Buenos Aires · September 2026
median upfront stack for a long-term 1-bedroom with a caución, across 26,586 active listings with a move-in breakdown
The real question before moving is not the rent, it is the upfront stack: how much cash you need to gather before anyone hands you keys. Measured across active listings it runs from 2.1 to 4.5 times one month of rent depending on the path, and the four paths land on similar totals for completely different reasons.
Medians for a 1-bedroom. Long-term with a property guarantor pays only first month and deposit; long-term with a caución adds the policy; the agency temporario adds the commission; owner-direct adds neither.
| Path | First month | Deposit | Commission | Caución | Total | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term, property guarantor | US$ 547 | US$ 579 | – | – | US$ 1,138 | 2.1x |
| Long-term, with caución | US$ 547 | US$ 579 | – | US$ 1,300 | US$ 2,366 | 4.5x |
| Temporario, via agency | US$ 800 | US$ 800 | US$ 750 | – | US$ 2,473 | 3.1x |
| Temporario, owner-direct | US$ 850 | US$ 950 | – | – | US$ 1,869 | 2.1x |
Medians per path, not an exact budget. The caución is the 24-month policy at default values; with a property guarantor that line is zero. Long-term commission has a zero median in the city due to the legal restriction, though part of the market charges anyway. Some listings ask for extra months upfront; the median is zero.
Move-in medians for long-term contracts, at default parameters (24 months, caución).
The jump at 3 or more bedrooms mixes large apartments and houses; read it as an order of magnitude.
The stack is not all expense. The first month is rent. The deposit returns at move-out if the apartment is in good condition: document the state at entry with photos and a signed inventory, because deductions are the most common dispute. What never comes back: the agency commission and the caución. That is why two stacks of the same size can be very different inside.
Every listing's stack, computed
Every Unitrank listing page shows its full move-in cost for your guarantee situation, next to the all-in monthly cost. No surprises between the ad and the signature.
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The number nobody publishes
Portals show the rent; forums ask how much it takes to move in and nobody answers with data. We publish this cut because it is the first practical question of any move. It comes from each active listing's move-in breakdown and updates weekly.