Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Argentina and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $897 a month against $1,161 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$897

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in San Juan versus $1,161 in Mar del Plata.

San Juan $897
Mar del Plata $1,161

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in San Juan versus $2,072 in Mar del Plata.

San Juan $1,400
Mar del Plata $2,072

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in San Juan versus $2,983 in Mar del Plata.

San Juan $1,903
Mar del Plata $2,983

Living in San Juan costs roughly 23% less than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Juan 34% lower, Mar del Plata 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 ARS 11.0K

$19.87 ARS 30.7K

-64.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.57 ARS 61.1K

$80.5 ARS 124.3K

-50.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.27 ARS 19.0K

$11.63 ARS 18.0K

5.50%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ARS 3,906

$3.28 ARS 5,066

-22.87%

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

$2.08 ARS 3,219

$2.47 ARS 3,817

-15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ARS 2,730

$2.02 ARS 3,125

-12.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 ARS 6,222

$3.58 ARS 5,538

12.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 7,113

$3.43 ARS 5,298

34.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,079

$1.22 ARS 1,885

10.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ARS 2,215

$2.27 ARS 3,500

-37.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$2.76 ARS 4,270

-48.19%

Eggs

$1.38 ARS 2,131

$3.95 ARS 6,099

-65.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.78 ARS 4,288

$12.52 ARS 19.3K

-77.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,377

$8.35 ARS 12.9K

-27.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ARS 17.0K

$11.47 ARS 17.7K

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$3.03 ARS 4,684

-52.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ARS 2,217

$2.34 ARS 3,623

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,082

$1.94 ARS 2,992

-30.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,250

$2.58 ARS 3,979

-43.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,252

$0.73 ARS 1,133

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,160

$0.73 ARS 1,131

91.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ARS 2,151

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ARS 2,145

$0.69 ARS 1,065

101.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ARS 4,144

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 ARS 7,652

$4.25 ARS 6,569

16.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ARS 2,152

$2.33 ARS 3,604

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,257

$5.17 ARS 7,983

-71.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,600

$1.35 ARS 2,089

-22.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ARS 3,172

$1.49 ARS 2,302

37.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,529

$0.79 ARS 1,219

25.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 ARS 7,395

$6.32 ARS 9,769

-24.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ARS 1,731

$1.46 ARS 2,254

-23.29%

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

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

$31.9K ARS 49.3M

-13.85%

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

$33.5K ARS 51.8M

$45.2K ARS 69.9M

-25.86%

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

$144 ARS 222.4K

$106 ARS 164.1K

35.52%

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

$9.81 ARS 15.2K

$10.59 ARS 16.4K

-7.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.69 ARS 27.3K

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

-24.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.49 ARS 47.1K

$31.16 ARS 48.1K

-2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.29 ARS 49.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 ARS 11.1K

$9.84 ARS 15.2K

-26.73%

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

$175 ARS 270.6K

$257 ARS 396.7K

-31.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,103 ARS 6.3M

$5,698 ARS 8.8M

-27.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 ARS 167.9K

$125 ARS 192.8K

-12.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 ARS 66.5K

$70.8 ARS 109.4K

-39.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ARS 89.3K

$108 ARS 167.0K

-46.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.56 ARS 54.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ARS 390.6K

$492 ARS 760.4K

-48.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ARS 311.8K

$279 ARS 430.7K

-27.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 ARS 767.3K

$932 ARS 1.4M

-46.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ARS 628.0K

$777 ARS 1.2M

-47.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 ARS 1.1M

$1,336 ARS 2.1M

-48.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for San Juan: 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

San Juan

$202 22.5%

Mar del Plata

$279 24% 38.1% $77

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$188 21%

Mar del Plata

$268 * 23.1% 42.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$171 19.1%

Mar del Plata

$140 12.1% 18.1% $31

Eating Out

San Juan

$169 18.8%

Mar del Plata

$276 23.8% 63.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Mar del Plata

$137 * 11.8% 23.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$45 5%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.4% 13.2% $5.9

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 2.7% $0.3

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 $253 in San Juan and $492 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mar del Plata pays 93% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in San Juan vs $80 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $268 per month, with San Juan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Mar del Plata 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

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

San Juan wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Juan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in San Juan. 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 San Juan versus $492 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Mar del Plata. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $897 per month in San Juan versus $1,161 in Mar del Plata – San Juan is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. San Juan 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, San Juan and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – San Juan 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.