ARGENTINA · EXPATS & NOMADS
Key Facts
- —The country Argentina has several dollar prices at once, and an expat or visitor meets all of them when paying rent, changing cash or sending money.
- —The numbers The informal “blue” dollar sells at 1,540 pesos and the official Banco Nación rate at 1,535, a gap of about 0.3%.
- —The outlier The CCL rate, used for dollars bought through securities, sells at 1,606.6 pesos, about 4.7% above the official sell rate.
- —Why now INDEC, the statistics institute, publishes September inflation today, Tuesday 13 October, at 4 p.m. Buenos Aires time.
- —What it means for you One million pesos is worth about US$651 at the official sell rate, US$649 at the blue rate and US$622 at the CCL rate.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket prices a September monthly rate of 1.9% to 2.1% at 61.5% (US$31,980 traded; 13 October, 00:42 ET).
- —Still open Today’s inflation figure, and whether the narrow gap between the official and blue rates lasts.
Argentina’s blue dollar, the informal market rate, sold at 1,540 pesos on Monday 12 October, just 5 pesos above the official Banco Nación sell rate of 1,535. That gap of about 0.3% is small by Argentine standards, and it opens a day of inflation news.
INDEC, Argentina’s statistics institute, publishes September consumer prices today at 4 p.m. Buenos Aires time. Here is what each dollar rate means for foreigners who live in or visit Argentina.
The Rates on Monday 12 October
DolarApi, a public quote service, lists the official Banco Nación retail rate at 1,485 pesos to buy and 1,535 to sell. Monday was a public holiday, so that quote dates from Friday 9 October and ArgentinaDatos carries it forward unchanged.
The wholesale rate, which banks and companies use, was 1,517 to sell on Friday, and RT data put it at 1,516.75 at Friday’s close, carried over the Monday holiday. The blue rate was 1,520 to buy and 1,540 to sell on Monday evening.
Two more rates come from the securities market. The MEP rate (dollars bought with bonds or shares and kept in an Argentine account) was 1,535.9 to buy and 1,542.9 to sell, and the CCL rate (contado con liquidación, a similar route that sends dollars abroad) was 1,605.5 and 1,606.6.
| Rate | Sell (pesos) | Against official sell | 1,000,000 pesos in US$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official (Banco Nación) | 1,535 | – | about 651 |
| Blue (informal) | 1,540 | +0.3% | about 649 |
| MEP (bolsa) | 1,542.9 | +0.5% | about 648 |
| CCL | 1,606.6 | +4.7% | about 622 |
Why a Small Gap Matters
When the official and informal rates sit close together, the choice of channel matters less for the price. Fees, limits and paperwork matter more.
The picture has not always looked like this, and it can change within weeks. Our earlier explainer on the convergence of the blue and official rates follows how the two came together, and a close gap is a phase, not a promise.
The wholesale rate has risen about 11.0% over the half year, from 1,366 on 14 April to 1,516.75 at Friday’s close on 9 October (RT data). Over the same period the blue sell rate stayed between 2.05% below the official sell rate (3 June) and 3.64% above it (30 July), according to ArgentinaDatos, so today’s 0.3% sits in the lower part of that range.
The central bank’s own survey of analysts, the REM (Relevamiento de Expectativas de Mercado), points the same way. It expects September inflation of 1.9%, an average wholesale dollar of 1,545 pesos in October and 1,614 in December, according to Perfil. Those are forecasts by named analysts, not results.
What Today’s Inflation Figure Can Change
August’s monthly inflation was 1.7%. The RT economic calendar forecasts 1.9% for September and 33.3% over 12 months, against 33.5% in August.
A reading well above the forecast can push people to buy dollars, and a reading below it can calm demand. Neither is certain, because the rates also react to interest rates, reserves and politics.
Country risk, the extra yield investors demand on Argentine dollar bonds, stood at 589 points on Monday 12 October, according to ArgentinaDatos. Our preview of the September figure sets out how the data are built.
What Prediction Markets Say
Argentina’s September inflation. Polymarket prices a monthly rate of 1.9% to 2.1% at 61.5%, 1.6% to 1.8% at 30.0% and 2.2% to 2.4% at 7.8% (US$31,980 traded). Stand: 13 October, 00:42 ET.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for You
If you earn or hold dollars, the rate you pay in shops depends on the channel, and today the choices are close for cash and bank rates but not for the CCL. If you earn pesos, the monthly inflation figure matters more than the gap, because it moves rents and prices.
Check each rate on the day you pay, because quotes change within hours. The tables above show a single evening, and we cannot say which channel will be cheapest for you.
What Is Not Known
We do not know today’s inflation figure, which arrives after this article is written. We also cannot say why the gap is narrow now, and the quotes come from a public service, not from an official exchange.
The blue rate is an informal market price, not an official one. The wider lesson is calm: currencies in Argentina have moved in long cycles, and the next few weeks will show whether this one holds.
More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Argentina’s blue dollar rate on 13 October 2026?
DolarApi showed the blue dollar at 1,520 pesos to buy and 1,540 to sell on Monday 12 October 2026. The official Banco Nación rate was 1,485 and 1,535, a gap of about 0.3% at the sell rates.
What are the MEP and CCL dollar rates?
Both are legal market rates for dollars bought through securities. On Monday 12 October the MEP sold at 1,542.9 pesos and the CCL at 1,606.6, and the CCL is the one that sends dollars abroad.
When does Argentina publish September inflation?
INDEC publishes it on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at 4 p.m. Buenos Aires time. August’s monthly rate was 1.7%, and the RT calendar forecast for September is 1.9%.
Sources: DolarApi (official, blue, MEP, CCL and wholesale quotes, 9 and 12 October 2026); ArgentinaDatos (official and blue series, country risk, 12 October 2026); Perfil, central bank REM survey, October 2026; INDEC release calendar; RT economic calendar and RT market data (EODHD); Polymarket (prediction market, 13 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief