Should you visit Mar del Plata or Lima?
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 $61, while the average daily cost in Lima is $55. 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 Lima in more detail.
Accommodation
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $44 in Mar del Plata For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Accommodation prices vary by location and style, but travelers pay on average about $70 for a double occupancy room in Lima.
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.
On average, meal and food prices in Lima cost around $13 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $5.20.
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Food
Meals for one day
Mar del Plata $27
Lima $13
Typical Food prices in Lima
Some typical examples of dining costs in Lima are as follows:
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Lunch for Two
$3.87
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Ice cream
$3.14
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Coffee
$2.66
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Donut
$0.85
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Lima
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Lima.
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Virtual Peruvian Cooking Class "Lomo Saltado":
$18
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Dancing Horse Show & Dinner Buffet & Barranco Night Tour:
$46
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#1 Lima Food Tour and Local Markets (Small Group):
$46
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#1 Dancing Horse Show & Dinner Buffet & Barranco Night Tour:
$46
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Delicious Food Tour through Local Markets:
$46
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#1 Peruvian Food Tour through Local Markets (Small Group):
$46
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Dinner at the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant:
$49
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Private Cooking Class With a Local Family in Lima:
$52
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3–Hour Restaurant Dinner and Show Experience:
$55
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Dinner Show and Exhibition of Peruvian Horse including Pick up & drop off:
$55
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Peruvian Food Tour Through Local Markets:
$55
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Magic Water Circuit, Dinner & Show in Lima:
$56
Local Transportation
To get around in Mar del Plata, the average visitor spends $17 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.
The cost of a taxi ride in Lima is significantly more than public transportation. On average, past travelers have spent $4.29 per person, per day, on local transportation in Lima.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Lima
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Lima are as follows:
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Taxi Ride
$4.83
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Taxi Ride
$4.83
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Short Taxi Ride
$3.62
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lima
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Lima:
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Nazca lines private transfer from Lima:
$790
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LIMA - PERÚ, 4 Days and 3 Nights + acommodation *** + Transfer + 4 tours IN LIMA:
$559
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Private transfer from Lima Airport to Paracas (price per vehicle):
$490
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Nazca lines tour private transfer to Nazca:
$490
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Private transfer from Lima city to Paracas (price per vehicle):
$480
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From Palomino Islands Cruise & Swimming with Sea Lions with Transfers:
$125
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Lima round trip transfers airport - hotel - airport + City Tour:
$89
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Private Largevan Transfer - Arrival Lima Airport to Hotel:
$80
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Round trip private transfer to Lima Airport:
$80
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Private Transfer from Lima Airport to hotels in Miraflores or Viceversa:
$79
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Palomino Islands Swim with sea lions Lima with Transfers included.:
$75
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One-Way Transfer between Lima Airport & Hotels in Miraflores:
$68
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.
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.
Entertainment and activities in Lima typically cost an average of $6.17 per person, per day. This includes fees paid for admission tickets to museums and attractions, day tours, and other sightseeing expenses.
Typical Entertainment prices in Lima
Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Lima are as follows:
Tours and Activities in Lima
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Lima are as follows:
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#1 Artsy & Cultural Barranco Walking tour (Small Group):
$30
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#1 Artsy Barranco & Lima City Tour (Small Group):
$60
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#1 Beautiful Fountains Park & Light Show - Night Tour (Small Group):
$30
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#1 City Tour by Night & Magic Fountains Park - Light Show (Small Group):
$34
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#1 City Tour in Lima from the Airport (private service):
$46
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#1 Lima City Tour - Lunch & Pachacamac Archaeological site (Small Group):
$80
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#1 Lima Walking City Tour (Small Group):
$30
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#1 Lunahuana Valley & Rafting Experience - from Lima (Small Group):
$140
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#1 Miraflores, Barranco & San Isidro Tour (Small Group):
$34
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#1 Sandboarding - Buggy Tour & Huacachina Oasis - from Lima (Small Group):
$146
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#1 The Gold Museum of Peru & Lima City tour (Small Group):
$80
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#1 The Gold Museum of Peru Tour (Small Group):
$40
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 $12.
The average person spends about $3.49 on alcoholic beverages in Lima per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typical Alcohol prices in Lima
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Lima are as follows:
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Bottle of Wine
$6.50
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Beer
$3.62
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Cocktail
$2.90
Sample the Local Flavors in Lima
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Lima:
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Lima 3.5-Hour Pisco Pub Crawl:
$25
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Ballestas Islands + Huacachina Oasis + Wine Tour (Unique Experience):
$226
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Mysterious Nazca Lines, Overflight from Ica, Huacachina Oasis & Wine Tour!:
$490
When comparing the travel costs between Mar del Plata and Lima, we can see that Mar del Plata is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in South America, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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