Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ushuaia and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $960 a month against $1,137 in Mar del Plata, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
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Ushuaia Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Mar del Plata
Learn more

Mar del Plata Living Index

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Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$960

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $960 in Ushuaia versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Ushuaia $960
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,575 in Ushuaia versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Ushuaia $1,575
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,190 in Ushuaia versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Ushuaia $2,190
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Ushuaia costs roughly 16% less than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ushuaia 29% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 ARS 16.1K

$19.64 ARS 30.3K

-46.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.71 ARS 52.0K

$78.1 ARS 120.3K

-56.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 ARS 14.2K

$11.58 ARS 17.8K

-20.64%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ARS 4,128

$3.26 ARS 5,021

-17.79%

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

$1.73 ARS 2,661

$2.60 ARS 4,008

-33.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,394

$2.03 ARS 3,123

-23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 ARS 3,177

$3.41 ARS 5,262

-39.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ARS 4,532

$3.60 ARS 5,542

-18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ARS 1,940

$1.23 ARS 1,892

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ARS 2,491

$2.22 ARS 3,426

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 ARS 3,113

$2.84 ARS 4,383

-28.87%

Eggs

$2.24 ARS 3,457

$3.25 ARS 5,017

-31.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 ARS 15.5K

$12.40 ARS 19.1K

-19.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 ARS 9,783

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

-17.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 ARS 14.0K

$11.60 ARS 17.9K

-21.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 ARS 3,018

$3.08 ARS 4,748

-36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 ARS 3,318

$2.41 ARS 3,716

-10.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,958

$1.92 ARS 2,961

-33.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 ARS 4,001

$2.60 ARS 4,014

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ARS 1,762

$0.74 ARS 1,140

54.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ARS 1,834

$0.78 ARS 1,200

52.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ARS 1,945

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,221

$0.69 ARS 1,061

108.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ARS 4,931

$3.55 ARS 5,479

-9.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 ARS 7,744

$4.16 ARS 6,414

20.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 ARS 3,147

$2.28 ARS 3,513

-10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ARS 4,709

$5.23 ARS 8,059

-41.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ARS 1,183

$1.31 ARS 2,014

-41.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ARS 2,379

$1.42 ARS 2,185

8.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ARS 1,419

$0.80 ARS 1,238

15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.15 ARS 9,483

$6.26 ARS 9,651

-1.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,690

$1.38 ARS 2,128

-20.29%

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

$27.8K ARS 42.9M

$31.2K ARS 48.1M

-10.91%

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

$30.3K ARS 46.7M

$45.7K ARS 70.5M

-33.78%

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

$66.4 ARS 102.3K

$107 ARS 165.7K

-38.23%

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

$17.26 ARS 26.6K

$10.60 ARS 16.3K

62.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.37 ARS 34.5K

$23.56 ARS 36.3K

-5.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.18 ARS 40.4K

$31.49 ARS 48.5K

-16.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.02 ARS 21.6K

$32.32 ARS 49.8K

-56.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 ARS 9,658

$9.82 ARS 15.1K

-36.15%

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

$222 ARS 342.3K

$254 ARS 391.2K

-12.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,648 ARS 4.1M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-54.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 ARS 113.4K

$91.2 ARS 140.6K

-19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 ARS 106.2K

$69.9 ARS 107.8K

-1.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 179.5K

$109 ARS 168.8K

6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ARS 171.9K

$55.3 ARS 85.3K

101.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 ARS 518.2K

$489 ARS 754.1K

-31.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ARS 365.3K

$251 ARS 386.5K

-5.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 ARS 1.0M

$823 ARS 1.3M

-18.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 ARS 837.3K

$857 ARS 1.3M

-36.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,889 ARS 2.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,281 ARS 2.0M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

23.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 ARS 1.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

58.5

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

Last update for Ushuaia: 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

Ushuaia

$237 24.7%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 5.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Ushuaia

$230 24%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 14% $32

Eating Out

Ushuaia

$173 18%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 58.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Ushuaia

$167 17.4%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 12% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ushuaia

$106 11%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 33.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Ushuaia

$39 4%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 32.1% $12

Getting Around

Ushuaia

$9.2 * 1%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 15.6% $1.4

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 $336 in Ushuaia and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Ushuaia vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $262 per month, with Ushuaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

Same time as Ushuaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,538

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

Ushuaia Mar del Plata 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ushuaia
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

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

Ushuaia wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Mar del Plata. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ushuaia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,440 in Ushuaia 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: $336 in Ushuaia 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 14% higher in Mar del Plata. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $960 per month in Ushuaia versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – Ushuaia is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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