Is Buenos Aires expensive to visit?

What are the prices in Buenos Aires? Wondering how much dinner costs? What is the cost of accommodation? How much money do I need for shopping in a supermarket in Buenos Aires city?

Buenos Aires is not an expensive city to visit. In fact, you will find it one of the cheapest cities in the world for food, taxis and going out.

In this article I’ll share prices and my experience visiting Buenos Aires as a tourist.

First, what is the currency in Buenos Aires, Argentina? 

The currency in Argentina is called ‘peso’. Nowadays (July 2022), due to inflation, there’s a black market exchange rate that favours strong foreign currencies like the US dollar,euro and pound. 

There’s a growing gap between the Argentinian peso and the US dollar. As of today, the unofficial exchange rate is more than double the official rate. You can see the difference in the tables below: 

Official Exchange Rate: Source: Banco de la Nación Argentina

Unofficial Exchange Rate, called ‘dollar blue’: Source: Página 12 (local newspaper)

What is the ‘dollar blue’? 

The ‘dollar blue’ is the exchange rate obtained in the black or parallel market. This dollar rate is not exchanged in banks, but in exchange currencies agencies, like Western Union, for example. 

In the city of Buenos Aires, there are many currency exchange agencies that offer this higher exchange rate. Locals change the dollar they have bought  in previous years to get a better value for  their money. 

Now, if you are a tourist visiting Argentina, you have two options: 

1. You can use your card everywhere, pay in restaurants, bars or supermarkets, and you’ll pay the official exchange rate. The same goes if you take out  money from an ATM. 
2. You can bring notes and exchange them in the agencies and get the ‘unofficial’ exchange rates. 
3. You can transfer money through an agency, like Western Union, and collect your money in a Western Union office or wherever agency you have used for your transaction. In this case, you’ll also get the unofficial exchange rate. 

Below, there’s a photo of the exchange rate on Western Union as an example: 

Read our article for more about “What currency to bring to Argentina” here

So, the two questions remaining for tourists are: 

Is Argentina cheap to visit now? Is Buenos Aires affordable? 🧐

Even though inflation is a reality, prices will vary on the exchange rate you get or your payment methods. As I said before, if you pay with your card you’ll get the official rate. 

It’s also true that some areas are more expensive than others. Puerto Madero is a very expensive neighbourhood where the cost of living is high. 

Airbnb river view apartments for a week in summer 2023 in this area, range from 70 to 90 USD a night, hotel prices are around 100 USD a night. 

There are other areas like San Telmo or Palermo, where you’ll find lower prices in beautiful locations too. 

From our experience: the one bedroom Airbnb apartment  that we booked in the centre of Palermo Soho,  one of the most popular and trendy neighbourhoods, cost around 700 USD per month. 

Prices for eating out in Buenos Aires, is it expensive to eat out? 🧐

There’s a wide range of restaurants, coffee shops and bars in Buenos Aires. The city offers high-end cuisine restaurants to local ‘bodegas’ where you can eat delicious meals at very affordable prices. 

From our experience: Having lived in Dublin, the Algarve in Portugal and Spain, prices in Buenos Aires are very low. You can get a lovely dinner for two including meat and salmon for around 30 USD (with the unofficial exchange rate) .and 60 USD if you exchange at the official rate. You can also get a nice dinner for 2 in an inexpensive restaurant for about $7(unofficial rate) and $14(official rate).   

It all depends on your budget, the dining experience you want to get and the places you want to visit to eat out. 

If you want to know more about exchanging money in Argentina, how much money to bring and more, read this article where we also share our advice and opinion. 

Final Thoughts: Is Buenos Aires expensive to visit? 

Prices of products, food and drinks are lower than in other cities like New York, London or Dublin. Many times, it will depend on your payment method and how much money you bring for your trip. 

Are you travelling on a budget? You’ll definitely find affordable places to eat out under 10 USD for a meal for two. Do you want to have a dining experience with great meat or fish? You will pay around 30 to 50 USD. 

Uber taxis cost around 10 USD for an 11 km car ride. Prices might be subjected to change according to times (during the night they can be higher, especially at the weekends due to the higher demand). 

Public transport is more than affordable, bus tickets range from 18 to 22 ARS (around 10 cents USD) to travel around the city into the different neighbourhoods.