Can anyone confirm or deny that Buenos Aires is a relatively affordable destination? According to TripAdvisor research, it is on par with Capetown, Dubai and Lisbon, and much cheaper than London, Paris, and Barcelona?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/InfoCente...Cities_2013_US

Buenos Aires is certainly much cheaper than London or Paris. Depending on where you stay and what you do, it will probably also be cheaper than Barcelona.

Now.... the devil is in the details. What exchange rate are you using to convert your Peso prices to the hard currency of your choice....? I assume you are aware of the dual ForEx market situation in Argentina, or....?

Probably consider using Xoom.

Im sorry but I don't understand... what does probably mean...? Why would you not want to use Xoom or another alternate solution that would save you money...?

To get the best information, you need to provide us with a little more insight as to what you want to do while in Buenos Aires. Will you be doing the hostel and B&B scene, or do you want to have international 5 star accomodations...? Fine Wine & High end dining or cafeteria style....? Shopping or not...?

Overly generic questions do not help us in helping you.

Fair enough.
"Probably" means "most likely". I am also considering changing money on the street with shopkeepers.
Definitely no longer the backpacker type. Tend to stay at the likes of Hyatt Regency, Marriott and Hilton. I am not a foody, but tend to eat at quality bar-type food establishments. Think Bertucci's, Longhorn Steakhouse, etc.

If you trade your USD's for Pesos on the informal market, assuming the ForEx spread is similar to the current market spreads, then your vacation as you describe above will be a lot less expensive than all of the cities you mention in your original posts.

Please note this assumes that you will settle your hotel bill in Pesos cash, so you must be careful to book a rate that is not prepaid, else you will have no ForEx gain on your hotel expenses which will be a relevant part of your trip expenses.

Costs between BA and London have narrowed a hell of a lot over the years. It's got to the stage where the gap in some respects favours London especially when it comes to shopping.....overall, more choice with better quality at cheaper prices. The same can be said when it comes to eating out as well. BA accommodation is still reasonably priced compared to London although we recently managed to get a 4 star in central London for �65 a night including breakfast.

If it wasn't for the more favourable exchange rates that can be had BA might actually work out more expensive than holidaying in the UK. As for outside the capital I have been browsing hotels in Ushuaia and can't believe the prices they are charging for crap accommodation which claims to be 4 star...in the UK they would be 2 star at best.

Hiddy.... leaving shopping aside, which is clearly not of interest for the OP, I will have to ask where you eat in London and also where you eat when you visit Buenos Aires. If the OP is a normal tourist, he will want to have a nice steak. If you are saying that a steak of similar quality at an establishment of equal caliber costs the same in London and in Buenos Aires...... then someone doesn't know how to use a calculator. Maybe its me.... (????)

Compare the price of a gin & tonic in a trendy London bar full of IBankers to the price of the same drink at the hottest bar in EZE and then tell me about price equivalences...... London is a heck of a lot more expensive than EZE, even at official exchange rates. I insist, if you do an apples to apples comparison, and also compare what a standard room at a top location Park Hyatt in London versus a EZE Park Hyatt at the blue rate and then lets look at the value.....

As a further example... compare the cost at the Gaucho Grill in London to a similar meal at a middle-plus range parilla in Buenos Aires and then tell me which city is more expensive.

I love steak! I always ask my table companions if they need "help" eating their steak

Shopping for retail goods, yes perhaps. For food and entertainment services, BA is still cheaper than London. For lodging, BA is cheaper.

I did say in some respects and I did give BA the edge when it comes to hotel prices. Plus tourists don't tend to go drinking in trendy bars frequented by city bankers nor do they eat in top notch eateries. Having said that I did have a G&T in The Dorchester which cost about �12.....lucky for me by brother picked up the tab.
We ate at a fancy Italian restaurant located in fashionable Belgravia when we were in London in May. Average prices for a main course were �25 which I thought was pretty reasonable considering.
We were going to one of the better steak places but decided not to however their prices weren't unreasonable either.
It's been a while since we ate in a comparable restaurant in BA. Funnily enough we met a wealthy local landowner the other day and he was just back from London. He mentioned the cost of a comparable meal was the same in London as the meal he had in BA just before he left to go to Europe......I should say he's a bit of a stingy though.

Overall though I would still say your average tourist shouldn't think London is way more expensive than BA. Apart from the London tourist attractions that is.....they are are a rip off.

Since the discussion has included hotels... I'm going to B.A. at the end of August for 6 nights and trying to find a great hotel. I've been looking at the Algodon Mansion on LuxuryLink, but wonder if I need to spend that much to stay somewhere special (this is a holiday). I've read a lot about the number of boutique hotels that have opened recently but not knowing the city I'm confused. Anyone offer some advice?

I find shopping AND lodging outrageously expensive in London.

Americans usually do nowadays....no back alley exchange rates to be had there.

Funny thing is despite me having lived here for years I still convert everything to ��� when spending my pesos on everyday spending. So whenever I go back to the UK I'm fully prepared to compare. Comparing like for like can be difficult but I can say for sure that a Starbucks coffee in BA is much the same price as a London one and I bet both are dearer than one in the US.

I'm judging prices at the official exchange rates though.

London is like getting a gun put to your head (figuratively ) when you go to buy just about anything.

Buenos Aires, in comparison, is affordable. Shopping cannot be compared, because comparable products are generally not available due to import restrictions. Food, at $1 = $5,45 is moderate, but a fair sum less than London, and at $8,00 is a very good deal. Taxis? Yes, prices have skyrocketed, but in comparison, the ride from an EZE distance to central London would probably cost 3x as much. I just checked and LGW to central London is a �70 taxi ride. EZE to the city (similar) ranges between US$30 and $40, depending on the periodic rate increases and current exchange rate.