Should you visit Mar del Plata or Salta?
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 Salta 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.
Salta
Located in the heart of the famous Northwest region of Argentina, at 1200m of elevation and at the foot of the Cerro San Bernardo, Salta is the largest city of the region and perhaps the most beautiful colonial city of Argentina. Founded in 1582 by the Spanish, Salta was an important stop for merchants who followed the usual trade road through Bolivia and Peru. Argentines call this city nestled in the foothills of the Andes and surrounded by mountains, of just over half a million inhabitants, Salta La Linda (Salta the Beautiful) and it's easy to see why. Young and traditional at the same time, Salta and its renowned museums, plaza side cafes and live musica folklorica of its bustling penas, is a sophisticated and lively city day and night.
Which city is cheaper, Salta 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 $62, while the average daily cost in Salta is $68. 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 Salta 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.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $48 in Salta For nicer amenities and a premiere location, 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.
While meal prices in Salta can vary, the average travelers spends about $23 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Salta should cost around $9.20 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Salta is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
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Food
Meals for one day
Mar del Plata $27
Salta $23
Typical Food prices in Salta
For Salta, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Emplanadas
$0.05
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Ice Cream
$0.06
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Lunch
$5.92
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Coffee
$1.22
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.
To get around in Salta, the average visitor spends $28 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.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Salta
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Salta are as follows:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Salta
Also for Salta, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Humahuaca, 7-color Hill & round trip transfers airport - hotel in Salta:
$127
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Salta City Tour & Round Trip Transfers airport - hotel:
$62
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Salta Airport Private Transfer:
$50
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Private Airport Transfer: Martin Miguel de Guemes Int. Airport (SLA) to Salta:
$30
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Private Airport Transfer: Salta to Martin Miguel de Guemes Int. Airport (SLA):
$30
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Shared Departure Transfer: Salta Hotels to MartÃn Miguel de Güemes International Airport:
$27
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Shared Arrival Transfer: MartÃn Miguel de Güemes International Airport to Salta:
$19
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Salta Airport Shuttle Transfer:
$9.97
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One-Way or Round Trip Airport Transfer:
$5.50
Is it cheaper to fly into Mar del Plata or Salta?
Prices for flights to both Salta 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.
In Salta, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average $24 per person, per day.
Typical Entertainment prices in Salta
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Salta's activities, tours, and tickets:
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Gondola Ride
$0.15
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Pool
$0.51
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Wine and Cheese night
$37
Tours and Activities in Salta
For Salta, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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2-Day Calchaquà Valley Tour to Cachi and Cafayate:
$318
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2-day tour: Humahuaca Canyon + Cachi and Calchaquies Valleys:
$165
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2-day tour: Humahuaca Canyon + Cafayate Wine Country:
$165
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3-Days Salta, Purmamarca & Salinas Grandes Private Experience:
$625
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3-day Overland Adventure in Tolar Grande, Salta:
$1,240
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4 x 4 Safari Tour to Puna, Salt Falts and Purmamarca from Salta:
$120
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4-Days Discovering Amazing Salta - Nature & Adventure:
$645
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4-Days Tour of Salta Cafayate and Humahuaca:
$808
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5-Day Adventure Trip in Salta:
$527
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6-Day Tour in Salta, Purmamarca, Humahuaca, Tolar Grande & Salt flats!:
$1,813
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6-day Tour in Salta y Jujuy - Best of The Northwest:
$1,095
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7-Day Tour in Salta, the Calchaqui Valley and Cafayate and San Pedro de Atacama:
$1,292
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 Salta spend on average $9.62 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Typical Alcohol prices in Salta
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Salta are as follows:
Sample the Local Flavors in Salta
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Salta:
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Full-day Cafayate, Lerma Valley, and Wine Tasting from Salta:
$24
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From Cafayate Day Trip with Wine Tasting:
$25
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From Full-Day Tour to Cafayate with Wine Tasting:
$27
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Luxury Colome wine tour:
$806
When comparing the travel costs between Mar del Plata and Salta, we can see that Salta 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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