Buenos Aires on a budget
Budget travelers can work Buenos Aires on roughly $25–35 USD per day — a hostel dorm in San Telmo, empanadas from a corner ventanilla, and the Subte for transport. Midrange sits around $80 with a private Airbnb in Palermo and sit-down parrilla dinners. The peso's instability means these numbers shift month to month, so check the current exchange rate before you land.
Questions budget travelers ask about Buenos Aires
-
Cost per day
Budget travelers can work Buenos Aires on roughly $25–35 USD per day — a hostel dorm in San Telmo, empanadas from a corner ventanilla, and the Subte for transport. Midrange sits around $80 with a private Airbnb in Palermo and sit-down parrilla dinners. The peso's instability means these numbers shift month to month, so check the current exchange rate before you land.
Read the full answer → -
What to avoid
Skip Caminito beyond the painted facades, Puerto Madero's waterfront restaurants charging double for mediocre steaks, and Florida Street leather shops. Watch for the mustard-squirt distraction theft and fake blue-dollar changers who short-count or pass counterfeits. Take remises from Ezeiza — metered taxis from the airport run rigged meters or circle through Constitución.
Read the full answer → -
Getting around
SUBE card on the Subte for the centre, colectivos for everything else, and Uber or Cabify when the buses confuse you. Buy a SUBE at any kiosko for around 3,000 ARS, load it with cash, and you cover buses, trains, and the six-line metro. Taxis work fine but ride-hail apps run cheaper and skip the meter negotiation.
Read the full answer → -
Airport to city
From Ezeiza (EZE), take the Tienda León shuttle bus to Terminal Madero — around $20-25 USD, roughly 50 minutes, every 30 minutes until late evening. From there, grab a taxi or rideshare to your hotel. For door-to-door comfort, pre-book a remis at the counters inside arrivals. Never follow anyone offering rides in the hall.
Read the full answer → -
Food culture
Buenos Aires runs on beef, late dinners, and a café ritual that treats 4pm as sacred. Parrillas slow-grill asado over wood embers for hours. Pizza here is thick, doughy, and nothing like Italy's — order it with fainá on top. Dinner rarely starts before 10pm. The best eating happens in neighborhood bodegones where the menu hasn't changed since the 1970s.
Read the full answer →
Curated for budget travelers
Browse experiences
Food & Drink in Buenos AiresOther traveler types
- For foodies
Buenos Aires for foodies
- For families with kids
Buenos Aires for families
- For digital nomads
Buenos Aires for digital nomads
- For solo travelers
Buenos Aires for solo travelers
- For couples
Buenos Aires for couples
- For luxury travelers
Buenos Aires for luxury travelers
- For first-timers
Buenos Aires for first-time visitors