Let’s talk about Palermo, Buenos Aires—a true haven for digital nomads. This neighborhood is a vibrant blend of leafy streets, chic cafés, buzzing nightlife, and creative energy. It’s where Buenos Aires feels both European and distinctly Latin American, offering a lifestyle that’s ideal for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers looking for both comfort and stimulation.
Palermo is Buenos Aires’ biggest barrio, and within it are smaller "sub-barrios" like Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, and Las Cañitas—each with its own flavor. For digital nomads, Palermo Soho is the sweet spot: walkable, full of cafés and coworking spaces, and packed with boutique shops, street art, and trendy restaurants.
Coffee in Palermo
When we arrive in Buenos Aires, we usually head straight to a café. We love Ispica: their flat white is imo the best in the city, and the airy, minimal design and both a rooftop and an inside area make it easy to settle in with your laptop. Al Diablo Coffee Roasters, Cover Cafe and Warren Café & Brunch are also excellent—freshly roasted beans, fast Wi-Fi, and no weird looks if you stay a couple of hours on one cold brew. One standout spot in Palermo is Rapanui, renowned for its artisanal ice cream and a cool patio.
Coworking
If you're looking for a slightly more social vibe, Usina Coworking and AreaTres are solid coworking options, often filled with a mix of locals and internationals working in tech, media, and design.
Staying fit
If staying fit is part of your routine in Buenos Aires, be prepared: gyms in Palermo are often small, crowded, and many don’t have air conditioning—a real issue when temps hit over 40°C in February. After checking several places, we found Always Gym on Costa Rica to be the most spacious and tolerable, especially during non-peak hours. It's not luxurious, but it works. Ispica and Al Diablo are around the corner, to grab a good coffee before heading to the gym ;)
If you are into jogging you can run through the Bosques de Palermo, one of the city’s biggest green spaces, complete with lakes, a rose garden.
You can run or bike through the Bosques de Palermo, one of the city’s biggest green spaces, complete with lakes, a rose garden.
Looking for a flat in Palermo?
Here’s how we’ve found great places:
- Real estate sites: Check ZonaProp, Argenprop, or Alquiler Argentina for furnished temporary rentals. Many owners are used to renting to expats and nomads.
- Facebook groups: “BA Housing for Expats” and “Digital Nomads Buenos Aires” have daily posts with available rooms and apartments.
- Airbnb + local agents: Booking a week or two via Airbnb can give you time to explore the area and then negotiate directly for a longer stay (many hosts offer big discounts for 1+ month).
Shopping
After even just a few weeks living in Palermo, Buenos Aires, you’ll start to build a mental shopping map. Unlike cities where a single supermarket takes care of everything, here, smart living means knowing exactly where to go for what. It’s part of the rhythm of daily life—and low-key one of the joys of staying long-term.
🥬 Verdulerías: For the freshest fruit, veggies, and eggs
These humble corner produce shops are your new best friend. You’ll find the tastiest tomatoes, herbs, perfectly ripe avocados, and farm-fresh eggs at your local verdulería—usually for much less than in big supermarkets. Most are run by Peruvian or Bolivian communities. Cash only, always. And yes, bring your own bags unless you want your groceries in 47 bags of plastic.
🛒 Supermarkets: For bulk items and big brands
When you need cleaning supplies, shampoo, oat milk, pasta, or a ton of bottled water—this is your stop.
🥜 Chinese Shops ("los chinos"): The secret gold mines
Not all are created equal—but once you find a good one near your apartment, it becomes your lifeline. These shops, often run by Chinese families, stock an eclectic mix of: Variety of juices (We are in love for Pomelo Juice), Excellent dried fruits and nuts (almonds, walnuts, raisins, you name it), Argentinean wines that are cheaper than the ones at vine shops - though, same labels, Randomly delicious frozen dumplings, rice noodles, or sauces. They’re usually open late (some even 24/7)
🚫 Don’t Count on Shopping for Electronics or Gear in Argentina
Come fully equipped. Seriously. Need a new iPhone cable? A phone? A pair of sneakers? Hm... Argentina invented tariffs before Trump made them a thing, and the result is that anything imported—especially electronics, clothing, and tech gear—is wildly overpriced. We’re not talking 10% more. It can be double or even triple the price you’d pay in the U.S., Europe, or Brazil.
😬 “Wish I Knew That Sooner”
Living in Palermo, Buenos Aires as a digital nomad is fantastic, but it's not all alfajores and Malbec. Like any destination, it comes with its quirks, challenges, and “you only learn this the hard way” moments. So here’s the real talk version—with some essential lifehacks and things to know before you pack your laptop and head to the Southern Hemisphere.
💸 Money:
Welcome to the 1980s! One of the biggest shocks for newcomers? Argentina is still heavily cash-based, and Palermo is no exception. While most of restaurants and shops take credit cards, you’ll quickly find that many places (especially bakeries, small cafés, taxis, kioskos, etc.) don’t. We’ve had entire days derailed because we forgot to grab pesos. Even topping up your SUBE card (for buses and subways) or recharging your phone can only be done with cash in most kiosks. Think like your grandma in the 1980s: wallet, bills, and coins. There are ATMs, however, there’s a catch: Foreign credit cards can come with insane exchange rates and extra fees—you might end up paying 20% more for cash withdrawals.
Lifehack: ✔️ Use Western Union to send yourself money. This is the not-so-secret secret in Argentina. WU lets you take advantage of the dólar blue (parallel exchange rate), which is way better than the official rate. You send money from your home bank to yourself and pick it up in cash at one of the many WU locations in Palermo. Pro tip: go early in the day, bring your passport, and expect a line.
🏠 Apartment life: Beware of big streets.
Palermo is stunning, but it’s not exactly soundproof. Many Airbnbs are in old buildings, and windows are often single-pane with little to no insulation. If your place faces a major road like Av. Santa Fe or Av. Juan B. Justo, expect honking, buses, dogs, and maybe a few all-night parties.
Lifehack:
✔️ Look for listings on smaller side streets like Gorriti, Armenia, Malabia, or El Salvador.
✔️ Always check the reviews for mentions of noise.
✔️ Bonus: buildings with internal courtyards ("pulmones") are usually quieter.
😬 Public transportation:
Public transportation is great but inconsistent— At one point we lived close to the train station. Every time we wanted to take a train, it was out of service. Always give yourself buffer time.
Local apps you’ll actually use:
PedidosYa / Rappi – food delivery, groceries, pharmacy
CABA 147 – for public service info and complaints (e.g., street closures, construction noise)
BA Subte – map and live status of the subway
Ualá – a prepaid debit card app that can help you manage pesos like a local without a bank account
