Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Villa María and Mar del Plata

For one person, living is cheaper in Mar del Plata: $1,137 a month against $1,294 in Villa María, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Villa María
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Villa María Living Index
55

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

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Villa María

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,294

/mo nomad

Mar del Plata

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Villa María versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata.

Villa María $1,294
Mar del Plata $1,137

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,065 in Villa María versus $2,096 in Mar del Plata.

Villa María $2,065
Mar del Plata $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,837 in Villa María versus $3,055 in Mar del Plata.

Villa María $2,837
Mar del Plata $3,055

Living in Villa María is roughly 14% more expensive than in Mar del Plata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Villa María 5% lower, Mar del Plata 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 ARS 25.5K

$19.64 ARS 30.4K

-15.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.1 ARS 80.5K

$78.1 ARS 120.6K

-33.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.86 ARS 21.4K

$11.58 ARS 17.9K

19.69%

Cappuccino

$3.84 ARS 5,927

$3.26 ARS 5,032

17.79%

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

$2.54 ARS 3,922

$2.60 ARS 4,017

-2.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ARS 2,753

$2.03 ARS 3,130

-12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.04 ARS 6,241

$3.41 ARS 5,274

18.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ARS 6,036

$3.60 ARS 5,555

8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 ARS 1,962

$1.23 ARS 1,896

3.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 ARS 3,278

$2.22 ARS 3,434

-4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 ARS 3,149

$2.84 ARS 4,393

-28.17%

Eggs

$2.99 ARS 4,625

$3.25 ARS 5,029

-8.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 ARS 15.5K

$12.40 ARS 19.2K

-18.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 ARS 12.2K

$7.72 ARS 11.9K

1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 ARS 18.2K

$11.60 ARS 17.9K

1.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,618

$3.08 ARS 4,758

-24.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ARS 3,642

$2.41 ARS 3,725

-2.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$1.92 ARS 2,968

-25.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 ARS 4,141

$2.60 ARS 4,023

3.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ARS 1,599

$0.74 ARS 1,143

39.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 ARS 1,349

$0.78 ARS 1,202

11.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ARS 2,416

$0.69 ARS 1,063

126.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.21 ARS 4,961

$3.55 ARS 5,492

-9.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.29 ARS 8,177

$4.16 ARS 6,428

27.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ARS 2,969

$2.28 ARS 3,521

-15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ARS 5,396

$5.23 ARS 8,077

-33.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ARS 1,725

$1.31 ARS 2,018

-14.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,525

$1.42 ARS 2,190

14.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ARS 1,240

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 ARS 9,673

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ARS 1,978

$1.38 ARS 2,133

-7.25%

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

$25.5K ARS 39.3M

$31.2K ARS 48.2M

-18.42%

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

$34.2K ARS 52.8M

$45.7K ARS 70.6M

-25.26%

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

$129 ARS 199.5K

$107 ARS 166.1K

20.13%

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

$16.95 ARS 26.2K

$10.60 ARS 16.4K

59.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 ARS 42.6K

$23.56 ARS 36.4K

17.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.53 ARS 44.1K

$31.49 ARS 48.6K

-9.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 ARS 27.8K

$32.32 ARS 49.9K

-44.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.10 ARS 15.6K

$9.82 ARS 15.2K

2.85%

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

$259 ARS 400.0K

$254 ARS 392.1K

2.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,375 ARS 6.8M

$5,832 ARS 9.0M

-24.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 ARS 155.4K

$91.2 ARS 140.9K

10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.1 ARS 114.5K

$69.9 ARS 108.0K

5.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ARS 185.4K

$109 ARS 169.1K

9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ARS 174.0K

$55.3 ARS 85.5K

103.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ARS 836.0K

$489 ARS 755.8K

10.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ARS 559.9K

$251 ARS 387.3K

44.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 ARS 1.8M

$823 ARS 1.3M

37.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ARS 1.1M

$857 ARS 1.3M

-15.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,313 ARS 2.0M

$1,039 ARS 1.6M

26.40%

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 Villa María: 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

Villa María

$362 28%

Mar del Plata

$251 22.1% 30.8% $112

Eating Out

Villa María

$265 20.5%

Mar del Plata

$274 24.1% 3.3% $8.7

Groceries & Markets

Villa María

$255 * 19.7%

Mar del Plata

$262 * 23.1% 3% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Villa María

$183 14.2%

Mar del Plata

$147 12.9% 20% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Villa María

$174 13.4%

Mar del Plata

$142 12.5% 18.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Villa María

$49 3.8%

Mar del Plata

$51 4.5% 4.9% $2.4

Getting Around

Villa María

$6.1 * 0.5%

Mar del Plata

$11 * 0.9% 74.8% $4.6

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 $541 in Villa María and $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Villa María vs $78 in Mar del Plata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $262 per month, with Villa María cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Villa María

🇦🇷 Mar del Plata

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

Same time as Villa María

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,006

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

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Between locations

Villa María Mar del Plata 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Villa María
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

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

Mar del Plata wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Villa María. 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 $1,941 in Villa María 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: $541 in Villa María versus $489 in Mar del Plata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Villa María pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Villa María versus $1,137 in Mar del Plata – Mar del Plata is about 12% 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, Villa María and Mar del Plata are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.