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
