Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Martin de los Andes and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in San Martin de los Andes
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San Martin de los Andes Living Index
55

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

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San Martin de los Andes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,264

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,264 in San Martin de los Andes versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

San Martin de los Andes $1,264
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,136 in San Martin de los Andes versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

San Martin de los Andes $2,136
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,007 in San Martin de los Andes versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

San Martin de los Andes $3,007
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in San Martin de los Andes is roughly 11% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: San Martin de los Andes 7% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.03 ARS 27.8K

$19.64 ARS 30.3K

-8.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 ARS 88.1K

$78.1 ARS 120.3K

-26.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.84 ARS 21.3K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

19.52%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ARS 5,091

$3.26 ARS 5,021

1.23%

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

$1.97 ARS 3,041

$2.60 ARS 4,008

-24.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ARS 3,122

$2.03 ARS 3,123

-0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 ARS 5,309

$3.41 ARS 5,262

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 ARS 7,191

$3.60 ARS 5,542

29.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,183

$1.23 ARS 1,892

15.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ARS 3,656

$2.22 ARS 3,426

6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,048

$2.84 ARS 4,383

-30.28%

Eggs

$2.92 ARS 4,506

$3.25 ARS 5,017

-10.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ARS 16.4K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

-14.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 ARS 12.3K

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

2.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 ARS 15.3K

$11.60 ARS 17.9K

-14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 ARS 3,291

$3.08 ARS 4,748

-30.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ARS 3,568

$2.41 ARS 3,716

-4.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ARS 2,296

$1.92 ARS 2,961

-22.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 ARS 3,815

$2.60 ARS 4,014

-4.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ARS 1,797

$0.74 ARS 1,140

58.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ARS 1,706

$0.78 ARS 1,200

42.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,220

$0.69 ARS 1,061

108.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ARS 5,303

$3.55 ARS 5,479

-3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.39 ARS 8,314

$4.16 ARS 6,414

29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ARS 3,279

$2.28 ARS 3,513

-6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ARS 4,670

$5.23 ARS 8,059

-42.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ARS 1,433

$1.31 ARS 2,014

-29.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ARS 2,429

$1.42 ARS 2,185

11.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,238

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,651

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,876

$1.38 ARS 2,128

-11.59%

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

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

$31.2K ARS 48.1M

-11.94%

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

$30.9K ARS 47.7M

$45.7K ARS 70.5M

-32.30%

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

$134 ARS 206.8K

$107 ARS 165.7K

24.82%

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

$15.99 ARS 24.7K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

50.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.53 ARS 42.4K

$23.56 ARS 36.3K

16.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 ARS 48.2K

$31.49 ARS 48.5K

-0.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.28 ARS 29.7K

$32.32 ARS 49.8K

-40.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 ARS 13.5K

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-11.00%

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

$239 ARS 368.6K

$254 ARS 391.2K

-5.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,149 ARS 6.4M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-28.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ARS 163.7K

$91.2 ARS 140.6K

16.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.5 ARS 131.8K

$69.9 ARS 107.8K

22.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ARS 194.9K

$109 ARS 168.8K

15.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ARS 200.6K

$55.3 ARS 85.3K

135.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 ARS 717.2K

$489 ARS 754.1K

-4.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 ARS 479.0K

$251 ARS 386.5K

23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ARS 1.6M

$823 ARS 1.3M

22.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$823 ARS 1.3M

$857 ARS 1.3M

-3.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,249 ARS 1.9M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

20.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

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

Last update for San Martin de los Andes: October 25, 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

San Martin de los Andes

$311 24.6%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 19.3% $60

Eating Out

San Martin de los Andes

$268 21.2%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 2.2% $5.8

Groceries & Markets

San Martin de los Andes

$252 * 20%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 3.9% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

San Martin de los Andes

$202 16%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 27.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Martin de los Andes

$178 14.1%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 20.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

San Martin de los Andes

$49 3.9%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 4.9% $2.4

Getting Around

San Martin de los Andes

$5.3 * 0.4%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 102% $5.4

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 $465 in San Martin de los Andes and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in San Martin de los Andes vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $262 per month, with San Martin de los Andes cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Martin de los Andes

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

Same time as San Martin de los Andes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,913

593,337

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.49 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Martin de los Andes Mar del Plata 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Martin de los Andes
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 Martin de los Andes vs Mar del Plata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in San Martin de los Andes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mar del Plata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,897 in San Martin de los Andes and $1,705 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $465 in San Martin de los Andes versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in San Martin de los Andes pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,264 per month in San Martin de los Andes versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – Mar del Plata is about 10% 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, San Martin de los Andes and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.