The neighbourhoods
Palermo (Soho / Hollywood)
US$500-900/mo for a furnished 1-bedThe leafy, hip heart of nomad Buenos Aires — bars, cafés, boutiques and big parks.
Commute: Central-ish; the Subte D line; very walkable.
- The biggest expat and nomad scene
- The best nightlife, cafés and parks
- Safe and walkable
- The priciest area (in USD)
- Touristy in parts
Recoleta
US$500-850/mo for a furnished 1-bedElegant and European — the 'Paris of South America' of grand architecture, museums and cafés.
Commute: Central; walkable to downtown.
- The most beautiful, European barrio
- Central, safe and refined
- Great cafés and culture
- An older crowd, quieter nightlife
- Pricey
San Telmo
US$400-700/mo for a furnished 1-bedThe bohemian old town — cobblestones, tango, antiques and the famous Sunday feria.
Commute: Near downtown; walkable, on the Subte.
- Atmospheric and historic
- Cheaper and artsy
- Great markets and street tango
- Grittier — mind petty theft at night
- Older buildings
Belgrano
US$450-750/mo for a furnished 1-bedResidential, green and upscale north — leafy streets, good for families and a quieter life.
Commute: North; the Subte D and trains; ~20-30 min to the centre.
- Calm, green and residential
- Good value and family-friendly
- Chinatown and good food
- Less nightlife
- Further from the Palermo scene
Villa Crespo / Chacarita
US$350-600/mo for a furnished 1-bedUp-and-coming, cheaper Palermo-adjacent barrios — a local feel and a growing café scene.
Commute: Right next to Palermo; the Subte B.
- Cheaper but right beside Palermo
- More local and authentic
- A rising food and bar scene
- Less polished
- Patchy block to block
Puerto Madero / Microcentro
US$600-1,200/mo for a furnished 1-bed (Puerto Madero)Puerto Madero is the gleaming USD-priced waterfront; Microcentro is the business downtown.
Commute: The central business district.
- Modern towers and the waterfront (Puerto Madero)
- Central for downtown offices
- Safe and new
- Puerto Madero is expensive and a little sterile
- Microcentro empties at night
How renting works in Buenos Aires
The big divide: a local unfurnished lease needs a 'garantía' (a guarantor who owns Buenos Aires property) that foreigners almost never have, so newcomers take FURNISHED 'temporario' rentals priced in USD via expat platforms — no guarantor, but pricier. Residential leases are now governed by the Código Civil y Comercial as amended by DNU 70/2023, which repealed Ley 27.551: no minimum term, no mandatory index, no cap on the deposit or on what guarantee a landlord may demand. Everything is contract, so read it before you sign, and never send money before a live tour.
- 1
Start with a furnished temporary (temporario) rental
Skip the local market at first — it requires a garantía (a guarantor who owns property in Buenos Aires) that you won't have, and since DNU 70/2023 there is no statutory limit on what guarantee a landlord may demand. Book a furnished 'temporario' flat (1-12 months) via expat-focused platforms; they're USD-priced, usually include bills, and need no guarantor.
- 2
Search the right platforms
Use furnished-rental platforms (Hello Apartments, ByT Argentina), plus Airbnb (monthly discounts), Facebook expat groups, and Craigslist BA. For the local peso market later, ZonaProp and Argenprop are the portals — but you'll need a garantía or to pay many months upfront.
- 3
Verify before you pay a cent
Rental scams target newcomers. Do a live video tour, see a written contract, and verify the host. Pay the deposit and first month traceably — bank transfer, or USD cash handed over at signing with a receipt — never wire to an unknown account sight-unseen.
- 4
Budget in USD and understand the bills
Temporario flats quote in USD and usually include expensas (building fees) and utilities — confirm what's included. If you go local (peso) later, you'll need a garantía or a 'seguro de caución' (a guarantee-insurance substitute). Term and rent adjustment are now freely negotiated rather than fixed by statute, so check how often and against what index your rent moves before signing.
Upfront cost
Temporario: typically 1 month deposit + 1 month rent, in USD. Local peso leases need a garantía (property guarantor) or a seguro de caución, plus agency fees and several months upfront. Nothing here is capped by statute any more — DNU 70/2023 removed the one-month deposit ceiling and the limits on what guarantee a landlord may require — so the ask is whatever the market bears.
Where to search
Insider tips
- Start furnished/temporario — you won't have the 'garantía' a local lease demands
- Budget in USD — expat flats are USD-priced, and the parallel-rate arbitrage that used to soften that is gone since exchange controls were lifted in April 2025
- Never pay a deposit before a live video tour and a real written contract — scams are common
- Check the rent-adjustment clause: with no statutory index since DNU 70/2023, the frequency and benchmark are whatever you agreed to
Avoid these
- Assuming you can get a normal local lease — without a garantía (property-owning guarantor) you generally can't
- Wiring a deposit sight-unseen to an unverified 'landlord' — the classic Buenos Aires rental scam
- Not budgeting for expensas (building maintenance fees) on top of the rent
- Relying on old blue-dollar advice — the gap between the official and parallel rates collapsed when controls were lifted in April 2025; check the current spread rather than assuming one
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.