Buenos Aires

Expensas (a mandatory building maintenance fee: concierge, lift, cleaning, water) are not included in rent and are paid on top of it. The city average for expensas was 336,960 pesos in May 2026 (a ConsorcioAbierto survey of about 13,000 buildings), up 30.5% over the year. For a three-room flat in Palermo, about 300,000 pesos in June 2026. A building with a pool, a gym and security costs noticeably more; an old building without a lift costs less. For a family this is 20–30% on top of the rent, and when comparing listings it is the main hidden cost.

Average listing price according to the city statistics office IDECBA for Q2 2026 (Argenprop listings database, preliminary data), second-hand flats of the “3 ambientes” type, meaning a living room and two bedrooms, calculation basis 70 m². By barrio: Caballito – ARS 1,176,184, Recoleta – ARS 1,207,040, Palermo – ARS 1,307,505, Belgrano – ARS 1,318,512, Villa Urquiza – ARS 1,353,564, Núñez – ARS 1,406,326 (the most expensive). The city average is ARS 1,174,304. The cheapest three-room flats are in Montserrat (ARS 913,360), Balvanera (ARS 956,852) and Constitución (ARS 961,531), but these are central districts with a different reputation for safety. Over the year such flats rose 34.8% against city inflation of 32.6%. The price does not include expensas (the building maintenance fee) or utilities.

IDECBA, Q2 2026: the average listing price for a monoambiente (calculation basis 30 m²) is ARS 565,658 a month, for a “2 ambientes” (a living room and one bedroom, basis 43 m²) ARS 764,485. The spread between barrios is noticeably smaller for small flats than for large ones: a monoambiente ranges from ARS 483,648 in Liniers to ARS 624,268 in Saavedra, a one-bedroom from ARS 635,720 in Constitución to ARS 880,824 in Saavedra. In Palermo a one-bedroom is ARS 839,053, in Belgrano ARS 814,247, in Caballito ARS 767,392, in Villa Urquiza ARS 817,316. The price per metre is higher for small flats: ARS 18,855 per m² for studios against ARS 16,776 for three-room flats.

IDECBA, Q2 2026: rental supply by number of rooms is 33.3% monoambiente, 41.2% “2 ambientes” (one bedroom), 19.7% “3 ambientes” (two bedrooms), 5.8% four and five rooms. So almost three quarters of listings are homes with one bedroom at most, and a family with two children chooses from about a quarter of the market. At the same time, supply overall is a record for the whole series of observations: 9% above the previous maximum, recorded in July–September 2025.

IDECBA, Q2 2026: on average 25.4% of rental listings are priced in dollars. For two-bedroom flats the share is almost 30%, for four- and five-room flats 44%. The difference between districts is sharp: communes 14 (Palermo), 13 (Belgrano, Núñez, Colegiales) and 2 (Recoleta) account for 61% of all dollar listings, and together with commune 1 (the centre, Puerto Madero, Retiro) for 82%; in the other eleven communes the share is below 1%. The practical conclusion: the peso figures in this guide describe the market for locals, while a family with dollar income looking for a large flat in the north of the city will more often face dollar price tags.

According to the Zonaprop index for August 2026: an average two-room flat (one bedroom) in CABA costs ARS 886,527 a month, a three-room flat ARS 1,196,413; in August prices rose 1.5%, since the start of 2026 by 19.2% against estimated inflation of 21.5%, and over the last 12 months by 29.9%. The most expensive barrio is Puerto Madero (ARS 1,252,366 for a two-room flat), followed by Núñez (ARS 995,838) and Palermo (ARS 990,748); the cheapest are Lugano (ARS 654,776), Nueva Pompeya (ARS 700,324) and Parque Avellaneda (ARS 720,780). Zonaprop figures are higher than the official IDECBA figures for Q2 2026: this is a different sample of listings and a later month, so an honest benchmark for a two-room flat lies between ARS 764k and ARS 887k for mid-to-late 2026.

Average price per square metre of second-hand housing in listings in Q2 2026 (Argenprop listings database): citywide USD 2,561 per m² for one-room flats, USD 2,343 for two-room and USD 2,160 for three-room – the bigger the flat, the cheaper the metre. By barrio for three-room flats: Palermo – USD 2,855, Núñez – USD 2,909, Belgrano – USD 2,797; at the other end Villa Lugano (USD 974–1,437) and La Boca (USD 1,529 per metre for one-room flats), at the top Puerto Madero (USD 5,582–6,296). New builds are more expensive on average: USD 3,105–3,349 per m². The sum in the range was calculated by us: 70 m² (the city method counts a three-room flat as exactly that) multiplied by USD 2,160 and USD 2,855, that is roughly USD 151–200k; this is not a price from a specific listing but a benchmark, and actual listings for Caballito, Villa Urquiza and Recoleta were not checked separately. Property in Argentina is traditionally sold for dollars and paid for in cash.

IDECBA, August 2026: the full consumption basket (Canasta Total) for “Hogar 1” – a couple aged 35, both working, and two children aged 9 and 6 – is ARS 2,082,845 a month; in July it was ARS 2,047,179, a year ago ARS 1,562,034. An important caveat: the basket is calculated for a family that owns its home, so rent is not included. Adding the average three-room flat in the city (ARS 1,174,304 for Q2 2026), we get about ARS 3.3 million a month, and in Palermo or Belgrano closer to ARS 3.4–3.5 million. Separately, the city calculates the poverty line for the same family: ARS 1,651,798 a month. All amounts are in pesos for August 2026; to convert to dollars, use the exchange rate of that month, as the official and “blue” rates differ in Argentina. The field used for comparing cities holds the official poverty line for a family with two children without rent – 1,651,798 pesos (IDECBA, August 2026); 2,082,845 is the higher city consumption basket.

IDECBA, August 2026: the food basket (Canasta Alimentaria) for a family of two adults and two children aged 9 and 6 is ARS 985,617 a month at Buenos Aires city prices; in July it was ARS 969,223, in August 2025 ARS 731,502, so up 34.7% over the year. The narrower basket used to calculate the extreme poverty line (Canasta Básica Alimentaria) is ARS 903,930. This is the cost of a set of foods, not actual supermarket spending: household chemicals, cafés and delivery are not included.

For “Hogar 1” (a couple aged 35 with two children, owned housing) IDECBA calculates the income band limits for August 2026: up to ARS 903,930 – extreme poverty, up to ARS 1,651,798 – poverty, from ARS 1,651,798 to ARS 2,082,845 – “non-poor vulnerable”, from ARS 2,082,845 to ARS 2,603,556 – “fragile middle stratum”, from ARS 2,603,556 to ARS 8,331,380 – middle class, above that – affluent. The benchmark is useful for working out remote income: to live in Buenos Aires as a middle-class family and also rent a home, you need to add the rent to the lower limit.

According to calculations by the IIEP (UBA-CONICET) tariff observatory for a typical AMBA household without subsidies, September 2026: electricity – ARS 49,770 a month, mains gas – ARS 49,370, water – ARS 42,576, about ARS 141,700 in total. In August, at the peak of the heating season, it was more expensive: electricity ARS 61,308, gas ARS 61,613, water ARS 42,975, about ARS 165,900 in total. Together with public transport (ARS 126,689 per family), the services basket in September came to ARS 268,405 – 7.3% less than in August and 55% more than a year ago. Important: these are bills without subsidies, tariffs cover about 58% of costs, and on top of them people in apartment buildings pay expensas, a building maintenance fee that is not included in these statistics.

Edesur table under ENReGE resolution 535/26, in force from 1 September 2026, tariff T1 for housing, the “without subsidy” column. Values are given without IVA and other taxes. The category is determined by monthly consumption; fixed monthly charge and price per kWh: R1 (0–150 kWh) – 1,730.55 and 156.576 pesos; R2 (151–400) – 3,632.46 and 157.139; R3 (401–500) – 11,890.21 and 169.089; R4 (501–600) – 19,389.87 and 173.129; R5 (601–700) – 41,924.30 and 185.379; R6 (over 700) – 63,617.47 and 202.001. The threshold at 400 kWh is sharp: in R3 the fixed charge more than triples. Example: 300 kWh a month (a family with an air conditioner or heater) falls into R2, that is 3,632.46 + 300 × 157.139 = about 50,774 pesos without taxes, with 21% IVA about 61,400 (40 dollars); all 300 kWh are charged at the rate of their own category. This is arithmetic on the published tariff, not anyone's real bill; a real bill has other taxes and charges as well. For households receiving the state discount, the price in the same table is lower: in R2 the first 200 kWh at 59.274 pesos and the rest at 157.139. Edesur serves part of the city, the rest is served by Edenor; we did not open the Edenor table, and its values are different.

Metrogas tariffs for housing in Buenos Aires (Capital Federal), September 2026, without the state SEF discount and without taxes; the same figures are in the official ENReGE file. The price of gas with transport is the same for all categories R1–R3 – 316.16 pesos per m³; what changes is the fixed charge, which grows with annual consumption: R1 (up to 500 m³ a year) – 4,432.10 pesos; R2 1° (501–650 m³) – 13,139.97; R2 2° (651–800) – 15,939.36; R2 3° (801–1,000) – 20,150.15; R3 1° (1,001–1,250) – 24,824.42; R3 2° (1,251–1,500) – 32,563.91; R3 3° (1,501–1,800) – 44,473.38; R3 4° (over 1,800) – 53,812.58. The ranges come from ENARGAS resolution I-409/08. Example for a family with gas heating whose annual consumption is about 700 m³ (category R2 2°): 30 m³ in summer – 15,939.36 + 30 × 316.16 = about 25,400 pesos without taxes (17 dollars), 100 m³ in winter – 15,939.36 + 100 × 316.16 = about 47,555 pesos (31 dollars); with 21% IVA roughly 30,800 and 57,500 (a real bill has other taxes as well). In the Metrogas PDF the row is labelled “Cargo Fijo $/mes”, that is, the fixed charge is monthly (in the ENReGE Excel file the label is just “$”). This is arithmetic on the published tariff, not anyone's real bill. In many flats gas is used only for the stove and water heating, and then the category is R1 and the summer bill is about 13,900 pesos without taxes.

Buenos Aires has about 350 private schools that receive a state subsidy, and for them the city education ministry sets maximum fees (aranceles) by a separate DGEGP disposición, revising them several times during the school year. From September 2026 the ceilings rose by another 4.2% and are as follows: primary school on the jornada simple schedule with a 100% subsidy – up to ARS 44,300 a month, with a 40% subsidy – up to ARS 224,300; secondary school – from ARS 54,700 to ARS 296,700; technical school – from ARS 62,700 to ARS 339,600. Schools that receive no subsidy at all (including well-known bilingual ones) are not covered by this scale and set their own prices – their fees were not checked here. State schools in the city are free, and a migrant child's right to a place in them is guaranteed at the national level.

Private health insurance (prepaga) in Argentina is priced per family member, not as a single family rate: mid-level plans cost 110–280k pesos a month per person, and OSDE 210 cost 284,997 pesos per person in September 2026. The large companies offer discounts for big families, so the total for a couple with two children is usually less than four times the price, but it is still comparable to the rent. Prices are revised almost every month: in September 2026 they rose by 2–3%.

Resolution 1054/MSGC/2025 of the city health ministry (in force from 14 March 2025, annex updated by resolution 913/MSGC/2026): foreigners with the status of “permanent resident” or “temporary resident” under national law 25.871 use the city health system on the same terms as citizens, that is, free of charge. For those who do not have an Argentine DNI (tourists, transit residents, and also people with residencia precaria until a DNI is issued), elective procedures – CT scans, MRI, hospital admission, surgery – are paid: the hospital draws up an estimate, and it can be covered by travel insurance, through the consulate of your country, or by a transfer to the account of the hospital's supporting foundation (cooperadora). Urgent and emergency care cannot be refused under any circumstances; it is free for everyone. The practical conclusion for a family: while residency and the DNI are being processed, elective medical care has to be covered by insurance or a private clinic.

Summary report of the city's “Crime Map” for 2025: 78 intentional homicides, 2.53 cases per 100k residents – the lowest figure in the whole series of observations since 1995 (in 2024 it was 2.59 and 80 cases, in 2016 4.77, so down 47% over nine years). The city figure is lower than the national one (3.7 by the city's calculation) and noticeably lower than that of Buenos Aires province (4.34), so the suburbs are more dangerous than the city itself. Robberies fell by 27% in 2025. By structure of homicides: 27% – quarrels and revenge, 18% – during a robbery, 13% – family violence, 10% – femicides. This report has no statistics by barrio, so a district cannot be chosen on this figure – it describes the city as a whole.

Fares from 1 September 2026 (an increase of about 4%): metro – ARS 1,753 per trip with a SUBE card registered in your name, ARS 1,402.40 from the 21st trip in a month, ARS 1,227.10 from the 31st, about ARS 1,022–1,052 from the 41st (the official Red SUBE and city tables differ in the last row). Without a registered card the metro costs about ARS 2,524. City bus by distance: up to 3 km – ARS 887.99, 3–6 km – ARS 986.70, 6–12 km – ARS 1,062.70, 12–27 km – ARS 1,138.77; without a registered card the same trips cost ARS 1,411.90–1,810.64. There is a social fare of ARS 613.55 and a student fare of ARS 245.42. According to IIEP (UBA-CONICET) calculations, in September 2026 a typical AMBA family spent ARS 126,689 a month on public transport – the largest item in the services basket, more than electricity and gas combined.

According to the 1991–2020 climate normals, the average July temperature in Buenos Aires is 11.5 °C, the average minimum 8 °C, the average maximum 16 °C; the annual average is 18.4 °C, in January 25.2 °C. Winter is mild and changeable: a northerly wind can bring +25 °C in the middle of winter, the southerly “pampero” daytime highs of +10 °C and below. On the coldest nights of the year the temperature drops to about 0 °C in the central districts by the river and to -3...-4 °C on the south-western outskirts. Snow is an exceptional event: it last fell in July 2007, and before that in 1918. Heating in flats is nonetheless needed, and the dampness at high humidity feels stronger than the thermometer shows.

1991–2020 normals: about 1,250–1,260 mm of precipitation a year and 77 days with rain. There is no pronounced dry season, but there is seasonality: the maximum falls in summer (January 134 mm, February 129 mm) and autumn (April 130 mm), the minimum in winter (June 62 mm, August 70 mm, July 74 mm). Summer rain is more often short afternoon thunderstorms, so the city gets a lot of sun, about 2,385 hours a year. The flip side is heavy downpours: on 31 May 1985 the city received 300 mm in a single day, and there was a major flood on 2 April 2013. The risk of flooding in Buenos Aires depends heavily on the specific address (low-lying areas and filled-in stream beds), and the city risk maps were not checked for this guide – look at them before signing a contract.

Home fibre in the city, provider prices for August–September 2026: Movistar 300 Mbps symmetric – ARS 21,500 a month on promotion against a list price of ARS 75,199; Claro 500 Mbps – ARS 21,999 on promotion against a list price of ARS 65,289; Telecentro 300 Mbps with a landline – ARS 13,999 for new connections, 1000 Mbps – ARS 26,999; iplan 500 Mbps – ARS 35,774 without promotions. Universo Net openly publishes both prices: ARS 29,871 promo and ARS 99,570 list price for the same 300 Mbps, and the discount lasts 6 months. The practical conclusion: when moving, count the list price, not the advertised one, because after about six months to a year you will have to pay it. Coverage in the central and northern barrios is dense – iplan, for example, lists Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, Núñez, Villa Urquiza, Caballito, Colegiales and about ten more districts.