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by Gretchen Richter de Medeiros

Buenos Aires Dollars and Sense


In this new series we are sharing our exact costs for some of the larger, more famous cities we stayed in. We’ll also share a tip or two about finances in the city, things we wish we’d realized before we arrived. For a more details about what we spent in all of Argentina, read our post: We were introduced to Argentina’s Dollar-Hungry, Blue-Market, Ever-Fluid Economy.

Buenos Aires Stats

10 nights. 8 in a 3-bedroom short-term rental apartment, 2 in a hotel (we rented 2 rooms).

5 people. (We are almost always 5 people.)

We were there in November of 2014.

Total cost: $3572.58

Cost per day: $357.26

Per person per day: $71.45

Buenos Aires Sense

We found that we would have received 50% better return on our exchange if we’d brought cash (US$ or Euro) instead of depending on ATMs and credit cards. The official rate at the time was 8 Argentine pesos to 1 US dollar. The “blue market” rate? 12 to 1. That’s a big difference that can save you some serious money.

ATMs in Buenos Aires were pretty stingy. Sometimes we could only withdraw the US equivalent of $100 per day. The most we were ever able to withdraw was the US equivalent of $300. And they’re closed on Sundays!

If you forgot to bring US dollar or Euro cash, and are staying in Buenos Aires for a while, you can use Xoom.com’s service to wire yourself some money at the better exchange rate. It takes about 2-3 business days.

You’ll pay a higher fee than citizens of Argentina for some sight-seeing experiences like a tour of The Colon Theatre (there, foreigners pay 3x more than Argentines). This isn’t unique to Argentina, we found this to be the case in many countries world-wide, for example Peru, South Africa, Greece and France. And frankly, we think it’s fair that tax-paying citizens get in to national heritage sites and buildings for a lower price than tourists.

Buenos Aires Costs

Lodging cost Buenos Aires

Transportation costs Buenos Aires

Food Cost Buenos Aires

Excursion Costs Buenos Aires

Other Costs Buenos Aires

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