A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Mar del Plata vs. Lima for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

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Should you visit Mar del Plata or Lima?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

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 Lima 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‘s 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.

Lima

Lima, the capital city of Peru, is likely to be your point of entry for the country. Lima was founded in 1535 and was the seat of the Spanish rule for 300 years. It's a surprisingly modern city despite its rich history, but many beautiful churches and colonial architecture remain today. There are also large slum areas that highlight the poverty that exists in the city. The city and its surrounding metropolitan area have a population of about 8.5 million people, many of whom came from the Andes Mountains in search of work. Unfortunately the work opportunities are limited and the poverty is obvious as you arrive in Lima.

Which city is cheaper, Lima 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 $48, while the average daily cost in Lima is $59. 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. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Mar del Plata and Lima in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Mar del Plata $17
    Lima $38
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Mar del Plata $34
    Lima $76

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Mar del Plata $14
    Lima $4.42

Typical Local Transportation prices in Lima

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Lima are as follows:


  • Taxi Ride
    $5.23
  • Taxi Ride
    $5.23
  • Short Taxi Ride
    $3.92

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lima

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Lima:

  • Nazca lines private transfer from Lima: $790
  • LIMA - PERÚ, 4 Days and 3 Nights + acommodation *** + Transfer + 4 tours IN LIMA: $559
  • Private transfer from Lima Airport to Paracas (price per vehicle): $490
  • Nazca lines tour private transfer to Nazca: $490
  • Private transfer from Lima city to Paracas (price per vehicle): $480
  • From Palomino Islands Cruise & Swimming with Sea Lions with Transfers: $125
  • Lima round trip transfers airport - hotel - airport + City Tour: $89
  • Private Largevan Transfer - Arrival Lima Airport to Hotel: $80
  • Round trip private transfer to Lima Airport: $80
  • Private Transfer from Lima Airport to hotels in Miraflores or Viceversa: $79
  • Palomino Islands Swim with sea lions Lima with Transfers included.: $75
  • Lima Jorge Chavez Airport Transfer: $66

Is it cheaper to fly into Mar del Plata or Lima?

Prices for flights to both Lima 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.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Mar del Plata $21
    Lima $14

Typical Food prices in Lima

Some typical examples of dining costs in Lima are as follows:


  • Lunch for Two
    $4.18
  • Ice cream
    $3.40
  • Coffee
    $2.87
  • Donut
    $0.91

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Lima

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Lima.

  • Virtual Peruvian Cooking Class "Lomo Saltado": $18
  • Cooking Workshop and Water Circuit Tour: $45
  • #1 Lima Food Tour and Local Markets (Small Group): $46
  • #1 Peruvian Food Tour through Local Markets (Small Group): $46
  • Delicious Food Tour through Local Markets: $46
  • #1 Dancing Horse Show & Dinner Buffet & Barranco Night Tour: $46
  • Dancing Horse Show & Dinner Buffet & Barranco Night Tour: $46
  • Dinner at the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant: $49
  • Private Cooking Class With a Local Family in Lima: $52
  • Half-Day Fountains Tour with Dinner & Folklore Show: $53
  • Peruvian Food Tour Through Local Markets: $55
  • Dinner Show and Exhibition of Peruvian Horse including Pick up & drop off: $55

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Mar del Plata $12
    Lima $6.67

Typical Entertainment prices in Lima

Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Lima are as follows:


  • Entrance to Museo Larco (for 2)
    $16
  • Movie Tickets
    $2.22

Tours and Activities in Lima

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Lima are as follows:

  • #1 Artsy & Cultural Barranco Walking tour (Small Group): $30
  • #1 Artsy Barranco & Lima City Tour (Small Group): $60
  • #1 Beautiful Fountains Park & Light Show - Night Tour (Small Group): $30
  • #1 City Tour by Night & Magic Fountains Park - Light Show (Small Group): $34
  • #1 City Tour in Lima from the Airport (private service): $46
  • #1 Lima City Tour - Lunch & Pachacamac Archaeological site (Small Group): $80
  • #1 Lima Walking City Tour (Small Group): $30
  • #1 Lunahuana Valley & Rafting Experience - from Lima (Small Group): $140
  • #1 Miraflores, Barranco & San Isidro Tour (Small Group): $34
  • #1 Sandboarding - Buggy Tour & Huacachina Oasis - from Lima (Small Group): $146
  • #1 The Gold Museum of Peru & Lima City tour (Small Group): $80
  • #1 The Gold Museum of Peru Tour (Small Group): $40

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Mar del Plata $9.78
    Lima $4.34

Typical Alcohol prices in Lima

Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Lima are as follows:


  • Bottle of Wine
    $7.03
  • Beer
    $3.92
  • Cocktail
    $3.14

Sample the Local Flavors in Lima

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Lima:

  • Ballestas Islands + Huacachina Oasis + Wine Tour (Unique Experience): $226
  • Mysterious Nazca Lines, Overflight from Ica, Huacachina Oasis & Wine Tour!: $490

About these numbers

When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Mar del Plata and Lima, we can see that Lima is more expensive. And not only is Mar del Plata much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Mar del Plata would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Mar del Plata 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 Lima would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Lima than you might in Mar del Plata.

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip has average travel costs for thousands of cities around the world, all provided by other travelers. You can also register to organize your spending by category and location with graphs, maps, charts, and tables.
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Mar del Plata vs. Lima Travel Comparison

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