Argentina on Sale: Several of us who travel to Argentina regularly have talked about the spectacular bargains available in Buenos Aires right now. To give you a better idea of costs, I have pulled together an approximate price list. Prices are in USD and are current as of 8/15/02....(1USD=3.56pesos)Note: Chica and chica-bar prices are posted elsewhere---see UWPhoto, Godfather, Moondog, Nomar and others....


Subte(subway). $.20
Taxi
In same zone. $.56(min)-1.00
Recoleta/downtown. $1.00-1.50
downtown/Belgrano $2.00-2.50
downtown/EZE airport $6.50-7.00
Private car
EZE/downtown $10-15
per hour $5-7
Hotels (see examples below)
5 Star International
brands (double) $100-300
4 Star $25-100
3 Star $15-50
Breakfast(prices are pp)$1-2
Lunch $2-4
Dinner (cafe) $2-5
Dinner (nice restaurant)$7-15 (including tip, wine)
Museum Ticket $.25-1.00
Football Game $4.25-6
Colon Theater $2.80-39.25
City Tour $2.80-3.50
Tango Show/dinner $16.85-20
Estancia Tour (includes
lunch, transportation) $14-16
Newspaper $.33-.75
Coffee & snack $.50-1
Departure Tax (pd. at
airport as you leave) $18
_________
hotels.....shop around and save....examples of current specials: 4Star Design Suites, Studio for 2 persons, $45 (tax and breakfast included). A very sleek, contemporary hotel in Barrio Norte, near Santa Fe Ave...the shopping center of BsAs). 4Star Castelar $29 (Tax and breakfast included)
an architectural gem located in downtown, near the Oblisco.
for these and other hotel bargains check the promotions section of buenosaires.com or travelbuzz.net

Enjoy the good life BsAs has to offer

Departure Tax is included in tix of major US and EU airlines now a days. You'll have to get a barcode stuck to your boarding pass.

Tango show (Senor Tango) was 100 pesos few months ago. They pick you up at the hotel and drop you back.
A good steak (luomo), a realy good steak should cost approx 15-20 pesos in a parrilla.

Internet Cafes range from 1 peso /horas to less.

Actually, the departure tax is new and not included on Delta as of 21 August....at least not on my ticket...It would simplify life it was included....paying the tax required a wait in another line...

Other costs are about right, though the prices often double (to the outrageous price of 2 peso per hour) if you go to an internet cafe at prime time...

Wait till you get to SCL del Chile - They have a tax for incoming visitors - US - 65USD, CA aprox 55 and some such for Australian.

Speaking of Chile...I hope you are planning to do a report....I know nothing about Chile, but will be there some time within the next year....never too early to begin my research...smile...

Ezy is right. The city is definitely on sale but you can still drop a lot of money if you're not paying attention or really don't care. Also, those 2 or 3 chica days start to add up. It's not hard to spend over $200 US a day if you're seeing a lot of girls.

The nicer restaurants can add up too. Granted, it's nothing compared to the US but I had a few meals where the bill was over 100 pesos for just two people. One night I took a chica I know to a very nice restaurant in Puerto Madero. The bill for the two of us with salad, entrees, wine, and dessert (with tip) was 160 pesos. If you're only there a few days it won't matter but if you're there for over a week and you're doing this every day....it can add up.

I also flew on Delta last trip and supposedly it was supposed to have been included but it wasn't. I had to pay the tax after checking in my luggage. One thing I didn't understand is how do they know you paid it? Not one person ever asked me to see the receipt that I paid the tax. No one stopped me to see it.

The taxis are the best deal in this city. I never seem to have small peso notes so I always just give them $1 bills. Most of my taxi rides averaged 3 - 5 pesos. I usually just gave them $2 US and let them keep the change. So even this adds up if you're taking the taxi 5+ times a day.

Great list Ezy. One thing you forgot to mention and what may be one of the greatest deals is CD's. Every trip I bought like 8 or 9 CD's. I don't know about you but CD's in my town cost like $19 these days. I can buy like 7 CD's in BA for 100 pesos or so. There is a nice little CD store on the corner of Junin near ice cream shop. Friendly workers that are very nice. One guy speaks English very well. There is also a Tower Records near that little strip where McDonald's is (Junin & Azcuenaga I think). It's in the same building as the movie theatre. Great selection.

G'father..you are right. It is easy to spend more than you intend in BA as in most places. I usually develop a budget and try to stay reasonably close to my original projected expenses....For example, Here is my basic budget for my upcoming trip in October(one week)
530.....air fare..my August trip cost 850
250.....hotel....my august trip cost 475
125.....transfers to/from airport in Us & EZE
and exit tax.
875.....chica costs @ 450pesos per day
this should cover 1 TLN plus or
2 short time girls, plus drinks
( I don't drink much in the chica bars...if I want to party with a chica I take her to a regular bar where drinks are a fraction of the cost in boliches).
210......living expenses....cabs, food, internet (additional restaurant costs for dates with chicas are built into my chica budget...)
_____
1990...round to 2000 for a week of fun!!This is about 500 less than my last trip because of differences in hotel and air fare....

I based chica costs on 70p for drinks, 350p for chicas (150-200 per short term session or 300-350 tln)....I will spend about the same per night when I am with my favorita....she likes to go shopping, to movies, etc....so, while I don't pay her as such...real bottom line costs are not different.

I'm not a slave to my budget....but if I find that when I have a ball-park figure in mind, I stay pretty close....

Chicas cost more than the airfare.

Moondog, Yes, chicas do cost more than airfare....and what they provide is better than double air miles or a business class upgrade....mmmm..

ezywhowouldratherridechicasthan777's

Heck yeah the chicas cost more. As I posted several times, we are good for the economy of BA. That is a pretty good budget Ezy. I calculated mine for December and it's frankly a little disturbing to me. I've blown a lot of money in BA this year and I still have 2 (maybe 3 trips) left this year.

Costs for December trip:

Airfare : $1083
Transfer to/from hotel: $120
Hotel in BA (9 nights) : $685
Hotel in MDP (3 nights): $280
Living Expenses (15 days I live well): $600
Chica costs (aprx. 30 girls @ 600 pesos/day): $2500 (figure worst case scenario but i usually tip)
Not sure how much to budget for drinks and exit fees...usually hit several clubs but i'm not a big drinker.
Hotel in Rio (4 nights): $500
Airfare to Rio: $350
Airfare to Mar Del Plata: $75

Grand Total: $6,193 OUCH.

This is the budget I worked up for my 6 day October trip:

Airfare 804
Hotel 342 (at 3.64p to dollar 5 ½ days)
Transfers 30 (arranged by Mayri at 45p each way plus tip)
Chicas 1100 (3 short sessions or a 1short/1tln per day incl. 20% tips drinks etc.)
Living 300 (I eat and drink well while on vacation)
Incidentals 400 (shopping, jacket, silk shirt, boots etc…)

Total 2976

I had planned on, and still am, taking 2500 cash (including lots of 1’s and 5’s, the air {paid} and hotel will not be included in out of pocket. I will let you know how far I blow out the budget in my post trip posts. I’m also taking my laptop (mostly for entertainment on the long flights) for mood music in the room, and posts as time permits. The Etoile advertises internet connections in the diplomatic suites, I hope this is true, but if not, no big deal, I’m eze.

EZE

EZE,

Hola buddy. That's a pretty good budget. Back in May I spent wayyyy more than I planned on spending. I guess buying the 2nd plane ticket to stay a few extra days didn't help matters. I bought my first ticket on Hotwire.com so I couldn't change.

Incidentally, does anyone know if I can do anything with that old ticket that I never used to go back to Buenos Aires. I bought a roundtrip ticket on American Airlines back in May to fly from Buenos Aires to Miami. I set the return date to June of this year but of course never used it. I'm just curious.....I realize it's probably no good but wasn't 100% sure.

Thanks.

20 pesos per person to stay at an ordinary hotel.
Metro 0.70 peso.
McDonalds/Burger King meny 6-7 peso.
Pizza in a nice restaurant 10 peso
Coca Cola 1.5-2 litre, 2-3 peso . Can 33cl, 0.5-1 peso in the streets.
Big Lunchsandwich in a restaurant 5 peso.
Nice restaurant incl. all 20-25 peso.
Hamburgars in the streets 1 peso.
Bus to the airport (oneway) 1.35 peso (coins only).
Internet 0.8-1.5peso/h
Cinema, 4- pesos depending on biograf and day of the week. Most often 6 pesos
www.europahotel.com.ar, singlerooms from 24 pesos. Very good standard and fairly central situated hotel.
Hotel O'Rei, downtown walkingstreets, 33 pesos
Dinner at a fair restaurant, 8 pesos, not incl. wine.
Hostel 25 Peso..costs the same or more than the hotels!


Nightclub entrance 20 pesos, beer 3-5 pesos.

Arild 1,

I just returned from a one month stay in BsAs..my 10th trip in two years and while I would agree with most of your updated costs, some are not a true indicator of what an average hobbyist will pay.Here are some examples:

Pizza with drink at Inmortales or Filo will cost more than 10 pesos with drink.

Dinner in a nice restaurant will cost double the amount from your list...For example, I paid 35pesos at Bisteca, a nice tenedor libre in Puerto Madero...37 pesos at Bella Italia in Palermo....39 pesos at Dominga in Palermo Hollywood...and 55 pesos at Clo Clos in Costanorte....These are pp prices, including wine and coffee.

Cinema...for 5 or 6 pesos usually only if you go on Wed. (some theaters Monday-Wed.)...I paid 10 pesos at Cines Recoleta two weeks ago on a Thursday night....

Hotels....to stay in Recoleta or near Plaza San Martin in downtown will cost more than the hotel prices you list....try 35dollars plus tax at the Dazzler, kind of the low end of hotels that most hombres prefer.

Transfer to EZE international airport by remis or taxi will cost 30pesos.

Never found a nice dinner for 8 pesos...Grants on Las Heras is about this much, but nothing to brag about. The Empire Bar downtown offers Thai specials for lunch at 10 pesos including drink...Most restaurants have a similar menu de dia...but the prices are more expensive at night...Confiterias and Cafes such as Che Buenos Aires offer specials for about 10 pesos at night....

You will enjoy BA, but be prepared to pay a bit more for most things....I am curious to know where you found your price list?

Metro...The BA subte at .70centavos is a true bargain especially if you are located on Linea D, which is fast, clean and modern. If you plan to use public transport, go to a newsstand and buy a GUia for the Collectivos ...it costs 2 pesos and has a detailed map telling you which busses go to which locations...The busses may cost a bit more than the subte, depending upon distance...For example, from Recoleta to Belgrano the cost is .80centavos....

Taxis...the minimum price has jumped recently from 1.12 to 1.28 and the price for each increment has gone up slightly as well...

You will enjoy BA, but be prepared to spend a bit more than the prices you list

hello priate. I got the prices from a site where tourist around the world reportes (swedish site).
I thought the one from september was a bit rusty and whats better it made a well informed source like you respond. I will include your facts and rewrite my pricelist. Thanks, arild1

Europa hotel is now 28 pesos. Stayed one night and did not really like it. They are in the process of reconstructing the front entrance. The rooms are cold. Bed was a little lumpy. I had a laptop and camera, I felt a little uneasy leaving them behind.

The rooms kind of remind me of the rooms you may find in a run down TJ hotel. Ok, maybe not that bad.

I immediatly contacted GF and moved into his Montevista aparment.

Suggestion, if you book here. Make contact with Miyra / Godfather just in case things do not work out like you like.

I live at Hotel Europa. Itīs cheap, but there are several hotels in the neibourhood, so check out them first. I choosed to stay at the hotel because I find the staff reliable, but as a hotel considered, Hotel Europa is a hotel that is worth THIS amount (26pesos single, 30 pesos double), NOT more. Next time I go to Bs As I will try to find an apartment. The advantage with this hotel is the location, itīs close to the most of the interesting spotīs in the city.

My recommendation: Hotels need you more than than you need them. Check around. Hotel Europa is safe, itīs run by a family staff who respects regulations. Rooms are small, spartanic, donīt have air-conditioning, which practically is a must in a city where the climate changes constantly (ceiling fans donīt help much).

The respected Bs As Herald guide to restaurants on Sundays categorize after pricelevel:

restaurants up 15 pesos are economical
from 15 to 30 are normal
from 30 they are expensive

Do spend money here on expensive restaurants here because the argentine food, and wines, are of very good quality indeed. Service is good, sometimes really great.