“Where are you going next?”

“Argentina,” I replied nonchalantly as if it was a feat in itself and not an easy must-go destination in this corner of the world. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome—or ask for a visa extension—in Brazil. Plus, it’s cheap.”

“Oh, it’s not!”

I paused. If I had been chatting with Argentinians, I would have smiled apologetically and braced myself for a long “this is what’s wrong with our economy” screed. Argentina hasn’t been cheap for Argentinians for a long time—at least, not for the pueblo, and I suspect the posh upper-class in enclaves like La Recoleta is just lucky to live in inherited mansions with inherited wealth.

Don’t get Argentinians started on local politics and economy, they love to share how bad it is.

But I was talking to foreigners, a group of Germans and Austrians.

“Really?”

“Yeah, we were there last week. It’s more expensive than in Europe!”

I would have asked for details but the conversation ended quite abruptly in what I assume is a very German-Austrian way of ending conversations—maybe they had just remembered that small talk isn’t a thing in their culture.

“Bye!”

Maybe they were one of these Patagonia tourists, I rationalized. It was hard to say because they were suspiciously white but again, Germans and Austrians aren’t known to tan easily. Patagonia is remote, chilly, and crazy expensive, which is exactly why it’s not on top of my list. Been there, done that, looks like Canada except Antarctica is right in front of you.

How expensive could Buenos Aires be, really?

I finished my coffee, bought cold water for Mark and Feng, and walked back to the beach.

And, of course, I pulled out my phone and Googled it. “Is Argentina expensive in 2025?”

Google listed plenty of digital nomads complaining about 2025 prices in Argentina compared to 2024.

Shit.

One more thing to worry about.

Argentina is like a box of alfajores, you never know what tipo de cambio you’re gonna get.

Translation, Argentina is like a box of delicious melt-in-your-mouth cookies with dulce de leche in between, you never know what the exchange rate is going to be and how crazy the economy is.

The best economists worldwide are still studying the “Argentine paradox”—the country achieved advanced development in the early 20th century, and then it declined. Chronic hyperinflation, economic instability and fiscal deficits have been plaguing the Argentina for decades, and the government defaulted on its debt nine times.

Last year, with inflation at over 100 percent, fed-up Argentinians elected a right-wing chainsaw-wielding (yes, literally) Libertarian who promised a “shock therapy.”

Inflation is down but the socio-economic cost has been significant, not to mention the “cultural battle” against politicians and journalists, social justice (“an aberration” according to Milei) and the state (to be “destroyed from within”).

So, from a selfish traveller perspective, how expensive is Argentina in 2025?

Argentina was cheap for foreigners carrying hard currency because the black-market exchange rate—the “blue dollar rate—was anywhere from 1.5-3 times the “official” currency exchange. Last year, even foreign credit card companies were using the “blue dollar” rate.

But now, the official exchange rate and the black-market rate, as wide as 200% over the last year, has, narrowed significantly.

To give you an idea, the official exchange rate for US$50 as of today, January 15, is 52,037.75 pesos. Since you can’t exactly withdraw money at the ATM in Argentina (again, long Argentinian story here), I exchange money in the street like everybody else. So far, I exchanged US$50 twice, both times for 56,000 pesos, so just a bit more than the official rate.

Not only is the exchange rate isn’t as good for foreigners anymore, but prices have gone up. On the plus side, there are prices in stores again—in the past few years, you had to ask because it was changing every day. On the downside, some stuff is ridiculously expensive, for example:

• Yoghurt in supermarkets — Much like in Canada, about $1 per 100 g (it looks like I have a yoghurt obsession… but they have cows in Argentina!)
• Restaurants and coffee shops, especially in tourist areas — Expect North American prices, even the ubiquitous empanadas are now about US$1.5 each.
• Museums and attractions — La Recoleta cemetery was free for decades, now it’s 17,620 pesos (about US$17 [!]), and many museums are now charging a US$10+ entrance fee.

But you can still find affordable shelter food and fun. The price for my Airbnb apartment was just under what I normally pay in Brazil. Many museums are free, public transportation and Uber are still cheap by North American standards, casas de pasta sell delicious fresh pasta, panaderías still have tons of pastries for about 60 cents each (plus sandwiches and delicious bread), fruits and veggies are better and cheaper when bought in tiny shops rather than at Carrefour… and the list is long.

Yeah, right now you won’t be living the Dubai influencer life with your American dollars in Argentina.

But honestly, I’m more worried about locals than tourists.