I Spent 8 Days in Buenos Aires and This Is What It Cost

Day 3 – Friday

Total cost: 213,788 pesos ($213.78)
On Friday morning, the remainder of our group arrived and we set out on the city to meet them at a local coffee shop called Cafe del Medio, where I ordered a mocha for 2,820 pesos ($2.82).

After our coffee, we walked around a bit and stopped by the La Recoleta Cemetery, where Eva Perón (aka Evita) lies. The entrance fee was 7,750 pesos ($7.75) per person. We meandered for about 40 minutes and paid our respects at Evita’s grave. After this pilgrimage, we wandered into a little bakery called Dos Escudos, where we got four empanadas for 4,720 pesos ($4.72), or 1,180 pesos ($1.18) per person. Argentinian empanadas are the best because they’re baked with a bread that has the consistency of a croissant.

Next, we went to pick out some Argentinian outfits at Arandu, a well-known Argentinian brand that specializes in handmade leather goods, traditional Argentine gaucho (cowboy) attire, and polo equipment. At the shop, we spent two hours browsing through leather jackets, vests, belts, wallets, bags, and other accessories, as well as wool ponchos, brimmed hats, and plenty of yerba mate paraphernalia. In the end, I decided to purchase a beautiful wool poncho with a structured collar, a felt hat with a slight cowboy vibe, and a boina hat for 139,584 pesos ($139) total—a steal.

We changed into our new clothing to really get into the mood for Buenos Aires. I put on the entire gaucho outfit, and my brother and two friends all changed into the exact same polo shirt. Then, we headed to Italian restaurant Sottovoce for lunch. We had free champagne and bread with really amazing dips, and then we each got our own plate of seafood pasta and split two desserts among the group. Our tab was 193,670 pesos ($193.67), or 32,270 pesos ($32.27) per person.

After lunch, we shopped and walked and then ate again. Dinner was in Palermo, at a Perónista-themed restaurant called Perón Perón. We started off with a round of empanadas, then ordered six different meat-centric mains and ate them family-style. The food plus a bottle of Malbec came to 106,000 pesos ($106), or 17,660 pesos ($17.66) per person. This felt like an amazing value, especially when you factor in the free 20-minute lesson in Perónismo that the waiter gave me when I asked him about the ideology. According to him, no one knows what it is anymore.

After dinner we walked for about two hours until we came to a bar called La Frenteria, a very trendy spot with great cocktails. I ordered a round of five for 67,500 pesos ($67.50)—13,500 pesos ($13.50) each. At the end of the night, we took a cab home for 592 pesos ($5.92), or 148 pesos ($1.48) per person.