Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rosario and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Rosario: $942 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Rosario
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Rosario Living Index
55

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

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Rosario

🇦🇷 Argentina

$942

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $942 in Rosario versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Rosario $942
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in Rosario versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Rosario $1,654
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,366 in Rosario versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Rosario $2,366
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Rosario costs roughly 17% less than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rosario 31% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ARS 15.2K

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

-49.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.08 ARS 58.6K

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

-51.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 ARS 17.6K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

-1.21%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ARS 4,555

$3.26 ARS 5,010

-9.20%

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

$1.78 ARS 2,735

$2.60 ARS 3,999

-31.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,613

$2.03 ARS 3,117

-16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ARS 6,171

$3.41 ARS 5,251

17.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ARS 3,530

$3.60 ARS 5,531

-36.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 ARS 1,953

$1.23 ARS 1,888

3.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ARS 2,527

$2.22 ARS 3,419

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 ARS 2,442

$2.84 ARS 4,374

-44.01%

Eggs

$2.28 ARS 3,500

$3.25 ARS 5,007

-29.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 ARS 13.0K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

-31.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ARS 9,068

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

-23.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.57 ARS 16.3K

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

-8.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,979

$3.08 ARS 4,738

-37.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,416

$2.41 ARS 3,708

-34.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ARS 1,630

$1.92 ARS 2,955

-44.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ARS 3,195

$2.60 ARS 4,005

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,505

$0.74 ARS 1,138

32.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ARS 1,062

$0.78 ARS 1,197

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 ARS 2,341

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,656

$0.69 ARS 1,059

150.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ARS 5,111

$3.55 ARS 5,468

-6.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.71 ARS 7,251

$4.16 ARS 6,400

13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ARS 1,870

$2.28 ARS 3,505

-46.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ARS 4,180

$5.23 ARS 8,042

-47.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ARS 1,554

$1.31 ARS 2,010

-22.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ARS 2,438

$1.42 ARS 2,180

11.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ARS 1,559

$0.80 ARS 1,235

26.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.1K

$6.26 ARS 9,631

26.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,686

$1.38 ARS 2,124

-20.29%

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

$23.9K ARS 36.8M

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

-23.35%

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

$29.7K ARS 45.6M

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

-35.08%

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

$60.9 ARS 93.7K

$107 ARS 165.3K

-43.31%

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

$20.06 ARS 30.9K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

89.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.30 ARS 42.0K

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

15.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.57 ARS 45.5K

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

-6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.98 ARS 33.8K

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

-31.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 ARS 7,583

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-49.80%

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

$240 ARS 369.6K

$254 ARS 390.4K

-5.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,274 ARS 6.6M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-26.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 ARS 140.9K

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.1 ARS 90.9K

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

-15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 176.0K

$109 ARS 168.4K

4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 ARS 209.5K

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

146.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ARS 389.6K

$489 ARS 752.5K

-48.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ARS 305.5K

$251 ARS 385.6K

-20.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 ARS 1.1M

$823 ARS 1.3M

-11.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ARS 1.0M

$857 ARS 1.3M

-23.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,047 ARS 3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,380 ARS 2.1M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

32.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$686 ARS 1.1M

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

-35.03%

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 Rosario: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Rosario

$217 23%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 20.9% $45

Accommodation & Living

Rosario

$199 21.1%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 26.2% $52

Eating Out

Rosario

$188 19.9%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 45.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Rosario

$181 19.2%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 18.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rosario

$108 11.5%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 30.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Rosario

$39 4.2%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 29.7% $12

Getting Around

Rosario

$11 * 1.1%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 0.3% $0

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 $253 in Rosario and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $38 in Rosario vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $262 per month, with Rosario cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Rosario

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Rosario

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,029,619

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

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Highest

Between locations

Rosario Mar del Plata 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rosario
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

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

Rosario wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rosario the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Rosario. 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: $253 in Rosario versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Mar del Plata. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $942 per month in Rosario versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Rosario 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.

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