Airbnb and booking.com are the two most popular methods for finding accommodation in Buenos Aires. Yet when billed in dollars or your home currency, these apps grossly inflate the cost of accommodation in Argentina.
Here’s why you should pay cash for your accommodation in Argentina. And what you could save by paying cash for your next Airbnb in Buenos Aires.
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Can You Pay Cash With Airbnb?
The simple answer to whether you can pay cash for an Airbnb in Argentina is no. It’s considered a breach of Airbnb’s terms of service to pay or accept payments outside of Airbnb’s app and payment processor. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
Due to the volatile nature of the Argentine peso and government regulations that limit the amount of dollars an Argentine can acquire each month, most people in Argentina want (and need) $USD. And because the actual value of the Argentine peso is less than half what the official government rate is on any given day, most landlords in Argentina (Airbnb included) don’t want their transactions converted into pesos at the official rate.
All landlords and hosts in Argentina prefer cash payment in $USD. This is because a host paid in $USD cash gets the actual amount they’re paid. If they’re paid electronically and the money is converted into Argentine pesos at the official rate, the money the host gets is worth less than half as much.
A host paid electronically literally has half the purchasing power with the pesos they receive, then they otherwise would with the $USD or other currency you paid through airbnb (or another app). If you ask a host (in person, not via the Airbnb app) for a rate in cash (or $USD cash), the price will be significantly cheaper.
How much cheaper? Well, here’s just one example.
Cash Payment To An Airbnb Host In Buenos Aires
Here’s an example of a transaction covering September to October 2022. The dolar blue rate at the time of the transaction was 286.99:1. And the unofficial euro rate was on parity with the dolar blue.
As you can see in the table below, paying cash saved me $253.52 (USD) when compared to what I would have paid if I was to book the same apartment through the Airbnb app or on Booking.com. As you can see, it was roughly 26% cheaper in cash.
| Payment Method | Price (1 Month) |
| Through Airbnb App (in $US) | $961.52 |
| Cash (A$ Peso) | A$203,195 |
| Dollars ($US) | $708 |
| Euro (€) | $708 |
Now, despite saving $253.52 or 26% by paying cash, that result is not typical. You can save a lot more. With savings that are usually closer to 50% on offer for cash payments. Particularly if those payments are in foreign currency (USD or Euro).
I didn’t search far to find one. And I simply had cash left over from my last Cuba trip that was surplus to my requirements. So I found a place on Airbnb I liked the look of and then got their address from Booking.com and I just wandered in to see them.
I didn’t bother searching all over both sites (Airbnb and booking.com) or negotiating prices. I simply located the host and then just wandered in and asked for the cash dolar blue rate. Had I bothered negotiating and if I was looking at a stay of 3 months or more, I likely could have cut the original airbnb price in half.
Buenos Aires Long-Term Rentals
Airbnb in Argentina is great. And for most tourists travelling to Buenos Aires for a few days to a week, negotiating cash prices or worrying about paying rent in cash isn’t likely worth their time. But for foreigners looking for long-term rentals in Buenos Aires the savings for paying in cash can really add up.
Being that I’ve been in Buenos Aires now for almost a year, saving $250 or more per month on rent, makes negotiating worth the extra effort. If you’re looking at staying in an Airbnb or a hotel in Buenos Aires for a month or longer, knowing that you can see significant discounts for paying in cash is worth considering.
How To Locate An Airbnb For Cash Payment In Buenos Aires
The first thing to do is to check the Airbnb app for a place you like. And that’s available in your price range. Then conduct a search for the host on social media, Google the apartment name or check booking.com. Either social media, Google or booking.com will give you the contact details for the host. Hosts and their apartments aren’t hard to find.
Airbnb tries to limit the available avenues of contact outside their platforms. Likely so all bookings go through their system and they get their cut of the transaction. But most hosts leave breadcrumbs on their profiles that allow you to find them in the real world.
Hosts have their names, location and photo on their Airbnb profile. Others use Airbnb management services that have Google business listings. Simply use those details to track them down. And if you’re having trouble finding the host, use a VPN and switch your location to Buenos Aires (though you should be using a VPN anyway).
When you’ve found the host, reach out and ask about their Airbnb in Buenos Aires. Ask them if they would be able to do a better price for a longer term rental if you paid in cash. I’m yet to find an Airbnb host in Argentina that wouldn’t be interested in being paid in $USD.
Where Can I Get More Information About Buenos Aires?
If you’re interested in Buenos Aires or Argentina in general you should visit our Complete Buenos Aires City Guide.
The Complete Buenos Aires City Guide is updated regularly. And it seeks to answer all of your questions regarding Buenos Aires and Argentina in one place.
You can read the Complete Buenos Aires City Guide for free here.
