Buenos Aires / Airbnb vs Direct
Airbnb vs direct rental in Buenos Aires
Side-by-side pricing comparison based on 103,889 verified listings
All prices in USD.
| Component | Airbnb | Direct Rental |
|---|---|---|
| Base rent | Bundled (opaque) | Listed separately |
| Building fees (expensas) | Included | $109/mo |
| Utilities | Included | ~$80/mo |
| Platform fee | 15.5% (host absorbs since Oct 2025) | N/A |
| Lease guarantee (caucion) | N/A | ~8% of contract value (long-term only) |
| Broker fee | N/A | $0 in CABA (law prohibits tenant fee) |
| Security deposit | None (platform holds payment) | 1 month rent (refundable) |
| Cancellation | Policy varies by host | 10% of remaining contract (DNU 70/2023) |
| Neighborhood | Airbnb 1-bedroom | Direct 1-bedroom | Monthly savings | % saved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berisso | — | $463* | — | — |
| Merlo | — | $489* | — | — |
| José C. Paz | — | $497* | — | — |
| Almirante Brown | — | $509* | — | — |
| Luján | — | $524* | — | — |
| La Matanza | $1,117 | $528* | — | — |
| Florencio Varela | — | $532* | — | — |
| Hurlingham | — | $538* | — | — |
| General Rodríguez | — | $549* | — | — |
| Morón | $981 | $1,403 | -$422 | -43% |
| Moreno | — | $550* | — | — |
| Berazategui | — | $552* | — | — |
| Tres de Febrero | $922 | $1,531 | -$609 | -66% |
| Avellaneda | $1,042 | $565* | — | — |
| General San Martín | $1,154 | $851 | $303 | 26% |
| La Plata | — | $953 | — | — |
| Lanús | $1,077 | $1,228 | -$151 | -14% |
| Virreyes | — | $585* | — | — |
| La Boca | $1,098 | $1,215 | -$117 | -11% |
| Villa Lugano | $833 | $598* | — | — |
| Lomas de Zamora | — | $1,099 | — | — |
| Ituzaingó | — | $609* | — | — |
| Escobar | — | $928 | — | — |
| Quilmes | — | $851 | — | — |
| San Cristóbal | $952 | $775 | $177 | 19% |
| Vélez Sarsfield | $524 | $633* | — | — |
| Constitución | $984 | $791 | $193 | 20% |
| Monte Castro | $848 | $637* | — | — |
| San Miguel | — | $639* | — | — |
| Villa Adelina | $608 | $649* | — | — |
| Nueva Pompeya | $595 | $652* | — | — |
| Agronomía | $941 | $657* | — | — |
| Parque Avellaneda | $817 | $657* | — | — |
| Floresta | $1,147 | $658* | — | — |
| Boulogne | $1,236 | $660* | — | — |
| Villa Riachuelo | — | $668* | — | — |
| Villa del Parque | $999 | $854 | $145 | 15% |
| Villa General Mitre | $1,069 | $922 | $147 | 14% |
| Liniers | $881 | $673* | — | — |
| Boedo | $814 | $895 | -$81 | -10% |
| Mataderos | $1,174 | $676* | — | — |
| Parque Patricios | $942 | $968 | -$26 | -3% |
| Balvanera | $992 | $792 | $200 | 20% |
| Villa Ortúzar | $926 | $1,446 | -$520 | -56% |
| Munro | $1,504 | $689* | — | — |
| Campana | — | $694* | — | — |
| Versalles | — | $696* | — | — |
| San Nicolás | $1,161 | $773 | $388 | 33% |
| Villa Real | — | $698* | — | — |
| Villa Luro | $1,054 | $702* | — | — |
| Villa Santa Rita | $1,035 | $702* | — | — |
| Flores | $986 | $999 | -$13 | -1% |
| Beccar | $1,751 | $1,055 | $696 | 40% |
| San Fernando | $1,620 | $3,729 | -$2109 | -130% |
| Florida | $1,087 | $735* | — | — |
| La Paternal | $835 | $737* | — | — |
| Parque Chas | $1,038 | $755 | $283 | 27% |
| Villa Pueyrredón | $1,051 | $819 | $232 | 22% |
| Ezeiza | — | $742* | — | — |
| Almagro | $1,091 | $876 | $215 | 20% |
| Monserrat | $1,083 | $829 | $254 | 23% |
| Parque Chacabuco | $1,154 | $900 | $254 | 22% |
| Pilar | — | $742 | — | — |
| Villa Devoto | $1,308 | $1,278 | $30 | 2% |
| Acassuso | $1,630 | $770* | — | — |
| Caballito | $1,059 | $906 | $153 | 14% |
| Barracas | $1,087 | $1,150 | -$63 | -6% |
| Coghlan | $1,054 | $1,073 | -$19 | -2% |
| Esteban Echeverría | — | $793* | — | — |
| Villa Crespo | $1,122 | $931 | $191 | 17% |
| Villa Urquiza | $1,224 | $927 | $297 | 24% |
| Recoleta | $1,270 | $919 | $351 | 28% |
| Vicente López | $1,487 | $1,078 | $409 | 28% |
| San Telmo | $1,142 | $782 | $360 | 32% |
| Villa Martelli | — | $847* | — | — |
| Victoria | $1,711 | $847* | — | — |
| Olivos | $1,641 | $1,476 | $165 | 10% |
| Saavedra | $1,084 | $940 | $144 | 13% |
| Retiro | $1,219 | $838 | $381 | 31% |
| Chacarita | $1,126 | $1,013 | $113 | 10% |
| Colegiales | $1,422 | $1,142 | $280 | 20% |
| Belgrano | $1,358 | $986 | $372 | 27% |
| San Isidro | $1,694 | $1,439 | $255 | 15% |
| Palermo | $1,394 | $1,063 | $331 | 24% |
| Martínez | $1,269 | $1,340 | -$71 | -6% |
| Núñez | $1,314 | $1,107 | $207 | 16% |
| Tigre | $1,711 | $1,396 | $315 | 18% |
| La Lucila | $1,296 | $1,685* | — | — |
| Puerto Madero | $2,856 | $2,092 | $764 | 27% |
A furnished direct rental saves $283/mo over Airbnb for a typical one-bedroom. One-time costs (cleaning, fumigation, deposit risk) add $364. The crossover point is 1.3 months.
After the crossover, every additional month saves the full monthly difference. Over a 6-month stay, net savings typically exceed $1,000 even after accounting for move-in costs.
| 3 months | 6 months | 12 months | 24 months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | $3,744 | $7,488 | $14,976 | $29,952 |
| Direct | $3,259 | $6,154 | $11,944 | $23,524 |
| vs Airbnb | −$485 | −$1,334 | −$3,032 | −$6,428 |
For stays under two months, Airbnb is often simpler. No deposit, no guarantee, no move-in costs. The premium buys convenience.
Data sources, trimming, and limitations+
Data sourced from Airbnb, Argenprop, Zonaprop, and MercadoLibre listings indexed by Unitrank. Listings must be active, geocoded, and priced above $200/month to be included.
Trimming: Bottom 10% of prices removed (likely bait or data errors). Top 25% removed (luxury outliers that skew Airbnb upward). Medians computed on the remaining 10th-75th percentile range.
Furnished detection: Furnished detection uses bed capacity extracted from listing photos via computer vision. Units with at least one bed visible in photos are classified as furnished. This method covers 80% of direct rental inventory.
Airbnb prices: Airbnb prices reflect the total guest cost for a 30-day, 1-guest stay: nightly rate, cleaning fee, platform service fee, and all taxes. Utilities (wifi, electricity, water) are bundled in the nightly rate.
Direct rental prices: Direct rental prices include base rent, building fees (expensas), and utilities ($40 + $4 per square root of area + $25 per AC unit, unsubsidized tier). Guarantee and broker fees shown separately where applicable.
Methodology note: Airbnb inventory clusters in premium micro-locations and includes better furnishings. The price gap reflects both platform markup and location/amenity differences. This comparison does not control for unit condition, exact location, or amenity level.