Summary
Buying an investment apartment in Buenos Aires City costs about 6.4% to 9.4% on top of the price with a buyer's agent, and about 2.8% to 4.6% without one. Annual property tax is rarely the problem; the agent, the expensas and, for non-residents, the tax on rent are.
Check where the flat is first. Palermo, Recoleta or Belgrano fall under the City (AGIP); San Isidro, Tigre or Pilar fall under Buenos Aires Province (ARBA), with a 2% stamp tax and different property-tax bills.
City stamp tax is 2.7% of the taxable value up to ARS 226.1 million (about USD 146,000) and 3.5% above, usually split 50/50, so the buyer pays 1.35% or 1.75%.
A buyer's sole permanent home pays no stamp tax up to ARS 226.1 million, up from ARS 56 million. Investment flats, second homes and non-residents buying to rent out pay the full tax.
On a USD 150,000 investment flat, the full buying bill is about USD 10,200 to 14,100. The agent, at 3% to 4% plus 21% VAT, is roughly half of it.
The agent's fee beats the tax: on USD 250,000, a 4% fee plus VAT costs USD 12,100, against USD 4,375 for the buyer's half of stamp tax.
Annual ABL has no honest percentage of the dollar price. In 2026 it rises with inflation (33.4% over the 12 months to September), plus 1% a month for properties with a fiscal value above ARS 32 million.
Expensas averaged ARS 379,774 a month in the City in September 2026 (about USD 245), up 28.6% in a year. For a one-bedroom, listings show about ARS 160,000 to 220,000, close to a quarter of the rent.
On a long lease the tenant usually pays ordinary expensas; the owner pays extraordinary works and every expensa while the flat is empty.
Finding a tenant costs the landlord up to 4.15% of the total contract value in agent's commission, about ARS 895,000 on a two-year lease of a typical one-bedroom.
Foreigners pay the same ABL as locals. The difference is national: a non-resident pays about 0.5% a year of wealth tax with no allowance, and should budget 21% of gross rent in income tax until the 2026 rent exemption is confirmed for them.
Selling got cheaper: the 1.5% ITI was abolished in 2024, and individuals, resident or not, pay no income tax on property sales since 1 January 2026. The 15% tax on gains is gone.
Selling still costs about 5.4% with an agent (3% plus VAT and half the stamp tax), about USD 8,070 on USD 150,000.
With 7% to get in and 5.4% to get out, a flat must rise about 13% before a flip breaks even, while closing prices fell 0.4% in dollars over the year to September 2026.
Before you sign, get the ABL bills, six months of expensas, the building's meeting minutes and a written notary quote. Budget the purchase at 6% to 9%, hold for years, and negotiate the agent first.
Ask an accountant in
Buenos Aires, for free.
What you pay each year, and when you sell.
Message a proCity or Province: which tax rules apply to your Buenos Aires flat?
If the flat is in Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano, Puerto Madero, Villa Crespo or San Telmo, it is in Buenos Aires City (CABA) and City rules apply. Those rules differ from Buenos Aires Province.
"Buenos Aires" can mean the Autonomous City or the much larger Province around it, and a lot of online advice mixes them up.
Inside the City, AGIP runs the yearly Inmobiliario/ABL bill and the stamp tax on sales. Cross into Vicente López, San Isidro, Tigre or Pilar and ARBA collects the provincial property tax, the municipality adds its own charges, and stamp tax on a sale is 2%.
Most foreign buyers looking for a "Buenos Aires apartment" are looking in the City, so that is what we use below unless we say Province.
| Where is the property? | Typical locations | Recurring property charge | Main tax authority | Stamp tax on a sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires City (CABA) | Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano, Puerto Madero, San Telmo | Inmobiliario + ABL | AGIP | 2.7% / 3.5% |
| Buenos Aires Province | San Isidro, Vicente López, Tigre, Pilar | Provincial Inmobiliario + municipal charges | ARBA | 2% |
How much tax does a buyer pay when buying an apartment in Buenos Aires?
On a normal investment purchase in the City, the buyer pays 1.35% or 1.75% of the taxable value in stamp tax.
The 2026 tax law sets the rate at 2.7% when the taxable value is ARS 226.1 million or less, and 3.5% above (Colegio de Escribanos, 30 January 2026). At ARS 1,550 per dollar, the threshold is about USD 146,000, so many investment flats in good neighbourhoods pay 3.5%.
Buyer and seller normally split it 50/50, so 2.7% means 1.35% for the buyer and 3.5% means 1.75%.
The taxable value is the highest of the price, the fiscal value (Valuación Fiscal Homogénea) and the City's reference value (Valor Inmobiliario de Referencia). Writing a low price in the deed does not lower the tax.
So when you read that "the transfer tax in Buenos Aires is 3.5%", the buyer usually pays half of that.
| Taxable value, Buenos Aires City | Total stamp-tax rate | Typical buyer share | Typical seller share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to ARS 226.1 million | 2.70% | ~1.35% | ~1.35% |
| Above ARS 226.1 million | 3.50% | ~1.75% | ~1.75% |
| Qualifying sole permanent home, within the exemption | 0% | 0% | Depends on the deal |
| Qualifying sole home above the threshold | Tax on the excess | Share of tax on the excess | Share of tax on the excess |
Can you avoid the Buenos Aires property transfer tax if you live there?
Yes. A buyer whose purchase is their sole, permanent family home pays no City stamp tax up to ARS 226.1 million (about USD 146,000).
The ceiling used to be ARS 56 million. Quadrupling it is one of the bigger recent changes to Buenos Aires buying costs.
The flat has to be your only property and your permanent family home (vivienda única, familiar y de ocupación permanente). AGIP asks you to declare it and back it with a property-registry certificate.
Above ARS 226.1 million the exemption doesn't vanish: you pay tax only on the part above the threshold.
A rental flat, a holiday home or a second unit gets none of this. If you are buying from abroad to rent out, budget the full tax and let the notary tell you otherwise. An investment model built on the exemption makes the purchase look cheaper than it is.
How much are total closing costs when buying property in Buenos Aires?
For an investment flat bought through an agent, budget about 6.4% to 9.4% on top of the price. Without a buyer's agent, about 2.8% to 4.6%.
Four lines make up the bill: the buyer's half of stamp tax (1.35% or 1.75%), the notary (1% to 2% of the deed value plus 21% VAT, La Nación, April 2026), certificates and registry (0.2% to 0.4%), and the buyer's agent.
The agent usually charges the buyer 3% to 4%, plus 21% VAT when they invoice it, so 3.63% to 4.84% of the price (La Nación with CUCICBA, the City's brokers' board).
Take a USD 150,000 investment flat. At ARS 1,550 per dollar it is worth about ARS 232.5 million, above the threshold, so the 3.5% rate applies. The bill comes to about USD 10,185 to 14,115, or 6.8% to 9.4%.
If a quote is much higher, ask whether it includes seller costs, a mortgage deed or an agent on both sides. If someone tells you 2% or 3% all in with an agent, they are leaving something out.
| USD 150,000 investment flat, Buenos Aires City | Rate | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer stamp tax (half of 3.5%) | 1.75% | USD 2,625 | USD 2,625 |
| Notary + 21% VAT | 1.21%–2.42% | USD 1,815 | USD 3,630 |
| Certificates and registry | 0.2%–0.4% | USD 300 | USD 600 |
| Core subtotal, before agent | 3.2%–4.6% | USD 4,740 | USD 6,855 |
| Buyer agent + 21% VAT | 3.63%–4.84% | USD 5,445 | USD 7,260 |
| Total to buy | 6.8%–9.4% | USD 10,185 | USD 14,115 |
Ask a lawyer in
Buenos Aires, for free.
Taxes and fees on top of the price, before you sign.
Message a proIs the estate-agent fee really one of the biggest costs of buying in Buenos Aires?
Yes. On most purchases the buyer's agent costs more than the stamp tax, and far more than a year of ABL.
A 4% fee plus VAT is 4.84% of the price. On USD 250,000 that is USD 12,100.
The buyer's half of a 3.5% stamp tax on the same flat is USD 4,375. The agent costs almost three times as much.
The commission is agreed, not fixed by law, so negotiate it before you sign the reservation and get it in writing, saying whether VAT is included. Half a point off the fee is worth USD 750 on a USD 150,000 flat.
Buying direct from an owner or a developer can cut or remove the buyer-side fee. When you compare two similar flats, compare the full buying bill, not just the price.
How much is annual property tax in Buenos Aires?
There is no reliable percentage of the market price. The City calculates Inmobiliario/ABL from its own fiscal value, not from what the flat would sell for in dollars.
AGIP bills it as one yearly tax paid in 12 monthly instalments. It combines the progressive Impuesto Inmobiliario with the charge for street lighting, cleaning and drains (Alumbrado, Barrido y Limpieza).
The tax side uses the Valuación Fiscal Homogénea, which looks at location, use, building category and quality. The rates rise with that value, and the City changed its method for 2026, so be wary of old examples online.
In 2026 the bill moves with inflation for properties with a fiscal value up to ARS 32 million (about 63% of them) and with inflation plus 1% a month above that (La Nación, 28 November 2025). With inflation at 33.4% over the 12 months to September 2026 (INDEC), a pricier flat's ABL can rise by more than a third in pesos in a year.
There are discounts: 10% for individuals who paid all of 2025 on time, applied to each 2026 instalment, and 10% for paying the year upfront (iProUP, January 2026). Two neighbours with similar flats can pay different amounts.
The only reliable figure is the property's own bill. Ask the seller for the last ABL bills, check they are paid, and index the amount to inflation in your model.
Are expensas more expensive than property tax in Buenos Aires?
Often, yes. The monthly building charge is usually the biggest recurring cost of a Buenos Aires flat.
ConsorcioAbierto, whose sample covers about 15,000 buildings, put the City's average at ARS 379,774 a month in September 2026, about USD 245, up 28.6% in a year, slower than 33.4% inflation (via Infobae, 17 October 2026).
That average is pulled up by big units and amenity towers. For a one-bedroom (2 ambientes), Mob's September 2026 listings show medians from about ARS 160,000 in San Telmo to ARS 220,000 in Núñez, with Palermo at ARS 200,000 (about USD 130).
Against Mob's rents in the same neighbourhoods, expensas run at about 23% to 25% of the asking rent for a one-bedroom.
The building changes everything. Propio's 2026 study found about 22% higher expensas per square metre in buildings with amenities, and around 13% more for units with parking. A cheap flat in a tower with a pool, gym, security and lots of staff can cost more to carry than a dearer one in a plain building.
| Neighbourhood (one-bedroom) | Median expensas (ARS/month) | Median asking rent (ARS/month) | Expensas as % of rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Telmo | 160,000 | 700,000 | 22.9% |
| Recoleta | 190,000 | 750,000 | 25.3% |
| Palermo | 200,000 | 850,000 | 23.5% |
| Belgrano | 210,000 | 830,000 | 25.3% |
| Colegiales | 210,000 | 850,000 | 24.7% |
| Núñez | 220,000 | 920,000 | 23.9% |
Does the landlord have to pay all the expensas in Buenos Aires?
No. On a residential lease the tenant usually pays the ordinary expensas and the owner pays the extraordinary ones. Since DNU 70/2023 ended rent control, the contract can set the split.
The City's housing institute (Instituto de Vivienda) says contracts under the current rules can define who pays expensas, taxes and services.
Ordinary expensas cover running the building: cleaning, staff, routine servicing. Extraordinary ones cover big works such as façades, plumbing or lifts, and can arrive as large one-off bills.
So don't subtract the full 23% to 25% from your rent when the tenant pays the ordinary part. But you pay it all while the flat is empty or let on Airbnb.
High expensas still make a flat harder to let, because tenants look at rent plus expensas. A one-bedroom at ARS 850,000 with ARS 250,000 of expensas competes badly with one at the same rent and ARS 150,000.
Ask for six months of statements and the latest owners' meeting minutes. One month tells you nothing about a building that has just voted a big renovation.
What rental fees does a Buenos Aires landlord pay when finding a tenant?
In the City, the landlord pays the agent up to 4.15% of the total value of a residential lease, and a tenant who is a private person cannot be charged a commission (Law 5.859, amending Law 2.340).
The City's housing institute still lists that cap after the 2023 deregulation.
Take a typical one-bedroom at ARS 898,154 a month, Zonaprop's September 2026 asking average. A two-year lease totals about ARS 21.6 million, so the fee can reach about ARS 895,000 (about USD 575).
Keep a good tenant for years and that cost spreads out. Frequent turnover brings it back every time, with cleaning, repairs and empty weeks on top, so model it on its own line rather than inside a vague "management" percentage.
Ask an accountant in
Buenos Aires, for free.
They know what’s left after taxes, fees and empty months.
Message a proDo foreign buyers pay more property tax in Buenos Aires?
Not locally. ABL follows the property, not the owner's passport. The difference for foreigners comes from national taxes.
Bienes Personales (wealth tax) is where residence matters. Residents get an allowance: for fiscal year 2025, the latest ARCA has published, the general threshold was ARS 384.7 million and a home they live in was exempt up to about ARS 1.347 billion. The 2026 figures were not out in October 2026.
Residents' rates fall to 0.5% and 0.75% for 2026 and to 0.25% for 2027 under Law 27.743.
Non-residents get no allowance. A local representative (responsable sustituto) pays 0.5% a year on the property and claims it back from the owner: about USD 750 a year on a USD 150,000 flat.
Rent is the other gap. Since 1 January 2026, resident individuals pay no income tax on rent from a home the tenant lives in (Decree 406/2026). The decree doesn't say whether non-residents qualify (Estudio Piccinini, 29 June 2026), so budget the usual 35% withholding on a presumed 60% net, which is 21% of gross rent, until an adviser confirms otherwise.
Two owners of identical Palermo flats get the same ABL bill and can end up with very different national tax bills. Get an Argentine accountant's view in writing before you buy.
What taxes do you pay when selling property in Buenos Aires now?
For an individual, none on the gain. The 1.5% ITI was abolished in July 2024, and since 1 January 2026 individuals pay no income tax on property sales.
Old guides are dangerous here. The ITI took 1.5% of the price on property bought before 2018; Law 27.743 repealed it. Property bought from 2018 used to pay 15% on the gain; Law 27.802 (article 192, published 6 March 2026) and Decree 406/2026 (1 June 2026) exempted those sales from 2026.
The exemption covers investment flats and second homes, not just a main home, and it covers people living abroad as well as residents.
It doesn't cover companies, developers or people who trade property as a business. If you own through a company, its sale is taxed under company rules.
Your home country may still tax the gain. Keep the deed, proof of what you paid and proof of how the dollars came in: you'll need them to send the money home.
| Selling issue | Treatment now | What is taxed? | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old ITI (bought before 2018) | Repealed July 2024 | Was 1.5% of the price | Drop it from quotes |
| Individual, bought from 2018 | Exempt since 1 Jan 2026 | Was 15% of the gain | No federal tax on the gain |
| Non-resident individual | Exempt since 1 Jan 2026 | Nothing in Argentina | Check home-country tax |
| Company or developer | Still taxable | Company or business profit | Not tax-free |
| City stamp tax | Seller usually pays half | 1.35% or 1.75% | Part of the exit cost |
| Seller's agent | About 3% + 21% VAT | Sale price | Biggest exit cost |
How much does it cost to sell an apartment in Buenos Aires?
About 5.4% of the price with an agent, and no income tax on the gain for an individual.
The seller's agent usually charges about 3%; with 21% VAT that is 3.63%.
The seller also pays half the stamp tax: 1.75% at the 3.5% rate, 1.35% at 2.7%.
The seller also pays to prove clean title and clear their own debts, including unpaid ABL and expensas, under the Colegio de Escribanos' usual split, unless the contract says otherwise.
On a USD 150,000 sale, agent plus stamp tax come to about USD 8,070, or 5.4%, before those smaller items.
Can you realistically flip property in Buenos Aires after paying all these fees?
Rarely. Getting in and out costs about 12% or more of the price, and dollar prices are not rising fast enough to cover it.
Say you pay USD 200,000 plus 7% in buying costs: USD 214,000 out of pocket.
If selling costs 5.4%, you need to sell for about USD 226,200 just to get your USD 214,000 back. The flat has to rise about 13% before you break even. At 9.4% buying costs, it is about 15.6%.
The market isn't helping. Closing prices in the City averaged USD 2,097/m² in September 2026, down 0.4% in a year (RE/MAX, UCEMA and Reporte Inmobiliario), while asking prices sit near USD 2,484/m² (Zonaprop). Meanwhile the strong peso makes renovations and expensas dearer in dollars every month.
The 2026 capital-gains exemption helps the person who already made a profit, but it doesn't touch the 12% to 15% of friction.
Flips work when you buy well below market, renovate cheaply, or skip the buyer's agent. Otherwise hold for years and let the rent pay off the entry cost.
Ask an agent who knows
Buenos Aires, for free.
Building fees, repairs, utilities: they know the real numbers.
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Are property taxes lower just outside Buenos Aires City?
Not necessarily. The Province has a different system, not a cheaper one.
Stamp tax on a sale is 2%, usually split, against the City's 2.7% or 3.5%, but deeds there often need an extra survey certificate (estado parcelario) that adds cost (La Nación, April 2026).
ARBA charges the provincial Impuesto Inmobiliario on the fiscal value, using brackets with a fixed amount plus a marginal rate, and the municipality adds its own fees. In 2026 ARBA gives 15% off for paying the year upfront and 10% off each instalment paid on time.
Owners of several properties in the Province can also face the Impuesto Inmobiliario Complementario, which adds up their properties in the same category.
A San Isidro house, a Tigre flat and a Palermo flat need three separate calculations. Ask for the actual bills of each property you are comparing.
What changed for Buenos Aires property taxes in 2026?
Four recent changes matter for a buyer: selling became tax-free for individuals, long-term rent became tax-free for residents, the sole-home stamp exemption quadrupled to ARS 226.1 million, and ABL now tracks inflation.
The two federal changes come from Law 27.802 (published 6 March 2026) and Decree 406/2026 (1 June 2026). Both apply from 1 January 2026. For a resident landlord with a long-term tenant, a 5.7% gross yield (Zonaprop, September 2026) no longer pays income tax; only wealth tax and running costs eat into it.
For a non-resident, the picture is less rosy. The rent exemption is unconfirmed for you, tourist rentals are not covered at all, and the wealth tax has no allowance. Ask the notary or your property manager who will act as your local representative.
What to do now: ask a tax adviser for a written opinion on your rent before you sign, check whether stamp tax is calculated on the price or a higher reference value, and get last year's ABL bill to see how fast it rose.
What tax do you pay on an Airbnb flat in Buenos Aires?
More than on a long lease. Tourist rentals are not covered by the 2026 rent exemption, for residents or non-residents.
A non-resident should budget 21% of gross bookings in income tax, plus City gross-income tax, reported at 6% for tourist rentals (iProfesional), and possibly VAT. Airbnb's own host fee is 15.5%.
The City also requires free online registration of tourist rentals, with insurance, ownership documents and the building's rules. A building whose bylaws ban short lets is off-limits.
You also pay all the expensas, about ARS 200,000 a month for a Palermo one-bedroom. Before buying for Airbnb, read the building's reglamento, count the expensas as yours, and run the numbers with the 21% tax included.
What bills should you ask for before buying a Buenos Aires apartment?
The last ABL bills, six months of expensas, a certificate of no debts and the building's recent meeting minutes, before you trust any figure from the seller.
The notary checks title, tax debts and building debts before the deed, but by then it is too late to walk away cheaply.
The minutes show what the monthly bill doesn't yet: a voted façade repair, a lift replacement or a special assessment. With amenity buildings carrying about 22% higher expensas per square metre, ask what the pool and gym actually cost owners last year.
Ask the notary for a written quote with the fee, VAT and each certificate listed, and the agent for their fee in writing. Then compare the total with the 6.4% to 9.4% range above.
So how much are property taxes and fees in Buenos Aires today?
For an investment flat in the City, budget about 6.4% to 9.4% on top of the price with an agent, plan the ABL from the actual bill, watch the expensas closely, and allow about 5.4% to sell.
The search is for "property taxes", but the money goes elsewhere. The buyer's agent alone costs 3.63% to 4.84%, more than the 1.35% to 1.75% stamp tax.
While you own the flat, expensas are the cost to watch: ARS 379,774 a month on average, about USD 245, and roughly a quarter of the rent for a one-bedroom.
On a sale, ITI is gone and individuals pay no tax on the gain for sales made from 1 January 2026. On rent, residents' long leases are tax-free; non-residents should budget 21% of gross rent and 0.5% a year of wealth tax until told otherwise.
Buenos Aires suits patient owners, not quick flippers. Negotiate the agent, get two notary quotes, check the building's minutes, and plan to hold.
| Cost | Rough size in 2026 | When | Main variable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer closing costs, City | ~2.8% to 4.6% before agent | Purchase | Stamp tax and notary |
| Buyer agent | 3% to 4% + 21% VAT | Purchase | Negotiation |
| Sole permanent home | No stamp tax up to ARS 226.1 million | Purchase | Use of the property |
| ABL | Property-specific, indexed to inflation | Every month | Fiscal value |
| Expensas | ~ARS 379,774 a month on average | Every month | Building |
| Landlord's leasing fee | Up to 4.15% of the contract | Each new lease | Tenant turnover |
| Long-term rent, non-resident | Budget 21% of gross | While let | Exemption not confirmed |
| Bienes Personales, non-resident | 0.5% a year | Annual | Property value |
| Selling | ~5.4% with agent, 0% tax on the gain | Sale | Seller type |
Our methodology
This article estimates what it costs to buy, own, let and sell an apartment in Buenos Aires City, with Buenos Aires Province as a comparison, from the point of view of an investor and of a foreign buyer.
Buying costs are built line by line: stamp tax rates and the sole-home exemption from the Colegio de Escribanos de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (30 January 2026) and AGIP; notary fees and certificate costs from La Nación's April 2026 review of deed costs; agent commissions from La Nación with CUCICBA, with 21% VAT added on the notary and agent. Expensas come from ConsorcioAbierto via Infobae (September 2026) and Mob's September 2026 listings, with Propio for the effect of amenities; rents and yields from Zonaprop (September 2026) and closing prices from RE/MAX, UCEMA and Reporte Inmobiliario.
Tax rules come from the laws and the tax authorities: Law 27.802 and Decree 406/2026 for the 2026 exemptions on sales and residential rents, Law 27.743 for the end of ITI and the wealth-tax rates, Estudio Piccinini on non-resident landlords, ARCA for Bienes Personales, La Nación and iProUP for the 2026 ABL update and discounts, Law 5.859 and the City's housing institute for rental commissions, ARBA and El Economista for the Province, and iProfesional for the City gross-income tax on tourist rentals.
We checked these figures in October 2026. Peso amounts are converted at about ARS 1,550 per US dollar (official and MEP rates were within 1% of each other on 22 October 2026, the blue rate about ARS 1,570), and euro amounts at about ARS 1,740 per euro.
Where we had no direct figure, we said so: there is no reliable typical ABL bill for a given flat, the 2026 wealth-tax thresholds were not published yet, and the rent-tax treatment of non-resident landlords is unconfirmed, so we used the standard 21% withholding as a prudent default. The worked examples are our own sums. Treat this as a budget, not tax advice.
Key sources used for this analysis include Colegio de Escribanos on 2026 stamp tax rates, AGIP on stamp tax, AGIP on the sole-home exemption, AGIP on Inmobiliario and ABL, Colegio de Escribanos on who pays what in a sale, La Nación on deed costs (April 2026), La Nación on agent commissions, CUCICBA on real-estate commissions, La Nación on the 2026 ABL update, iProUP on 2026 ABL discounts, Infobae on September 2026 expensas, Mob on rents and expensas by neighbourhood, Propio's 2026 expensas study, the City's housing institute on the current rental rules, García Alonso on Law 5.859 rental commissions, Infobae on Zonaprop's September 2026 rents, Revista Mercado on Zonaprop's September 2026 index, Argentina.gob.ar on the repeal of ITI, Decree 406/2026, Estudio Piccinini on non-resident landlords, ARCA on Bienes Personales, the City's tourist rental registry, ARBA on the provincial property tax, El Economista on ARBA 2026 discounts, ARBA on the Impuesto Inmobiliario Complementario, Infobae on INDEC inflation and Infobae on the dollar rate in October 2026.
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