What it costs to care for an aging parent in Argentina in 2026

Nobody tells you the number until you have to pay it. Here they all are, in Argentine pesos (ARS) as of September 2026, along with how they change depending on how you provide care.

Updated September 2026 · Orbi, care circle

How much does a caregiver charge per hour in 2026?

The benchmark is the pay scale set by the National Commission for Domestic Work (CNTCP), in the "Asistencia y cuidado de personas" (personal care and assistance) category. As of September 2026, the minimums are:

These are the rates from the Commission’s Resolution 6/26 (a 1.8% increase over August). On top of that there’s a non-wage supplement (suma no remunerativa) of up to ARS 20,000 a month depending on weekly hours (ARS 20,000 for 16 hours or more, ARS 11,500 for 12 to 16, ARS 8,000 for under 12), which is being folded into the base wage between September and November 2026. These are legal minimums: in practice, a caregiver with dementia experience or specific training usually asks for more than the minimum, and the actual rate varies by city.

How much is it per month, depending on how many hours you need?

The number that matters isn’t the hourly rate but the monthly total. At the live-out minimum:

• 4 hours a day, Monday to Friday (80 h/month): about ARS 335,000, plus the non-wage supplement.
• 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday (160 h/month): about ARS 670,000, plus the non-wage supplement.
• Live-in, with days off: from ARS 585,000 plus room and board, and in practice you need a second person to cover her days off, paid by the hour.
• 24-hour coverage, 7 days a week: that’s three people rotating. Paid fairly, with days off and contributions, it won’t come to less than ARS 1,800,000 a month.

That last number is what makes many families start looking at care homes: from 12 hours a day, caring at home costs about the same as or more than a standard care home.

How much does it cost to have her on the books?

Registering her with ARCA (Argentina’s tax agency, under the domestic workers regime, "Casas Particulares") adds fixed contributions based on weekly hours. According to ARCA’s official table for August 2026 (paid in September):

• Under 12 hours a week: ARS 10,352 a month.
• 12 to under 16 hours: ARS 16,279 a month.
• 16 hours or more: ARS 43,733 a month (pension, health insurance and workers’ comp insurance, ART).

In other words: a caregiver working 8 hours a day on the books costs about ARS 44,000 more a month than off the books. In exchange you have workers’ comp if she gets hurt in your home, and you avoid the labor lawsuit that is the most expensive risk of all today. The step-by-step is in How to hire a caregiver on the books.

How much does an adult day center cost?

An adult day center is where your parent spends the day (usually 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) with activities, lunch and supervision, then goes home to sleep. Private ones charge a monthly fee well below a care home’s (you’re not paying for the night or the room), which varies a lot by city and by whether transportation and meals are included: you need to ask each one for pricing. PAMI members can get adult day care as a covered benefit, in two types: general (independent or mildly dependent) and specialized (cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, mild to moderate dementia). You apply with a doctor’s report at a PAMI office.

How much does a care home cost?

This is where prices vary the most. As of August 2026, in Buenos Aires City (CABA) and Greater Buenos Aires:

• Budget, shared room, independent resident: from ARS 1,700,000.
• Standard: between ARS 2,000,000 and ARS 3,500,000.
• Premium or high-dependency: ARS 2,750,000 to ARS 6,500,000.

Elsewhere in the country, prices tend to be lower than in CABA for the same level of care: ask for the rate in your city. The fixed fee covers room, meals, nursing and activities; it does not include medications, adult diapers, disposable supplies, physical therapy, podiatry or hairdressing, which are paid separately and add up fast: ask for a breakdown before you sign. What they need to tell you before you sign is in How to choose a care home, and the places in your area are in the directory of care homes in Argentina.

What do PAMI and health insurance (obras sociales) cover?

PAMI (the national health program for retirees) offers three concrete things: the in-home caregiver subsidy (partial financial help, set by its social services team based on the level of dependency and the lack of a family support network), adult day centers as a covered benefit, and long-term care homes for dependent people with no family able to take charge. How to apply for each one is in How much PAMI pays for an in-home caregiver.

Health insurance (obras sociales) and private health plans (prepagas) generally don’t cover a caregiver "just because." They cover it when there’s a well-founded medical prescription, documented dependency or a disability certificate (Law 24.901), and often only after a formal complaint. What each one owes is in Does my health insurance (obra social) cover an in-home caregiver?.

The cost nobody puts in the spreadsheet

The family member who provides care at home and doesn’t get paid. When a daughter cuts back to half-time to care for her mother, the paycheck she’s not bringing in is part of the cost, even if nobody writes it down. Putting it in numbers usually brings order to the conversation between siblings: if one gives time, the others give money, and it all gets written down.