Should you visit Mar del Plata or Florianopolis?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Mar del Plata and Florianopolis can help you decide which place is right for you.
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is found only 404 km southeast of the city of Buenos Aires, on the Atlantic coast. Today Mar Del Plata is Argentina憇 most well known beach resort. It has successfully married the two worlds of beach and city into a fun, cosmopolitan urban center with the presence of highly developed tourist infrastructure. Founded in 1874, Mar del Plata was at first mainly an industrial and commercial center before becoming a vacation destination for Argentinians. For a peaceful trip and intimate oceanfront promenades, avoid visiting Mar del Plata during summer time, as the gorgeous arced coastline will be crawling with visitors. But the city is more than just beaches. It also offers some culture, lively nightlife, and great food.
Florianopolis
With a population of almost 500,000, Florianopolis is the capital city of the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. The city is split between mainland Brazil and Santa Catarina Island.
Florianopolis has grown in popularity with tourists recently because of its wonderful scenery, beautiful beaches, and fascinating culture. Many Brazilians have also moved here, leaving behind the big cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Florianopolis has a warm humid subtropical climate. There are summer, winter, spring and fall seasons. Frosts are rare but do occur occasionally. Highs during the warmest months are usually in the high 70s Fahrenheit. Rain is evenly distributed throughout the year and there is no distinct dry season.
Which city is cheaper, Florianopolis or Mar del Plata?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Mar del Plata is $63, while the average daily cost in Florianopolis is $49. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Mar del Plata and Florianopolis in more detail.
Accommodation
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $46 in Mar del Plata For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about $40 in Florianopolis For the most convenient locations and nicer amenities you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
In Mar del Plata travelers spend around $27 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
The average traveler spends about $17 per day in Florianopolis for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
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Food
Meals for one day
Mar del Plata $27
Florianopolis $17
Typical Food prices in Florianopolis
For Florianopolis, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Florianopolis
For Florianopolis, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Floripa Cooking Class:
$72
Local Transportation
To get around in Mar del Plata, the average visitor spends $18 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Florianopolis than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $10 on transportation in Florianopolis on average per day.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Florianopolis
Also for Florianopolis, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private transfer: Cali International Airport (CLO) to Cali:
$54
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Private transfer: Florianopolis to Florianopolis International Airport (FLN):
$45
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Private transfer: Florianopolis International Airport (FLN) to Florianopolis:
$45
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Shared transfer from Florian贸polis airport to Balne谩rio Cambori煤:
$35
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Private Airport Transfer: Hercilio Luz Int. Airport (FLN) to Florianopolis:
$30
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Private Airport Transfer: from Florianopolis to Hercilio Luz Int. Airport (FLN):
$30
Is it cheaper to fly into Mar del Plata or Florianopolis?
Prices for flights to both Florianopolis and Mar del Plata change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
In Mar del Plata, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average $16 per person, per day.
Sightseeing expenses in Florianopolis, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $20 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Florianopolis
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Florianopolis's activities, tours, and tickets:
Tours and Activities in Florianopolis
For Florianopolis, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Balne谩rio Cambori煤 City Tour from Florian贸polis:
$35
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Blumenau City Tour - departing from Florian贸polis:
$40
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Blumenau City Tour from Florian贸polis:
$40
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Campeche Island day tour - Transport and boat crossing:
$52
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Florian贸polis Full Day City Tour:
$26
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North Florian贸polis Bike Tour: Mozambique, Santinho and Ingleses Beaches:
$51
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Private Day Tour: Florian贸polis Island with Professional Pictures:
$154
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Private Guided Tour in Florianopolis:
$79
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Roteiro Regular - Floripa City Tour Sul e Leste em grupo:
$45
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Shared Shuttle between Florian贸polis Airport and Hotel with optional City Tour:
$26
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Southern Beaches of Florian贸polis Bike Tour:
$51
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Mar del Plata, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $13.
Typically, people visiting Florianopolis spend on average $6.82 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Typical Alcohol prices in Florianopolis
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Florianopolis from other travelers:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mar del Plata and Florianopolis, we can see that Mar del Plata is more expensive. And not only is Florianopolis much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Florianopolis would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Florianopolis and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Mar del Plata would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Mar del Plata than you might in Florianopolis.
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