When traveling, it is helpful to know when you are overpaying, especially when you are traveling on a budget. Let me enlighten you on typical prices in Buenos Aires, Santiago, and cities like Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil so you have an idea of how to stretch your budget abroad.
The peso in Argentina has fluctuated from $1000–1300 pesos (Western Union rate) and is equivalent to $1 USD and has remained in that range for the past two years, more or less. Western Union will take a percentage and charge a small fee of around $5.99 per $100 USD, with the fee increasing incrementally as you take out more money. I generally take out amounts of $200 USD with a fee of $8.99 or just use my Charles Schwab Debit Card (referral link) with no international fees on transactions.
Prices have gotten much more expensive at restaurants in comparison to when I first visited in 2023. Expect to pay similar prices as eating out in the United States (average $20 per person), although you may find some more affordable restaurants in places like Villa Crespo.
Groceries have increased slightly in price but not as drastically as restaurants. You can expect your grocery bill to be about half the cost of shopping in the United States. My grocery bill in the United States, eating around 3000 calories per day, was approximately $500–600 USD, which included some more expensive ready-to-go meals. In Argentina, I want to say my grocery expenses are around $300–400 USD/month, including household items like paper towels and toilet paper. One nice bottle of wine can cost around $5–15, and one individual beer can cost around $1.50–3.00 USD. Expect to pay double at a restaurant, although I'd say that a bottle of wine for a fancy dinner can range from $20–100 USD depending on the restaurant. 500 grams of chicken or 600–700 grams of red meat is around 5000–10000 pesos at the market.
Transportation has drastically increased but is still affordable, jumping from what used to be about 10 cents to now closer to $1 using the bus (colectivo) or subway (SUBTE). Taxis or ridesharing apps generally are around 6000 pesos, more or less, for most trips around the city—almost double from two years ago. I'd say you are looking at around $5–8 dollars whenever you take a taxi, Uber, Cabify, or DiDi. Tips are welcome but not required (usually rounding up to pay is more common and convenient).
Rent in Argentina has drastically gotten more expensive, especially for short-term leases (3–6 month leases). Currently, the prices for a decent studio to 1-bedroom apartment range between $600–900 USD (expenses included generally, but always check the listing), and lessors want the rent made in USD, which requires you to factor in the whole process and fees to get pesos and then convert back to dollars. Airbnb will be more expensive and generally ranges around $1000–1300 USD. You can try to get cheaper places, but I generally find what would be considered a decent apartment for the average person around this rate. My last apartment in Buenos Aires (ended March 2025) was a three-month contract and was $400 USD/month (all expenses included except the $10 for electricity). It was in a nice neighborhood and in good condition, but it was an extremely small studio apartment. Since that point, the prices have increased. I do think prices are a bit high, so they could go down and stabilize. Unfortunately, in Argentina, prices are changing all the time, so you need to be vigilant and grab good deals when you can. I find that there is more availability during the winter months than the summer months for short-term leases.
For context, an apartment building on a nice street in Recoleta I first stayed at on Airbnb was around $850 in 2023. In 2024, I found a short-term lease in the building at $350 USD/month for a three-month contract (expenses not included, I believe). There is now a long-term lease option in the same building for $650 USD for a two-year lease and available September 1, 2025. The studio apartment is essentially the same in those three instances, but you can see how much the price keeps changing.
Clothing and electronics can be expensive on the main streets like Santa Fe. Be sure to buy clothes in barrio Flores and essentially avoid buying electronics. If you need to buy a new phone, expect to pay double the price compared to the United States.
While rent in Santiago can be more expensive than Buenos Aires when staying in some of the nicest parts of the city like Providencia or Las Condes, groceries were noticeably cheaper, and shopping in general was cheaper. The same Philips razor that would cost almost $100 USD in Buenos Aires would be $40 USD in Santiago. The same pair of Converse that would cost around $120 USD in Buenos Aires would be the normal $60 USD price you'd find in the United States. A brand-new MacBook Air (M4 chip) would cost around $1400 USD versus $1000 in the United States or more than double in Argentina. Groceries would be around $200–400 per month.
If you visit Chile, be sure to complete your shopping there.
For any purchases in Brazil, essentially multiply your dollars by 6 and you'll be at the price in reales. A lunch or dinner at a restaurant can cost between 20–50 reales per person in Belo Horizonte. Eating can definitely be more affordable in Brazil right now in 2025 than in Argentina.
Shopping is about the same or potentially a little higher than in Chile. A pair of Converse shoes can be around 500 reales.
Grocery shopping is slightly more than in Santiago but not as high as in Buenos Aires.
An average rideshare trip can cost 10–20 reales and is much more affordable in comparison to Argentina.
An Airbnb in Belo Horizonte can be expensive—on average $350–450 USD per week—whereas in a bigger city like São Paulo, you could find an Airbnb for about $600–1000 USD per month or $200–300 per week.
In Rio de Janeiro, expect Airbnbs to be most expensive during the summer months. If you go during the off-season, you can find better deals on Airbnbs.
I'll look to update this guide as often as I can, but this should give you a rough breakdown of expenses in South America. Generally, expenses are more or less the same on average unless you decide to travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, which is noticeably more expensive than the other countries.
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