Ever since 2001, Bueno Aires has gone through an economic setback which has made this city a bit affordable than usual. Although it is the most expensive country in South America, yet some tips can help you maintain your budget while you’re on travel in the city.
1. Cheap Transportation
Travelling within cities is best done by buses. Be a bit more active and take overnight buses because it’ll save your accommodation for one night. You could sleep on the way or read a book or even watch a movie on your tablet.
The overnight bus trip itself can become a fun part of your journey. It will cost you $5/hour on a bus and buses are cheaper than trains and air travel. The cool thing about bus journeys is that food is served on it and Wi-Fi is available too.
You can get around Bueno Aires by using its subway which is 7 pesos for 10 trips. Also you can walk around Bueno Aires as well to discover it like you can in New York or Toronto. The city is beautiful so the walk will be quite interesting.
2. Affordable Food
The best restaurants to eat at in Argentina are those that serve all you can eat buffets. The options to eat are ample and the food is appetizing which will quench your hunger for quite some time. Restaurants are not that expensive and people usually eat on the pampas which are grassy plains where beef is served.
These pampas are quite affordable. You can get a meal for $10 at a cheap restaurant, fast food like burgers is $7. Fine dining will cost you not more than $30. If you eat the ‘menu-of-the-day’ items at a restaurant, they’ll be quite cheap too.
3. Currency
Before you change your money into the local currency, check out the best rate that you can get from banks or money exchange shops.
4. Travel in Low Season
For every budget trip, the main thing to do is to travel in the low season. For Argentina it’s the summer months from December to February.
5. Low Cost Accommodation
You can get a hotel room starting at $20/night or if you want to go cheaper, than rent out an apartment with a kitchen and sometimes a pool too. Homestays are the most popular option for tourists if you don’t mind sharing a room in local host family’s house. It costs between $100-$140 per week and includes three meals a day. It’s a pretty good deal and you’ll get to know the locals and Argentinian culture this way.
Bueno Aires of Argentina is called the Europe of South America but only sights wise, if you compare its travel costs from that of Europe, you’ll notice a huge difference. Argentina is cheaper and you can easily spend the amount of money that you would on a Europe trip and still get the sights that Europe is popular for.
Have you been to Buenos Aires? Feel free to share your tips and recommendations.
Photo Credits (Flickr CC): Buenos Aires by flavouz