Houses and apartments

Buying an Apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a Foreigner: Prices, Costs and Steps

By Nico F. · Updated October 14, 2026

General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules, exchange rates and prices change and every case has its own details. Before you pay, sign or apply for residency, check the current rules with an Argentine notary (escribano), lawyer or accountant.

Quick answer A foreigner can buy an apartment in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, without being a resident. Asking prices in September 2026 averaged USD 2,484 per square meter according to the Zonaprop Index, and the median asking price on October 8, 2026 was USD 2,813 according to Mudafy. The two figures use different methods and are not comparable. Closing prices were below asking prices in two sources. Press estimates put the buyer's costs at roughly 5% to 8% of the price (iProfesional, May 2026; Argentina Visa Law, September 2026), more if the buyer pays the agent and the whole stamp tax. The stamp tax is 2.7% of the whole base up to ARS 226,100,000 and 3.5% of the whole base above it. A notary (escribano) closes the sale.

A barrio is a city neighborhood. A boleto de compraventa is the preliminary private contract, the escritura is the public deed that transfers ownership, and a reserva is an offer backed by a deposit. CABA is the city of Buenos Aires, and ARS means Argentine pesos. The rules for the whole country, including why the 2026 land law dispute does not affect urban property, are in buying a house or apartment in Argentina as a foreigner.

How much does an apartment cost per square meter in Buenos Aires?

Two published sources are shown below with their methods. They are not blended, because one averages advertised prices and the other takes the median.

Zonaprop Index Mudafy
Month of data September 2026 October 8, 2026
Measure Average asking price Median asking price
Price per square meter USD 2,484 USD 2,813
Sample Advertised apartments in the city 57,370 listings
Trend +0.3% in the month, +1.4% so far in 2026, +1.3% over 12 months; 11.3% below the series peak of roughly USD 2,800 Not given

Sources: Zonaprop Index CABA report for September 2026; Mudafy press page, October 2026.

Zonaprop's reference apartments for September 2026:

Apartment Approximate asking price Per square meter
40 m2 studio USD 110,000 USD 2,635
50 m2 two-room USD 131,000 USD 2,510
70 m2 three-room USD 180,000 USD 2,458

Zonaprop rounds the prices. The per-square-meter figures are Zonaprop's own and do not divide exactly into the rounded prices.

Zonaprop's index for houses was USD 1,822 per square meter in September 2026 (-0.4% in the month), with a 170 m2 three-bedroom house at about USD 302,000.

Asking prices are not closing prices. The M2 Real index (REMAX, Universidad del CEMA and Reporte Inmobiliario) put the average effective closing price at USD 2,111 per square meter in February 2026, after USD 2,146 in January, with a gap between listed and closed prices of 4.43% in February (Revista Mercado, March 25, 2026). Mudafy reports that sales closed in its own network close 3.9% below the last asking price (October 2026). Asking prices and closing prices are different measures.

Trend. Zonaprop's index rose 5.4% in 2025 and had risen 1.4% by September 2026, and stands 11.3% below the series peak. The same report says the dollar cost of construction rose 18.5% in 2026 to date, which puts pressure on new-build prices. Both sources quote dollars per square meter. For exchange rates, see the blue dollar and exchange rates for foreigners.

What do apartments cost in each Buenos Aires barrio?

The tables list the barrios for which each source publishes a figure. Each source gets its own table, and the two should not be merged into one ranking.

Zonaprop Index, September 2026 (average asking price, USD per m2):

Barrio USD per m2
Puerto Madero 6,165
Palermo 3,454
Núñez 3,409
Chacarita 2,837
Caballito 2,428
Barracas 2,171
Lugano (lowest in the report) 1,071

Zonaprop also groups the city into areas: the northern corridor (Corredor Norte) is the highest at USD 3,200 per square meter and the south the lowest at USD 1,259.

Mudafy, October 8, 2026 (median asking price, USD per m2, with number of listings):

Barrio USD per m2 Listings
Puerto Madero 5,706 368
Núñez 3,855 750
Palermo 3,680 5,536
Belgrano 3,412 2,248
Recoleta 2,848 1,805
Villa Crespo 2,791 303
Caballito 2,742 1,880
San Telmo 2,364 343

Barrios with a few hundred listings, such as Villa Crespo and San Telmo, have smaller samples than Palermo, which makes those figures less reliable. A barrio average also hides large differences between a new building, an old building and a ground-floor unit.

How many apartments are sold in Buenos Aires, and are mortgages falling?

The Colegio de Escribanos records the sale deeds signed for city property.

Measure Figure Source
Sale deeds, August 2026 6,055, down 4.9% from 6,370 in August 2025 and flat against July 2026 (6,051) Colegio de Escribanos
Sale deeds, January to August 2026 41,583, down 2.3% year on year Colegio de Escribanos
Average deed, August 2026 ARS 181.4 million, about USD 119,270 at the official average rate, down 2.7% in dollars year on year Colegio de Escribanos
Deeds with a mortgage, August 2026 1,059, down 20.8% year on year Colegio de Escribanos
Deeds with a mortgage, January to August 6,170 in 2026 against 9,341 a year earlier, about 34% fewer Colegio de Escribanos
Sale deeds, December 2025 7,646, down 0.3% year on year Colegio de Escribanos
Mortgage deeds, 12 months to December 2025 13,953, up 179.4% Colegio de Escribanos

The Colegio described 2025 as the fifth-best calendar year in 27 measurements. In August 2026 mortgages were 17% of city deeds, four points fewer than a year earlier (Zonaprop, citing the Colegio). Volume in 2026 is close to 2025, while mortgage-funded purchases fell sharply. Mortgage rules for foreigners are in buying a house or apartment in Argentina as a foreigner.

What are the closing costs in Buenos Aires city in 2026?

Cost Figure Notes
Stamp tax (impuesto de sellos) 2.7% on the whole base when the greater of price, fiscal valuation or reference value is up to ARS 226,100,000; 3.5% on the whole base when it is above Colegio de Escribanos table, July 13, 2026
Stamp tax, single permanent home Exempt up to ARS 226,100,000; 3.5% on the excess only Needs a sworn statement and registry proof
Stamp tax, boleto without possession 1% Colegio table
Stamp tax, mortgage Exempt for a natural-person buyer with a loan from a financial entity Fiscal Code art. 370; the home no longer has to be the only one
Notary fee Suggested minimum of 2% of the greater of price, actual value or fiscal valuation; minimum fee ARS 1,980,000 Resolution 353/26, in force from October 1, 2026; a suggested minimum, not a fixed fee
Title study and certificates Title study ARS 740,000 plus 0.2%; certificate handling ARS 275,000 plus 0.20%, capped at ARS 4,125,000 Same fee schedule
Registry and certificates About 0.2% to 0.4% and 0.3% to 0.5% Argentina Visa Law; budgeting ranges. These ranges and the notary schedule items above may overlap: ask the notary for a single written budget
Agent commission Negotiated; published estimates differ on who pays Get it in writing in the reserva
Total Press estimates: roughly 5% to 8% of the price iProfesional (May 2026) gives 5% to 8% and Argentina Visa Law 7% to 8% with an agent and no exemption. The result depends on who pays the stamp tax and the commission, on the exemption and on any loan. The breakdown below is arithmetic

Older and less careful articles still show the stamp tax as 3.5% or 3.6%. The Colegio documents are the controlling source.

Who pays. By custom the stamp tax is split between buyer and seller, so at 2.7% each side bears 1.35%. That is market practice, not a verified legal rule, and a deed clause can change it. The buyer usually chooses and pays the notary in CABA, also by custom. Argentina Visa Law says the single-home exemption does not apply to non-resident or rental properties, so a foreign investor should not assume it applies.

Where the 2.7% rate stops. The 2.7% rate applies to the whole base only while the greater of price, fiscal valuation and reference value stays at or below ARS 226,100,000. That is about USD 147,000 at the Banco Nación sell rate of ARS 1,535 on October 9, 2026. Above it, the 3.5% rate applies to the whole base. The peso rate is fixed when the instrument granting possession is signed (Colegio de Escribanos table, July 13, 2026).

Worked example (arithmetic, not a quote). Assumptions: the price is USD 131,000, the rounded figure Zonaprop publishes for a 50 m2 two-room flat, and it is the greatest of price, fiscal valuation and reference value, so 2.7% applies to the whole base. The stamp tax is split evenly. The notary charges the suggested 2% plus 21% VAT (the VAT depends on the notary's tax status). Registry and certificates cost 0.5% to 0.9% (the two Argentina Visa Law ranges added together). If the buyer pays an agent, the commission is 3% plus 21% VAT.

Item Amount (USD)
Stamp tax, 2.7% of the price 3,537 in total, 1,769 for the buyer's half
Notary fee, 2% 2,620, plus 550 VAT
Registry and certificates, 0.5% to 0.9% 655 to 1,179
Buyer's total without an agent 5,594 to 6,118 (4.3% to 4.7% of the price)
Agent, 3% plus VAT 4,755
Buyer's total with an agent 10,349 to 10,873 (7.9% to 8.3%)
Same, if the buyer pays the whole stamp tax 12,118 to 12,642 (about 9.3% to 9.7%)

The 3.5% case: on Zonaprop's reference three-room flat at USD 180,000 (about ARS 276 million at ARS 1,535), the base is above the threshold, so the stamp tax is 3.5% of the whole base, about USD 6,300 in total, against about USD 4,860 at 2.7%. The with-agent result of about 8% sits at the top of the press range; the no-agent result is below its bottom.

Taxes on the sale are also relevant to a buyer who later resells. The 1.5% transfer tax (ITI) was repealed for individuals in July 2024, and individuals, residents or not, are exempt from capital-gains tax on real estate sold from January 1, 2026 (Ley 27.802 and Decreto 406/2026). Chambers (2026) warns that the exemption is not automatic in every case for non-residents, so a tax adviser should confirm it.

How does buying an apartment in Buenos Aires work for a foreigner?

Step What to do Where to read more
1. Budget Add the costs to the price, using the written budget from the notary Table and breakdown above
2. Tax ID The CUIT replaced the CDI on March 2, 2026 (ARCA General Resolution 5803/2025). According to Baenegocios (December 24, 2025), a foreign resident without a DNI can request a provisional CUIT of up to two years and a non-resident applies through a representative with an Argentine address. Confirm the route with the notary before a deposit CUIT for foreigners in Argentina
3. Reserva Put the deposit terms, the commission and who pays it in writing; a reserva can become a seña depending on its wording Boleto de compraventa
4. Due diligence The notary requests the title certificate (about four working days in the city according to Argentina Visa Law, or two with urgent service), the inhibition certificates and the debt checks Title search
5. Boleto Have a lawyer review the price, deposit, penalty, possession date and currency before signing Same page as step 3
6. Funds Prepare evidence of the origin of funds and agree the payment route with the notary Paying from abroad
7. Escritura The deed is signed before the notary, the price is paid, taxes are withheld and the deed is registered Costs table above

A buyer who cannot attend can sign through an attorney-in-fact: see power of attorney to buy property in Argentina from abroad. The ownership transfer happens at the deed, not at the boleto. If the seller lives abroad, Argentina Visa Law says the seller must request an ARCA retention certificate at least 20 calendar days before signing, and issuance can take 25 to 35 days; whether this still applies after the January 2026 sale-gain exemption is not settled, so ask the notary. The notary also applies anti-money-laundering rules: documentation of the origin of funds above 700 minimum wages for medium and high-risk clients, a sworn statement for any cash payment and a monthly report of cash purchases above 750 minimum wages (Colegio de Escribanos, July 2026).

Buying does not give a right to reside: see does buying property in Argentina give residency and pensionado and rentista residency.

Where can asking prices be checked?

Listing portals publish asking prices, and some publish indexes built from them. They are sources for price data, not a guide to final prices.

Compare the same method from month to month rather than mixing sources. A listing price in dollars is an asking price until a deed says otherwise.

What should be checked before paying a deposit?

See also: Argentina expat guide, buying a house or apartment in Argentina as a foreigner.

Sources

Argentina updates

Rule changes, prices and new guides for buying property and living in Argentina. No fixed schedule.