Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,161 a month against $1,936 in Porto, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Porto
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Porto Living Index
55

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

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Porto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,936

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,936 in Porto versus $1,161 in Mar del Plata.

Porto $1,936
Mar del Plata $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,902 in Porto versus $2,072 in Mar del Plata.

Porto $2,902
Mar del Plata $2,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,869 in Porto versus $2,983 in Mar del Plata.

Porto $3,869
Mar del Plata $2,983

Living in Porto is roughly 67% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Porto is 43% above, Mar del Plata is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.53 €13.00

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

-26.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.37

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

-31.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €10.04

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

-3.53%

Cappuccino

$2.76 €2.47

$3.28 ARS 5,064

-15.85%

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

$2.22 €1.99

$2.47 ARS 3,816

-10.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.02 ARS 3,124

-35.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 €2.92

$3.58 ARS 5,536

-8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.11

$3.43 ARS 5,297

33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.22 ARS 1,884

-6.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.27 ARS 3,499

-23.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.76 ARS 4,269

-46.74%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.66

$3.95 ARS 6,097

3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 €10.41

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

-7.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.21

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

-16.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 €14.90

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

45.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$3.03 ARS 4,682

-27.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.34 ARS 3,622

-28.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.94 ARS 2,991

-2.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$2.58 ARS 3,978

-3.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.73 ARS 1,133

142.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$0.73 ARS 1,131

154.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.69 ARS 1,064

8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.04

Wine (Bottle)

$5.57 €4.99

$4.25 ARS 6,567

31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.33 ARS 3,603

-42.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 €2.39

$5.17 ARS 7,980

-48.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.35 ARS 2,088

17.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.07 €40.33

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.54

$1.49 ARS 2,302

165.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.79 ARS 1,219

3.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 €14.91

$6.32 ARS 9,765

163.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.46 ARS 2,253

48.63%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$31.9K ARS 49.2M

4.59%

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

$36.2K €32.4K

$45.2K ARS 69.8M

-19.84%

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

$163 €146

$106 ARS 164.0K

53.76%

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

$14.92 €13.35

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

40.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.60 €30.96

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

46.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.69 €39.09

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

40.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 €13.75

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

-52.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 €8.06

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

-8.43%

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

$557 €498

$257 ARS 396.5K

116.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

103.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.4

$125 ARS 192.7K

-16.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.84 €29.38

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

-53.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €83.9

$108 ARS 166.9K

-13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €91.7

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,186

$492 ARS 760.1K

169.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 €868

$279 ARS 430.5K

248.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 €2,037

$932 ARS 1.4M

144.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 €1,525

$777 ARS 1.2M

119.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,306 €4,748

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,540

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

293.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 €1,450

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

21.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.64

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

Last update for Porto: November 3, 2026

Last update for Mar del Plata: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Porto

$970 50.1%

Mar del Plata

$279 24% 71.3% $691

Groceries & Markets

Porto

$259 13.4%

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1% 3.2% $8.4

Eating Out

Porto

$223 11.5%

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8% 23.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto

$213 11%

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1% 34.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Porto

$150 7.8%

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8% 8.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Porto

$62 3.2%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4% 17.6% $11

Getting Around

Porto

$59 3.1%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 81.8% $49

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 $1,325 in Porto and $492 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Porto pays 21% 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: $55 in Porto vs $80 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $268 per month, with Porto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Porto

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

12:32 12:32 PM

3 h behind Porto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,828

593,337

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Porto Mar del Plata 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Porto. 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 21% higher in Porto, 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: $1,325 in Porto versus $492 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Porto pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,936 per month in Porto versus $1,161 in Mar del Plata – Mar del Plata is about 40% 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.

For families, Mar del Plata is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Porto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Porto and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Mar del Plata wins on affordability, Porto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.