Not for people earning in dollars. Planning estimates for one person in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Mendoza, what rent and everyday things cost, and what the estimates leave out.
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Esta guía está escrita en inglés hasta que su versión en castellano tenga la misma revisión legal. A continuación, el texto en inglés.
No. Argentina is no longer cheap for people who earn in dollars, though it is not as dear as some headlines suggest. A planning estimate for one person, with rent but without health cover, runs from USD 1,450 to USD 1,650 a month in Buenos Aires.
Two things set what you pay. One is prices in pesos. The other is how many pesos you get for each dollar.
Peso prices still rise every month. Inflation was 1.7% in August 2026, and 33.5% over twelve months. That is far below 2024, when inflation for the year was 117.8%.
The exchange rate has not kept pace with prices. In May 2026 the IMF said the peso had strengthened in real terms since the end of 2025. In plain terms, each dollar buys less in Argentina than it did.
One study at April 2026 prices compared Argentina with nine countries, including the US, Brazil, Chile and France. Argentina was dearer for 47% of the food and drink products in the comparison.
These are planning estimates built from crowd-sourced data and published in September 2026. They include rent. They do not include health cover.
| City | Lower estimate | Higher estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | USD 1,450 | USD 1,650 |
| Córdoba | USD 1,125 | USD 1,300 |
| Mendoza | USD 1,105 | USD 1,300 |
In Buenos Aires, the lower figure is for living outside the centre and the higher one for living in it.
Without rent, the same source puts one person's monthly spending at ARS 1,370,869 (about USD 890 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) in Buenos Aires, ARS 1,246,199 (about USD 810 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) in Córdoba and ARS 1,175,508 (about USD 760 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) in Mendoza.
Other crowd-sourced sites give different totals. Treat every figure here as a starting point for your own budget, not a quote.
The rent surveys below are for long-term, unfurnished flats priced in pesos. In August 2026 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 Palermo it was ARS 990,748 (about USD 640 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026). In Lugano, one of the cheapest barrios, it was ARS 654,776 (about USD 430 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026).
Elsewhere:
A furnished flat costs more. 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.
Rent surveys often leave out the monthly building charges, the expensas (building charges). In Palermo the median was ARS 200,000 (about USD 130 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) a month. How to read a listing explains what to check.
Prices from September 2026, compiled from crowd-sourced and official data:
Utilities are harder to pin down. For an 85 m² flat in Buenos Aires, one source puts them at ARS 323,889 (about USD 210 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026) a month and another at ARS 153,235 (about USD 100 at ARS 1,540 on 6 October 2026). Housing and utilities were the fastest-rising prices in August 2026, up 2.8% in the month.
Imported goods are expensive. So are mobile phones. A 2026 report from a diplomatic posting suggests buying your phone before you arrive.
It depends on the city, the neighbourhood and how you live. Write your own budget from the lines above. Then add health cover and the residency costs for your route.
Some residency routes ask you to show a regular income. Compare your budget with the routes you may fit in the Route Finder. Then read Bringing and spending money to see how you will get your money here.
Cada página de ruta explica el requisito, qué necesitás y cuánto cuesta.
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