I Spent 8 Days in Buenos Aires and This Is What It Cost

My brother is getting married in Buenos Aires next year, and when he and his boyfriend decided to go check out wedding venues, three friends and I decided we should tag along—for quality assurance purposes, of course. I love buying local-style clothing wherever I go, and while I’m not a huge meat eater, I knew eating beef would be a significant part of experiencing Argentinian cuisine. Therefore, my budget was designed to account for high-end asado dinners and shopping.

But my trip to Buenos Aires wasn't just spent in fitting rooms and steakhouses. My friends and I also made time to do a few tours, swing by Chinatown, and drink coffee at one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores. The trip was slated for nine days in total, but I ended up having to leave a day early due to protests shutting down the airport.

Job: Content strategist, producer, and creator
Annual salary: $81,000-100,000 per year
Location of residence: San Francisco
Age: 39

Where: Buenos Aires, Argentina
How long: Eight days, including a few lengthy travel days.
Planned budget: $1,000

Flights: $185.77. I took an $85.97 Southwest Airlines flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles, then used 36,500 Delta SkyMiles to fly from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires. On the way back, I paid $99.80 and 69,700 Delta SkyMiles to fly home to San Francisco.

Hotels/lodging: $275.30. We booked a four-person Airbnb for $1,101.23, which came out to $275.30 per person. Our spacious apartment in the quiet Recoleta neighborhood had amazing views of the city and was close to good shopping, but ended up feeling a bit far from the action; we took Ubers multiple times a day to get to Palermo, a more active neighborhood where I would stay next time. The two other members of our group stayed in a hotel and met up with us for activities.

Total cost: $93.82
My day started at 3:30 am, when I woke up for the nearly-23-hour trip from San Francisco to Buenos Aires. I grabbed an Uber to the airport for $42.91, and treated myself to a $10.91 mocha from Ritual Coffee in the airport. I spent nothing during my five-hour layover in Los Angeles, but bought myself sushi for dinner during my next layover in Atlanta, where a Kamikaze roll and two glasses of white set me back $40. Not bad, considering that I didn’t pay for food again until Friday.

Total cost: 40,000 pesos ($40)
Although my plane landed at 9:00 am, I didn’t get to our Airbnb until about noon. My brother’s boyfriend hired a driver for me and the cost was a flat fee of 40,000 pesos ($40).

Once I arrived at the Airbnb, I decided not to leave it for the rest of the day. I felt cold, a little jetlagged, and had a lot of work that I needed to wrap up. I didn’t spend any money on food, either, since my brother and his boyfriend had brought me an array of high-end junk food from Italy. I stayed in and chowed down.

Total cost: 213,788 pesos ($213.78)
On Friday morning, the remainder of our group arrived and we set out on the city to meet them at a local coffee shop called Cafe del Medio, where I ordered a mocha for 2,820 pesos ($2.82).

After our coffee, we walked around a bit and stopped by the La Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Perón (aka Evita) lies. The entrance fee was 7,750 pesos ($7.75) per person. We meandered for about 40 minutes and paid our respects at Evita’s grave. After this pilgrimage, we wandered into a little bakery called Dos Escudos, where we got four empanadas for 4,720 pesos ($4.72), or 1,180 pesos ($1.18) per person. Argentinian empanadas are the best because they’re baked with a bread that has the consistency of a croissant.

Next, we went to pick out some Argentinian outfits at Arandu, a well-known Argentinian brand that specializes in handmade leather goods, traditional Argentine gaucho (cowboy) attire, and polo equipment. At the shop, we spent two hours browsing through leather jackets, vests, belts, wallets, bags, and other accessories, as well as wool ponchos, brimmed hats, and plenty of yerba mate paraphernalia. In the end, I decided to purchase a beautiful wool poncho with a structured collar, a felt hat with a slight cowboy vibe, and a boina hat for 139,584 pesos ($139) total—a steal.

We changed into our new clothing to really get into the mood for Buenos Aires. I put on the entire gaucho outfit, and my brother and two friends all changed into the exact same polo shirt. Then, we headed to Italian restaurant Sottovoce for lunch. We had free champagne and bread with really amazing dips, and then we each got our own plate of seafood pasta and split two desserts among the group. Our tab was 193,670 pesos ($193.67), or 32,270 pesos ($32.27) per person.

After lunch, we shopped and walked and then ate again. Dinner was in Palermo, at a Perónista-themed restaurant called Perón Perón. We started off with a round of empanadas, then ordered six different meat-centric mains and ate them family-style. The food plus a bottle of Malbec came to 106,000 pesos ($106), or 17,660 pesos ($17.66) per person. This felt like an amazing value, especially when you factor in the free 20-minute lesson in Perónismo that the waiter gave me when I asked him about the ideology. According to him, no one knows what it is anymore.

After dinner we walked for about two hours until we came to a bar called La Frenteria, a very trendy spot with great cocktails. I ordered a round of five for 67,500 pesos ($67.50)—13,500 pesos ($13.50) each. At the end of the night, we took a cab home for 592 pesos ($5.92), or 148 pesos ($1.48) per person.

Total cost: 129,520 pesos ($129.52)
We spent Saturday in the Palmero neighborhood for more food and shopping. We took a 708-peso ($7.08) taxi (that’s 177 pesos, or $1.77, each) to a super casual burger joint—aptly called Burger Joint—where my blue cheese burger and IPA came out to 12,500 pesos ($12.50). The restaurant claims to offer the first gourmet burger in Argentina, and my burger was pretty amazing.

The local obsession with yerba mate was visible in every shop, so when we came across La Mateada, one of the only mate shops where you can do a little tasting demo, we were excited to learn more about the drink and the surrounding culture. In a 45-minute demo, the shopkeeper explained the culture of yerba mate and how and when to drink the tea, while we tried various flavors paired with the very Argentinian alfajor cookie and a few other dulce de leche pastries. The tasting cost 20,000 pesos ($20) each, and I bought a bag of yerba (13,500 pesos, or $13.50) and a maté cup (17,560 pesos, or $17.56) to take home with me.

We made our way to the highly reviewed La Cabrera steakhouse for dinner. The restaurant is widely regarded as one of the best places in the city to eat traditional Argentine cuisine—particularly red meat dishes. We got basically all the appetizers and all the meat dishes on the menu, plus some red wine, and the bill came to 294,000 pesos ($294), or 49,000 pesos ($49) each.

I was pretty full after La Cabrera and excited to take the subterráneo (Buenos Aires’ subway system) home, but when we walked down the stairs and the train doors opened, the entire car was empty. When we stepped into the empty train, the doors closed behind us and a set of doors in front of us opened. At this point, I realized I had been conned into going to a nightclub. The train entrance and train were both elaborate facades.

Luckily, this ended up being a happy accident. The nightclub, Uptown, was really cool. It’s a New York City-themed venue that takes its concept seriously, and the drinks were great. I got a round for five of us, which was exactly 50,000 pesos ($50), or 8,330 pesos ($8.33) each. The drinks would have been a lot more expensive in the real New York! We got another round later that night, so my time at the club ended up totaling 16,660 pesos ($16.66). Four of us took a taxi home for 492 pesos ($4.92), which came out to $123 pesos ($1.23) per person.

Total cost: 42,069 pesos ($42.06)
Supposedly, all the Buenos Aires locals head to Mercado de San Telmo on Sundays. We decided to do the same. After a 388-peso ($3.88) taxi ride that came out to 97 pesos ($0.97) each, we arrived at the indoor/outdoor market and found it bustling with food, drinks, shopping, performers, and lots and lots of people. We navigated the crowds and snagged a table at Swiss restaurant Je Suis Raclette. Four of us ordered tiny cast iron dishes full of Swiss cheese and various toppings—so good. Our tab with a few drinks came to 46,765 pesos ($46.76)—11,691 pesos ($11.69) per person. Later, I bought two beers, each of which cost 6,230 pesos ($6.23).

We spent most of the day at the market and were pretty exhausted when we finally made it back to Recoleta, so four of us decided to be low-key and get sushi takeout. We ordered from Sushi Kyu, and waited for about an hour and a half while they prepared the food. To pass the time, we went next door and got a bottle of wine—8,944 pesos ($8.94), or 2,235 pesos ($2.23) per person. The tab for the sushi was 62,347 pesos ($62.45), or 15,586 pesos ($15.59) each.

Total cost: 145,257 pesos ($145.25)
On Monday, we started our morning with a trip to the Ateneo Grand Splendid, a stunningly beautiful bookstore inside a stately old theater. We bought coffee there—mine cost 3,980 pesos ($3.98).

We bruched at Michelin-mentioned El Preferido de Palermo, set in an adorable pink building that dates back to 1952 and has a charming old-world atmosphere and a country-style patio. It’s known for its traditional Argentine dishes, such as empanadas, which we were sure to order along with some lighter dishes such as salad, flatbread, and a rice and vegetable dish. The bill came to 200,580 pesos ($200.58) for six people—33,430 pesos ($33.43) each.

Our primary activity for the day was to partake in the Free Walks Buenos Aires tour. It was a little long, but informative—and free, of course. However, our experience became a bit stressful when our guide mentioned that all flights out of Argentina would be canceled on Thursday due to protests. Unfortunately, this was the day that half of us (including me) had tickets to leave. About a third of our tour group left upon hearing the news, I imagine to go try to change their flights. We tipped our guide 16,666 pesos ($16.66) each, and went home to change our flights, too. We took the underground train, which was 650 pesos ($0.65) per ticket.

When we had finished changing our Thursday flights to Wednesday ones, we had dinner at Fogon Asado, an immersive foodie experience that highlights traditional Argentine asado in a modern setting. Diners are seated at a central grill, where you can watch the entire cooking process, which is done over an open flame. The chefs were dressed in traditional gaucho outfits and served a tasting menu of grilled meats, with traditional sides like chimichurri, provoleta (grilled cheese), and empanadas. We all drank a little bit of wine, and the bill was 547,000 pesos ($547) for the six of us, which came out to 91,166 pesos ($91.16) per person. The round-trip taxi to get to and from the restaurant was 996 pesos ($9.96), or 249 pesos ($2.49) each.

Total cost: 449,350 pesos ($449.35)
My brother and his boyfriend had wedding venue appointments, so they were out for the majority of the day. The rest of us decided to go for a meal in Buenos Aires’ Chinatown. We took a 592-peso ($5.92)—or 148-peso($1.48) each—taxi to lunch at an unremarkable restaurant, where our bill was 16,250 pesos ($16.25) each. We didn’t end up getting any alcohol, but we ordered tons and tons of food. Then, we headed out for some shopping.

My friend and I bought matching sunglasses (92,675 pesos, or $92.67 each) at Infinite Eyewear, an ultra-trendy eyewear shop known for its customer service. I bought a cute hoodie for myself and a baseball hat for my husband at a store that reminded me of PacSun. These two items totaled 54,980 pesos ($54.98). At another shop, I got a peacoat for only 76,240 pesos ($76.24), and I snagged a black boina hat for only 20,250 pesos ($20.25) at a little jewelry shop. We went back to Arandu, where I bought a nice handmade leather belt (32,730 pesos, or $32.73) for my husband and a purple poncho (72,585 pesos, or $72.58) for my dad’s girlfriend. We took at taxi home, which came out to 123 pesos ($1.23) each.

When we got back to Recoleta, I ran over to Pablo Lange, a recommended tailor, to do a large alteration to my leggings and to fix up a scarf. It cost 23,000 pesos ($23), which is cheaper than it would have been in the US. This is why I always do my alterations abroad.

For my last night in the city, we went to one of the most acclaimed steakhouses in Buenos Aires. Don Julio is known for its top-quality beef, all sourced from grass-fed cattle raised in Argentina, again specializing in the traditional Argentine open-flame asado. The restaurant had an extensive wine collection housed in a large cellar, and a warm and rustic ambiance, with exposed brick walls, wooden furniture, and a bustling open kitchen. We went all out on the meat dishes, and paired everything with Malbecs from Mendoza and Patagonia. Despite our indulgence, we only ran up a 342,890-peso ($342.89) tab—that’s just 57,148 pesos ($57.15) per person. The round-trip taxi ride to and from the restaurant totalled 924 pesos ($9.34), or 231 pesos ($2.31) each.

Total cost: 87,592 pesos ($87.59)
I didn’t fly out until 2 pm, so we wandered through some shops and got some street churros with dulce de leche sauce for 466 pesos ($0.46) each. We had lunch at Peruvian restaurant Tanta by Gaston Acurio—a really beautiful spot with high ceilings and glass casing around miniature forests of plants. By this time, we were pretty tired of red meat, so we ordered ceviche dishes and salad to share, and I got a few cocktails to make sure I was happy on my flight. The tab was 194,700 pesos ($194.70), or 32,450 pesos ($32.45) each.

I took a taxi back to the airport for 40,000 pesos ($40). I was a little buzzed at the airport so I got a jelly donut from Dunkin' Donuts for 10,380 pesos ($10.38)—a sweet end to my time in Argentina. I boarded my flight home, and my final vacation expense was a $42.96 Uber home from the airport.

Upfront and travel costs: $461.07
Costs from the week: $1,295.19
Final total: $1,756.26
How I did against my original budget: $756.26 over budget

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