Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pilar and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,248 in Pilar, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Pilar
Learn more

Pilar Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index

Jump to prices

Pilar

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,248

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,248 in Pilar versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Pilar $1,248
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,153 in Pilar versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Pilar $2,153
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,058 in Pilar versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Pilar $3,058
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Pilar is roughly 10% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pilar 8% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.36 ARS 28.2K

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

-6.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ARS 93.2K

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

-22.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.02 ARS 20.0K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

12.44%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ARS 5,766

$3.26 ARS 5,010

15.03%

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

$2.07 ARS 3,181

$2.60 ARS 3,999

-20.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,469

$2.03 ARS 3,117

-21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.04 ARS 6,221

$3.41 ARS 5,251

18.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 ARS 7,229

$3.60 ARS 5,531

30.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,320

$1.23 ARS 1,888

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 ARS 3,939

$2.22 ARS 3,419

15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,334

$2.84 ARS 4,374

-46.48%

Eggs

$2.31 ARS 3,549

$3.25 ARS 5,007

-28.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 ARS 17.0K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

-10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ARS 4,487

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

-62.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 ARS 15.5K

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

-12.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,315

$3.08 ARS 4,738

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 ARS 3,197

$2.41 ARS 3,708

-13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 ARS 2,165

$1.92 ARS 2,955

-26.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,062

$2.60 ARS 4,005

-23.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ARS 1,874

$0.74 ARS 1,138

64.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 ARS 1,787

$0.78 ARS 1,197

48.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 ARS 2,479

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ARS 2,743

$0.69 ARS 1,059

157.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ARS 6,459

$3.55 ARS 5,468

18.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 ARS 8,816

$4.16 ARS 6,400

37.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ARS 3,122

$2.28 ARS 3,505

-10.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ARS 4,312

$5.23 ARS 8,042

-46.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ARS 1,442

$1.31 ARS 2,010

-28.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,502

$1.42 ARS 2,180

14.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,583

$0.80 ARS 1,235

28.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 ARS 12.6K

$6.26 ARS 9,631

30.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ARS 1,650

$1.38 ARS 2,124

-22.46%

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

$23.6K ARS 36.3M

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

-24.38%

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

$31.7K ARS 48.7M

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

-30.73%

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

$63.3 ARS 97.3K

$107 ARS 165.3K

-41.13%

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

$9.81 ARS 15.1K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

-7.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.66 ARS 30.2K

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

-16.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.40 ARS 48.3K

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

-0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.18 ARS 28.0K

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

-43.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 ARS 16.7K

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

10.79%

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

$239 ARS 367.0K

$254 ARS 390.4K

-6.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,171 ARS 6.4M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-28.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 ARS 182.9K

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

30.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.2 ARS 146.4K

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

36.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 176.2K

$109 ARS 168.4K

4.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 215.1K

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

152.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 799.4K

$489 ARS 752.5K

6.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 ARS 567.2K

$251 ARS 385.6K

47.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 ARS 1.6M

$823 ARS 1.3M

27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 ARS 1.4M

$857 ARS 1.3M

9.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,276 ARS 2.0M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

22.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ARS 1.5M

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

-6.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

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

Last update for Pilar: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pilar

$369 29.5%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 32% $118

Eating Out

Pilar

$275 22.1%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 0.5% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Pilar

$237 19%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 10.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Pilar

$211 16.9%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 30.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pilar

$93 7.4%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 52.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Pilar

$53 4.3%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 3.8% $2

Getting Around

Pilar

$11 * 0.8%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 1.3% $0.1

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 $520 in Pilar and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Pilar vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $262 per month, with Pilar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Pilar

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Pilar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,120

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.5 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pilar Mar del Plata 410 km

From you

Pilar
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Pilar. 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 7% lower in Pilar. 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: $520 in Pilar versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pilar pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,248 per month in Pilar versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – 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, Pilar and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.