The easy way in is a furnished temporary let. A long-term lease asks for proof of income and a guarantee. What each option costs, what agencies ask for, and what to pay before you move in.
Fuentes
Esta guía está escrita en inglés hasta que su versión en castellano tenga la misma revisión legal. A continuación, el texto en inglés.
You can rent without an Argentine ID card, but the easiest way in is a furnished temporary let, often priced in dollars. A standard long-term lease asks for proof of income and a guarantee, and you pay several costs before you get the keys.
The rental market "is built around the Argentine citizen with DNI", as one rental platform puts it. A separate market of furnished, dollar-priced lets serves foreigners.
Since the old rental law was repealed, the hard part is often not the price. A July 2026 report named the main obstacles: Income proof and guarantees, rather than price.
There is more to choose from than before. Rental listings in Buenos Aires City jumped 62% in January 2024, just after the repeal. More than 16,000 flats were on offer in July 2026.
A temporary let, an alquiler temporario (temporary let), is a furnished, equipped flat on a short contract. In Buenos Aires, supply is concentrated in Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano, San Telmo.
Sources disagree on how long these contracts can run. One describes them as lasting up to 3 months. Others describe longer furnished lets. The rule is unclear, so read the term in your contract and do not assume you can extend it.
Many are priced in dollars. In Recoleta, a large share of listings is published directly in dollars.
Crowd-sourced figures for a furnished 85 m² flat in Buenos Aires are ARS 960,377 (about USD 620 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) in a normal area and ARS 1,404,840 (about USD 910 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) in an expensive one. We have no dated price list for furnished lets by neighbourhood.
A 2023 emergency decree, DNU 70/2023, repealed the old rental law. Landlord and tenant now agree the term, the currency and how the rent is adjusted.
If the contract sets no term for a home, the default is 2 years. The legal maximum for housing is 20 years. Leases signed before the change keep their original terms.
New leases usually adjust the rent for inflation at set intervals. The most common pattern: Quarterly CPI (IPC); four-monthly and six-monthly also exist.
Our source for these lease rules is a secondary guide. Ask a lawyer to read any lease before you sign.
A typical file for a long-term lease in Palermo: DNI "or passport for foreigners", last three payslips or monotributo income certification, a guarantee, and a one-month deposit.
Agencies usually want the rent plus the expensas (building charges) to be no more than 30% to 35% of household income. This is agency practice, not law.
If your income comes from abroad, ask early how the agency will check it. We have not found a source that says whether guarantee insurers accept a tenant with only foreign income and no DNI. Ask before you pay anything.
Agencies usually ask for a guarantee as well. These are the main kinds.
A property guarantee, the garantía propietaria (property guarantee). Someone who owns property backs your lease. They show Title deed and registry reports. Palermo agencies want the property to be in CABA or Buenos Aires Province. It is the cheapest option. But the guarantor puts their own property at stake, and fewer people are willing to do it.
Guarantee insurance, the seguro de caución (guarantee insurance). An insurer backs the lease for a fee. A May 2026 report put the cost at 4% to 7% of the total contract value. The price depends on the term, your declared income and your credit history. Online approval takes 24 hours to 72 hours. Payment: Often in instalments or by card. Not every agency accepts every insurer, so ask which ones it takes.
A guarantee company. A company acts as your guarantor. A June 2026 report put the fee at 4% to 8% of the contract. Approval depends on your income and credit record.
Other options, at the owner's discretion: Income guarantee (free, at the owner's discretion), double or triple deposit (2-3 months up front), bank guarantee, co-debtor, renting direct from owners.
Before you move in, expect to pay:
Who pays the agency commission in Buenos Aires City is not confirmed in our sources. In Bariloche, agencies generally charge the tenant 1 month's rent. Deposit norms since the repeal are not confirmed either.
Ask for every cost in writing. Add them up before you start looking.
For scale, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom flat in Buenos Aires City was ARS 886,527 (about USD 580 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) in August 2026. Is Argentina still cheap? compares cities.
Read How to read a listing before you start searching. If you have not chosen a residency route yet, see the routes you may fit in the Route Finder.
Esto es información general, no asesoramiento legal. Para asesoramiento sobre tu situación particular, hablá con un abogado
Cada página de ruta explica el requisito, qué necesitás y cuánto cuesta.
Fuentes