Want to know the Secrets to FIND HOUSING in Buenos Aires?

If you’re looking for a long-term housing contract in Buenos Aires, this blog post will walk you through the basics.

Whether you’re looking for a vacation rental or long-term housing in Buenos Aires, it can all feel overwhelming. In Argentina, it can feel extra complicated, with factors like inflation and getting a garantia.

I hope I can simplify things in this blog post for you, to make housing in Buenos Aires feel a bit less overwhelming. This blog will focus on finding long-term housing.

What you’ll find in this post is from my personal experience of renting an apartment in Buenos Aires in 2022. Because this is Argentina, there are several possible experiences of getting an apartment, as not everyone follows the law here.

Where to Look for Apartments in Buenos Aires

Usually, Airbnb is my go-to housing search when I want to rent for a month or longer. In Argentina, however, things are a bit more complicated. Airbnb’s are expensive, and local housing is much more affordable. If you’re comfortable paying higher prices for the convenience, things like Airbnb and Vrbo are worth it.

Have a look at the 31 things you should know before coming to Argentina, and what you need to know before you arrive in Buenos Aires, to help you get situated.

Housing websites

If you want to try something more local, check out these websites:
Mercado Libre
ZonaProp
Argenprop
Alternativa

Some properties are listed for rent by the owner (dueño directo), or by a property management company (Inmobiliaria or Buenas Raices). Increasingly, though, the majority of the posts on these sites are made by property management companies.

They will want to charge you up to 20% commission, and sometimes more, depending on the number of months you want to stay.

A local contact

If you’re looking for long-term housing in Buenos Aires, for at least 3 months or more, you can contact a friend who assists with this. His assistant’s name is Martin.

His WhatsApp number is: +54 11 3394 7767. You can tell him that you got his number from Nicki.

Ask at random apartment buildings

When looking for an apartment, we simply went to random apartment buildings we liked and asked to speak to the building manager. These apartments often have available apartments that aren’t listed on websites. If you can work directly with the building manager, you can cut out the middleman.

Cost of Apartments in Argentina

If you’re curious about the general cost of living in Argentina, check out this blog post where I lay it all out.

In Buenos Aires, I paid USD 400/month for a one-bedroom apartment in the Balvanera neighborhood. When I lived in Córdoba Capital, I paid about USD 250/month in the Alberdi neighborhood.

In the major cities of big Argentina, like Córdoba and Buenos Aires, you can find prices anywhere between $400-$1500/month. Finding a great apartment at an affordable price is not impossible; it will just take a little more effort than using Airbnb.

[Get my Ultimate 10-day Buenos Aires itinerary here]

Inflation in Argentina is Very Real

When I first rented my apartment in Córdoba in February 2022, I paid 46,000 pesos. When I rented the same apartment again a few months later, the price went up to 50,000 pesos. The peso had increased against the dollar, so even though the peso price increased, it was more affordable for me since I had exchanged at a good rate.

In 2025, that price in pesos would be somewhere closer to 300,000 pesos.

Because of inflation and the fluctuation of the peso/dollar, prices will change. That is normal. Even if you sign a 3-year contract at a certain price, you can expect that after one year, the price will increase. You will not be paying the same peso amount by year 3 as you did in year 1 of the contract. However, the dollar amount will be about the same, more or less.

Differing Prices in Buenos Aires

Prices will differ for apartments depending on the neighborhood. If you’re looking in a more upscale neighborhood like Belgrano or Palermo, prices will reflect that accordingly. Prices will be lower in other neighborhoods like San Telmo, Monserrat, Almagro, etc. Prices will always be higher on Airbnb.

I’ve seen nice apartments in Belgrano rent for $400/week, with a 2-week maximum stay. Many apartments you find on Airbnb will be in the $700-$1200/month range.

You will always find more affordable prices off of Airbnb, and on the more local sites listed above. For example, a one-bedroom apartment with 24-hour security, a rooftop swimming pool, gym, laundry room, etc., can be found for around $400/mo on Mercado Libre or Zonaprop.

You just have to be willing to put in the extra effort of organizing visits, gathering the documents, paying in cash, possibly paying several months in advance, etc.

Housing in Buenos Aires: Key Words to Know

• Alquiler– The Rent
• Alquiler Temporal – Seasonal Rent
• Venta – Sell
• Ubicacion – Location
• Buscar – Search
• Barrio – Neighborhood
• Expensas – Expenses
• Vendedor – Seller (or renter)
• Inmobiliaria/Buenas Raices – Property Management Company
• Dueño Directo – Owner (work directly with the owner)
• Departamento – Apartment
• Ambiente – Room (literally atmosphere)
• Monoambiente – A studio apartment
• Dos ambientes – An apartment with a living room and one bedroom
• Tres ambientes – An apartment with a living room and two bedrooms
• Pileta – Swimming Pool
• Terraza – Terrace
• Amenities – Amenities, but usually this would include a swimming pool, gym, etc.
• Inmuebles – Structure (like any building)
• Heladera – Refrigerator
• Lavaropa – Washing Machine (laundry)

Going to Argentina soon? Get Ready at a glance:

Get travel medical insurance with SafetyWing.
Book your stay with Booking.com.
Check Flights with Skyscanner or Hopper.
Rent a car with RentalCars.com or Discover Cars.
Download the Airalo app and get an Argentine eSIM.
Purchase the Ultimate Buenos Aires guidebook.
See all my Argentina guides on the Thatch app.
Take a tour with GetYourGuide or Viator.
Have a 1:1 consultation with me in advance!

Renting Laws in Argentina

Requirements

If you’re looking for a long-term housing situation, you can count on these official rules and requirements:

1. Tenants are required to sign a 3-year contract with their landlords.
2. The tenant is required to provide their DNI (national tax ID number) and proof of income.
3. The tenant is required to find a garantia (guarantor- someone who owns property in Buenos Aires, and is willing to vouch for you. Basically, if you don’t pay your rent, the landlord can go after the property of your guarantor.
4. Generally, you’ll need to pay 2 months’ rent in advance (deposit, first month’s rent)

That said, this is Argentina, and rules don’t always apply. Technically, it’s a law that an owner or an intermediary cannot charge a commission to the renter (the owner should be paying this), though you will sometimes find this not to be true.

We have been asked to pay an additional month’s rent for commission while on our search for apartments. If this happens, then you may need to come up with 3 months of rent before moving in (first month, deposit, commission). This is becoming increasingly common on the rental websites.

It is also technically the law that the renter should not be paying the “informes,” which are the documents that need to be signed (garantia, proof of income, etc.); however, sometimes you might be asked to pay them. The average price should be about 7 USD per page (paid in pesos), though we have been asked to pay up to the equivalent of USD 32 per page.

Informes

The ‘informes‘ we needed to gather were:

1. Recibo de sueldo (Receipt of salary)
2. Photocopy of the DNI
3. Guarantia inmobiliaria (guarantor)

For #3, the guarantor needs to provide an Informe de dominio del inmueble (Proof of ownership of the property). Also, if there are multiple owners of the property, each person on the title needs to provide an informe de inhibicion (inhibition report- basically stating they are willing to be your guarantor).

While the ‘garantia‘ is also technically a law, you can often get around this by paying several months in advance. The garantia is just to prove that the owner won’t get screwed out of payment. So if you offer to pay 6 months to one year in advance, they might take you up on that and waive the garantia.

I should note here also that, as a foreigner, they did not ask to see any of my documents. I do not have a DNI, and I did not have to sign the contract. This is because my boyfriend is an Argentine citizen, and they were fine to accept only his income and DNI.

If it were just me, a lone foreigner, my best bet would be to get the garantia and various extra documents waived by offering to pay several months in advance.

The Process of Renting in Buenos Aires

Search online at the above websites. You can use the filters to search for exactly what you want (price, location, rooms, etc.). The websites usually list the specific address (unlike Airbnb), and the phone number or WhatsApp number for the contact person.

It is common practice in Argentina to communicate via WhatsApp, so feel free to send a message to the owner/intermediary and set up an appointment. Once you have made your appointment, head over to meet them and see the place. Try to be on time, but don’t be surprised if they’re running late.

Remember to take photos and videos of each place you look at, as they might get mixed up if you’re looking at several.

Don’t take it personally if you feel the landlord doesn’t trust you. In Argentina, the economy is so unstable that nobody ever fully trusts that anyone will pay what they owe.

If you’re just looking to rent short-term, you will probably not be required to do a ton of extra document gathering and meetings. Rather, it will be just a quick meeting to hand over the money and get the keys.

If you’re looking to rent long-term, there will most likely be some back and forth with the owner/intermediary while you gather documents. Once you have all your documents together, you’ll arrange a time to meet at the apartment. Both parties will sign the documents, you’ll pay, and get the keys.

In our situation, we received the keys to our new apartment about 5 days before the start of our first month. Because we had paid everything, taken care of all the tasks, and signed all the documents, they allowed us to move in early.

Housing in Buenos Aires: After You Move In

Buying Furniture in Buenos Aires

Now you’re all moved in, and you’re going to want to furnish your place, right? The place in the city to find furniture is along Avenida Belgrano in the Balvanera neighborhood.

There are blocks and blocks of furniture stores for all different types of budgets. There are specialty shops for babies, sofa beds, chairs, etc. Give yourself a Saturday afternoon to peruse as many shops as possible to get a good idea of prices and items.

Just keep in mind that ordering furniture can take up to several days or weeks. We bought a beautiful dark green sofa off the floor from Cirik Muebles (we loved working with them), so we were able to get it delivered the following weekend (it could have been the same day if we wanted).

We had originally considered ordering a couch in Mustard yellow. Because it was going to take 40 days to arrive, we decided against it. The plus side is that we could have chosen both the color and fabric type we wanted if we were willing to wait for it.

You can also get great prices on furniture and home goods at the Mercado de Frutos in Tigre.

Vintage and used furniture

There are a ton of antique shops around the San Telmo area if you’re looking for more antique or vintage styles to furnish your apartment and add some unique details. However, they do tend to come with a much higher price tag.

There is a flea market (mercado de las pulgas) in Colegiales where you can pass through a massive covered market with tons of old furniture. You will have to dig. Plan on spending a lot of time there.

Our favorite second-hand furniture shop is on the northwest corner of Rincón and Moreno in the Balvanera neighborhood (can’t find the name for it). You can find actual deals on antiques here. We got old antique lamps for about $10 each.

In the United States, the Salvation Army is a place where you can find used goods at a very reasonable price. Here in Buenos Aires, the Ejército de Salvación is a huge rip-off. We found several items here to be the same price, or near the same price as brand new furniture in Balvanera. It’s a bit far from the center, and I would recommend against taking the time to head out there.

Get your furniture made in Buenos Aires

One more furniture option is to buy furniture from a wood shop (maderera) if you don’t mind painting it yourself. We went to several stores to check out the goods.

At Fierro (exactly on the corner of Av. Belgrano and Combate de los Pozos in Balvanera), they will even make furniture for you with custom measurements. We bought a 1m wide round table for 75 USD. That is half the price of the new tables we found. We just had to paint and varnish it ourselves.

Andre’s Calidad (Av. Independencia 1534) has several pre-made pieces but does not do custom orders. However, we found the best prices here for nightstands, stools, and shelves.

Maderera San Juan (Av. San Juan 3020) does do custom orders, though slightly more expensive than at Fierro. However, they don’t do round tables. They have several varnish and acrylic paint as well. This is also the place to buy tiny furniture for your dollhouse.

Articen (Av La Plata 757) is another wood shop that has several pre-made pieces but does not do custom orders.

Buying Home Goods in Buenos Aires

If you’re looking for home goods, including dishes, sheets, rugs, etc. I found Coto to be the best resource. There are a few very large Cotos that have two levels. I found the Coto in Barracas (Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos 151, Buenos Aires) to have a great variety of products at very affordable prices.

If you have a DNI or an Argentine friend who can help you out, Mercado Libre is a great resource. It’s the Amazon of South America, but unfortunately can only be used with a DNI. You can find a wide variety of products with great prices and fast delivery.

Arredo is a chain store around the city with home goods as well, but they do tend to have a bit of a higher price point. There are a couple of Arredo Factory locations that are more of an outlet store, and you can get discount prices if you don’t mind a stain or some other mistake (from minor to major) in the manufacturing process.

Colombraro is another chain store that specializes in plastics. It’s a great place to buy hangers, trash cans, organizing bins, etc. It does tend to be a bit more expensive than other places, but you can find a lot of things all at once. It’s like Target if Target were full of nothing but plastic.

I hate describing these shops as this, but Argentines call them “Chinos,” as they are primarily Chinese-owned. They are variety stores that have everything. I love walking into these shops to have a look around. They are full of a ton of items, from candles to notebooks to picture frames to socks. You’re bound to find something you need in here at a great price. They can be found all over the city.

Getting Internet in Buenos Aires

Of course, you’ll want wifi once you move in. Unfortunately, in Argentina, it’s a process that can sometimes take time. Try to research in advance the companies that service the area you want to live in. Not all companies serve all areas of the city. If possible, try to schedule your installation as soon as possible.

When we were trying to get our wifi installed, the answer we kept getting was “we’ll call you.” That didn’t sound very promising. Ultimately, it took us about 10 days to finally have wifi once we moved in, using Alpha2000.

Here is a (not complete) list of companies that provide wifi in Buenos Aires to give you a bit of a head start:
Movistar
Tele-Centro
Claro
Alpha2000
Fibertel
Personal

Housing in Buenos Aires: Final Thoughts

Because Argentina has so much to offer in terms of nature, city life, and affordability, it is increasingly becoming a hotspot for digital nomads. Because of this, prices are soaring. In 2022, prices in Buenos Aires were around $400-$500 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Now, in 2025, average prices are around $450-$700 for the same apartment. For the most part, Buenos Aires is still a very affordable place to live.

I understand how these more expensive apartment costs might scare you off initially, but just remember that Buenos Aires is an incredible city, and the move will be worth it. Transportation in Buenos Aires is easy and affordable, which helps you cut down living costs.

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