Last updated: June 2026 · Written by the Buenos Aires Tourism editorial team
The first time I landed here I did the one thing every guidebook warns against: I flagged a taxi outside the terminal and watched the meter sprint like it was training for a marathon. Lesson learned. These days I move around the city on a mix of apps and licensed cabs, and here is how I actually choose.
Uber Buenos Aires, Cabify or taxi: the quick answer
Yes, Uber Buenos Aires works and locals use it constantly — alongside Cabify, DiDi and the city’s black-and-yellow street taxis. Uber sits in a long-running legal grey area here (taxi unions have fought it in court for years), so its status has been contested rather than cleanly settled; in practice the app runs all day, every day. For most visitors I’d default to an app for the upfront price and card payment, and keep licensed radio taxis as a reliable backup.
This guide is the tight, practical version: how each option works, what you’ll really pay, how to pay it, the airport rules, and the handful of taxi scams worth knowing. For the bigger picture of trains, the Subte and buses, see our full guide to getting around Buenos Aires, which sets all of this in context.
Your options at a glance
Four ways to get a car in Buenos Aires, and they overlap more than you’d think — the same driver might do all of them on the same day. Here’s how I rank them for a typical visitor.
| Option | Typical cost | Payment | Safety | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uber | Lowest–mid; price fixed upfront, surges at peak | Card in-app (cash possible) | High — tracked, rated, no meter to rig | Excellent in the city; busier zones fastest |
| Cabify | Similar to Uber, sometimes flat-rate quotes | Card in-app or cash | High — licensed fleet, fixed price | Very good; popular for airport runs |
| DiDi | Often the cheapest of the apps | Card in-app or cash | High — tracked and rated | Good and growing; thinner late at night |
| Street taxi | Metered; fine if honest, costly if not | Cash (some take cards/QR) | OK with a licensed radio taxi; flagging blind is the risk | Everywhere — just raise a hand |
My short version: for predictability and paying by card, an app wins almost every time. For a two-minute hop when a cab is sitting right there, a licensed taxi is perfectly good. The trouble only starts when you flag an unknown cab at the airport or a tourist hotspot — that’s where the meter tricks live.
