Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago del Estero and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,250 in Santiago del Estero, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Santiago del Estero
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Santiago del Estero Living Index
55

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

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Santiago del Estero

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,250

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Santiago del Estero versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Santiago del Estero $1,250
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,041 in Santiago del Estero versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Santiago del Estero $2,041
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,831 in Santiago del Estero versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Santiago del Estero $2,831
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Santiago del Estero 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: Santiago del Estero 8% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.19 ARS 23.4K

$19.64 ARS 30.2K

-22.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.3 ARS 89.7K

$78.1 ARS 120.1K

-25.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 ARS 18.7K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

4.84%

Cappuccino

$4.25 ARS 6,538

$3.26 ARS 5,010

30.37%

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

$2.24 ARS 3,440

$2.60 ARS 3,999

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ARS 3,093

$2.03 ARS 3,117

-0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.23 ARS 6,511

$3.41 ARS 5,251

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 ARS 6,517

$3.60 ARS 5,531

17.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,142

$1.23 ARS 1,888

13.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 ARS 2,970

$2.22 ARS 3,419

-13.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 ARS 2,761

$2.84 ARS 4,374

-36.97%

Eggs

$2.72 ARS 4,189

$3.25 ARS 5,007

-16.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ARS 20.2K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.50 ARS 13.1K

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

10.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ARS 17.0K

$11.60 ARS 17.8K

-4.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,390

$3.08 ARS 4,738

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 ARS 3,751

$2.41 ARS 3,708

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ARS 2,048

$1.92 ARS 2,955

-30.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 ARS 4,119

$2.60 ARS 4,005

3.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ARS 1,752

$0.74 ARS 1,138

54.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ARS 1,520

$0.78 ARS 1,197

26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ARS 2,148

$0.69 ARS 1,059

102.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ARS 4,661

$3.55 ARS 5,468

-14.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.16 ARS 7,939

$4.16 ARS 6,400

24.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ARS 3,092

$2.28 ARS 3,505

-11.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ARS 4,518

$5.23 ARS 8,042

-43.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ARS 1,315

$1.31 ARS 2,010

-34.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ARS 1,978

$1.42 ARS 2,180

-9.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,235

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,631

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ARS 2,112

$1.38 ARS 2,124

-0.72%

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

$25.4K ARS 39.0M

$31.2K ARS 48.0M

-18.69%

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

$28.4K ARS 43.7M

$45.7K ARS 70.3M

-37.83%

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

$112 ARS 172.0K

$107 ARS 165.3K

4.01%

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

$16.69 ARS 25.7K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

57.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.28 ARS 42.0K

$23.56 ARS 36.2K

15.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 ARS 47.3K

$31.49 ARS 48.4K

-2.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 ARS 31.1K

$32.32 ARS 49.7K

-37.38%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 ARS 12.3K

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-18.33%

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

$211 ARS 324.8K

$254 ARS 390.4K

-16.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,592 ARS 7.1M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-21.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 ARS 180.9K

$91.2 ARS 140.3K

28.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.8 ARS 130.4K

$69.9 ARS 107.6K

21.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ARS 159.0K

$109 ARS 168.4K

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ARS 164.9K

$55.3 ARS 85.1K

93.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 800.3K

$489 ARS 752.5K

6.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ARS 526.8K

$251 ARS 385.6K

36.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 ARS 1.6M

$823 ARS 1.3M

25.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 ARS 1.1M

$857 ARS 1.3M

-16.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,266 ARS 1.9M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

21.88%

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 Santiago del Estero: October 26, 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

Santiago del Estero

$342 27.4%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 26.8% $92

Groceries & Markets

Santiago del Estero

$259 * 20.7%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 1.1% $3

Eating Out

Santiago del Estero

$256 20.4%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 7.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago del Estero

$186 14.9%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 21.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago del Estero

$156 12.5%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 9.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago del Estero

$47 3.7%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 9.3% $4.3

Getting Around

Santiago del Estero

$4.7 * 0.4%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 126% $6

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

Dining out: $58 in Santiago del Estero vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $259 vs $262 per month, with Santiago del Estero cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Santiago del Estero

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

Same time as Santiago del Estero

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

252,192

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

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Between locations

Santiago del Estero Mar del Plata 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago del Estero
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Santiago del Estero. 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 $1,876 in Santiago del Estero 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: $520 in Santiago del Estero versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,250 per month in Santiago del Estero versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – Mar del Plata is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago del Estero – a meal for two runs $58 versus $78 in Mar del Plata. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Santiago del Estero and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.