plata

$273 24.1% 5.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Neuquen

$256 * 20.3%

Mar del Plata

$261 * 23.1% 2% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Neuquen

$203 16%

Mar del Plata

$147 13% 27.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Neuquen

$167 13.2%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 15% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Neuquen

$50 4%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 1.7% $0.8

Getting Around

Neuquen

$5.5 * 0.4%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 1% 96.8% $5.4

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 $514 in Neuquen and $487 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Neuquen vs $78.0 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $261 per month, with Neuquen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Neuquen

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

Same time as Neuquen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

288,896

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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Neuquen Mar del Plata 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Neuquen
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Neuquen. 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 $1,898 in Neuquen and $1,699 in Mar del Plata 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: $514 in Neuquen versus $487 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Neuquen pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,265 per month in Neuquen versus $1,133 in Mar del Plata – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,133 in Mar del Plata versus $1,265 in Neuquen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Neuquen. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Neuquen 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 12% less than in Neuquen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.