Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paso de los Libres and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,133 a month against $1,268 in Paso de los Libres, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Paso de los Libres
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,268
/mo nomad
Mar del Plata
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,133
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,268 in Paso de los Libres versus $1,133 in Mar del Plata.

  • Paso de los Libres $1,268
  • Mar del Plata $1,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,121 in Paso de los Libres versus $2,097 in Mar del Plata.

  • Paso de los Libres $2,121
  • Mar del Plata $2,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,974 in Paso de los Libres versus $3,062 in Mar del Plata.

  • Paso de los Libres $2,974
  • Mar del Plata $3,062

Living in Paso de los Libres 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: Paso de los Libres 6% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.10 ARS 24.4K
$19.50 ARS 29.6K
-17.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.5 ARS 87.3K
$77.9 ARS 118.2K
-26.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.84 ARS 19.5K
$11.89 ARS 18.0K
7.99%
Cappuccino
$3.71 ARS 5,630
$3.25 ARS 4,931
14.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 ARS 3,370
$2.52 ARS 3,817
-11.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 ARS 2,945
$1.97 ARS 2,984
-1.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.83 ARS 5,816
$3.57 ARS 5,411
7.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.00 ARS 6,075
$3.43 ARS 5,199
16.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 ARS 2,113
$1.18 ARS 1,794
17.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.26 ARS 3,434
$2.17 ARS 3,297
4.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.90 ARS 2,890
$2.74 ARS 4,157
-30.66%
Eggs
$2.73 ARS 4,138
$3.16 ARS 4,794
-13.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
$12.65 ARS 19.2K
-18.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.81 ARS 11.8K
$7.78 ARS 11.8K
0.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.58 ARS 17.6K
$11.60 ARS 17.6K
-0.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ARS 3,624
$3.02 ARS 4,577
-20.86%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ARS 3,313
$2.43 ARS 3,684
-10.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ARS 2,389
$1.91 ARS 2,901
-17.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.66 ARS 4,033
$2.58 ARS 3,919
3.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 ARS 1,669
$0.74 ARS 1,129
48.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.02 ARS 1,546
$0.79 ARS 1,192
29.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ARS 2,610
$0.69 ARS 1,047
149.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.48 ARS 5,276
$3.45 ARS 5,230
0.87%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.94 ARS 7,491
$4.15 ARS 6,301
19.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 ARS 2,950
$2.25 ARS 3,419
-13.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 ARS 5,152
$5.39 ARS 8,178
-36.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 ARS 1,570
$1.34 ARS 2,030
-23.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.50 ARS 2,271
$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)
$1.23 ARS 1,861
$1.39 ARS 2,112
-11.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.3K ARS 42.9M
$31.1K ARS 47.2M
-9.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K ARS 52.2M
$46.0K ARS 69.8M
-25.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$124 ARS 188.0K
$107 ARS 163.1K
15.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.51 ARS 26.6K
$10.53 ARS 16.0K
66.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.29 ARS 39.9K
$23.64 ARS 35.9K
11.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.47 ARS 47.8K
$30.63 ARS 46.5K
2.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$33.34 ARS 50.6K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.48 ARS 14.4K
$10.12 ARS 15.4K
-6.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$278 ARS 422.5K
$256 ARS 388.0K
8.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,884 ARS 7.4M
$5,841 ARS 8.9M
-16.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 ARS 163.9K
$92.4 ARS 140.2K
16.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$93.7 ARS 142.3K
$70.4 ARS 106.8K
33.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ARS 173.3K
$111 ARS 168.3K
2.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$134 ARS 203.9K
$53.9 ARS 81.8K
149.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$510 ARS 774.7K
$487 ARS 738.3K
4.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$329 ARS 499.2K
$247 ARS 375.0K
33.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 ARS 1.5M
$799 ARS 1.2M
20.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$826 ARS 1.3M
$865 ARS 1.3M
-4.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,017 ARS 1.5M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Paso de los Libres
Mar del Plata
Difference
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 Paso de los Libres: October 20, 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
Paso de los Libres
$329
Mar del Plata
$247 24.9% $82
Groceries & Markets
Paso de los Libres
$257 *
Mar del Plata
$261 * 1.8% $4.7
Eating Out
Paso de los Libres
$256
Mar del Plata
$273 6.9% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Paso de los Libres
$203
Mar del Plata
$147 27.2% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Paso de los Libres
$168
Mar del Plata
$142 15.5% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Paso de los Libres
$50
Mar del Plata
$51 0.9% $0.4
Getting Around
Paso de los Libres
$5.6 *
Mar del Plata
$11 * 93.6% $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 $510 in Paso de los Libres and $487 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $58.0 in Paso de los Libres vs $78.0 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $261 per month, with Paso de los Libres cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇷 Paso de los Libres
🇦🇷 Mar del Plata
🕒 Local time
10:23 10:23 AM
10:23 10:23 AM
Same time as Paso de los Libres
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,251
593,337
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Paso de los Libres Mar del Plata 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Paso de los Libres
  • 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
Paso de los Libres vs Mar del Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Paso de los Libres or Mar del Plata?
Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Paso de los Libres. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Paso de los Libres and in Mar del Plata?
You'd need roughly $1,902 in Paso de los Libres 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Paso de los Libres compared to Mar del Plata?
Rent for a central apartment: $510 in Paso de los Libres versus $487 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Paso de los Libres or in Mar del Plata?
Shoppers in Paso de los Libres pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How much does it cost to live in Paso de los Libres compared to Mar del Plata?
All in, you'll spend $1,268 per month in Paso de los Libres versus $1,133 in Mar del Plata – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Paso de los Libres or in Mar del Plata?
At $1,133 in Mar del Plata versus $1,268 in Paso de los Libres, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mar del Plata but tight or insufficient in Paso de los Libres. The gap between the two cities makes Mar del Plata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Paso de los Libres or Mar del Plata?
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.
How safe is Paso de los Libres compared to Mar del Plata?
Safety-wise, Paso de los Libres 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Mar del Plata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Paso de los Libres. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Paso de los Libres vs other spots: cost of living compared

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