The parallel and official dollar rates are now almost the same, so the old cash tricks no longer pay. What changed, which rules still apply, and why fees now matter more than the rate.
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The blue dollar gap has all but closed. On 6 October 2026 the parallel rate, the dólar blue (blue dollar), was within 0.64% of the official rate, so changing cash on the street no longer gets you a better deal.
What is left to compare is fees: what your bank, your card and any transfer service charge you.
For years Argentina limited how many dollars people could buy. These currency controls were known as the cepo (currency controls). A gap opened between the official rate and the street rate. Cash changed on the street often bought more pesos than money changed at the official rate.
On 14 April 2025, the monthly limit of USD 200 on dollar purchases by individuals ended. The surcharge on buying dollars went too.
Not every control went. One analysis describes the 2025 change as scrapping most restrictions, not all of them. In May 2026 the IMF said some exchange restrictions remain in place.
The peso now trades inside a band. The BCRA (Central Bank) buys dollars at the floor of the band and sells them at the ceiling. Since 2026 the band moves with past inflation. On 6 October 2026 the ceiling was ARS 1,925.67 (about USD 1 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) per dollar.
Selling rates for one dollar on 6 October 2026:
| Rate | What it is | Pesos per dollar |
|---|---|---|
| Banco Nación retail | The official rate at the state bank | ARS 1,540 (about USD 1 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) |
| Blue | The parallel street rate | ARS 1,550 (about USD 1 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) |
| MEP | Another quoted market rate | ARS 1,539.6 (about USD 1 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) |
The three are close together. That is the change that matters for newcomers.
Your own bank decides much of what a card payment abroad costs you. Before you travel, check its foreign-transaction fee and its cash-machine fee. Then compare cards and accounts on those fees.
There is no longer a rate reason to carry a lot of cash.
Argentine cards used for payments in foreign currency carry a charge of 30%. That charge stayed when the cepo ended. On 6 October 2026 it put the card rate, the dólar tarjeta (card dollar), at ARS 2,002 (about USD 1 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026), against ARS 1,540 (about USD 1 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) at the bank counter.
So a foreign-currency payment on a local card costs more than the same amount changed at the bank counter. Check which currency a foreign website charges you in.
The old cap on cash withdrawals abroad with Argentine credit cards was removed on 9 April 2026.
Since April 2026 a wider version of one rule applies to anyone who sends dollars to an account abroad. You sign a sworn statement not to buy certain securities settled in foreign currency for 90 days. This is the restricción cruzada (cross restriction).
Our sources do not say whether that period runs before the transfer, after it, or both. They also do not list exactly which securities count. Ask your bank before you send.
To receive a transfer from home you need a local account. Opening one before you have an ID card is hard. Opening a bank account before you have an ID card explains what to expect.
We found no current figures on what money-transfer shops pay out in pesos. So we do not compare them here.
Advice to bring cash and change it on the street, or to use a transfer shop for a better rate, comes from the years of the gap. With the rates this close, it no longer holds.
Peso prices rise every month. Inflation was 1.7% in August 2026 and 33.5% over twelve months. A central bank survey expected about 30% for 2026 as a whole.
Many costs are adjusted often. New leases usually adjust the rent at set intervals. The most common pattern: Quarterly CPI (IPC); four-monthly and six-monthly also exist.
A peso price you see today is a snapshot. Expect peso amounts to change.
This page explains the rules and the rates. It does not tell you where to keep your money or how to invest it. For tax questions, speak to an accountant.
Some residency routes ask you to show a regular income. See the routes you may fit in the Route Finder. Then read Is Argentina still cheap? to plan your monthly budget.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, talk to a lawyer
Each route page sets out the test, what you need and what it costs.
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