Moving to Argentina Calculator: Instant Quotes (2026)

Quick Answer: Moving household goods from the USA to Argentina with AB Group Shipping costs from $2,200 (September 2026 quote) for about 13 m³ of boxes and some furniture in consolidated cargo from Miami to Buenos Aires, port to port, taking about 23 days; from Houston it costs $2,582 and takes 34 days. Prices exclude import taxes and destination charges.

Those prices are September 2026 rates from our quoting system for the Argentina lane, port to port. Your gateway changes both the number and the transit, which is why the moving to Argentina calculator asks for your origin city first.

How much does it cost to move to Argentina from the United States?

Quick Answer: Port-to-port ocean freight from the USA to Buenos Aires starts at $2,200 for a consolidated load of about 13 cubic meters from Miami (September 2026 rates). A 20 ft container costs $2,800 from Miami and $2,910 from Houston. A 40 ft high cube runs $2,900 from Miami and $3,110 from Houston.

Port to port has a precise meaning. You deliver the cargo to the departure port, and you collect it at Buenos Aires. Nothing in those four prices covers pickup at your house or delivery to your new apartment.

Door-to-door service is a different product. Origin pickup, professional packing, destination drayage and delivery to your address are quoted on request. We will not print a number for them here, because it depends on your street address, stairs, access and neighborhood.

Import taxes are also not a freight charge. Argentine duty and IVA go to the state, not to the carrier, and whether you pay them depends on your status in Argentina. That sits in the customs section below.

Your region decides your gateway. Florida ships through South Florida (our full containers currently sail from Port Everglades and consolidated cargo loads in Miami), Texas and the central states through Port Houston, the Northeast through New York/New Jersey, the Southeast through Savannah, California and the Southwest through Los Angeles/Long Beach, and the Midwest by rail via Chicago. Each gateway carries its own price and transit — the calculator prices yours exactly.

How does the moving to Argentina calculator work?

Quick Answer: The calculator on this page asks for your origin city, your home size or cargo volume, and the service you want. It returns a 2026 dollar range in seconds, with no email, no signup and no follow-up call. Change the inputs and the price updates instantly.

Four inputs drive the result:

1. Enter your origin city or ZIP code. That sets your export gateway.
2. Pick your destination: Buenos Aires, Zárate, Rosario, or inland Mendoza.
3. Enter your volume in CBM, or select your home size.
4. Choose the service: consolidated LCL, 20 ft container, or 40 ft high cube.

The gateway logic is built in. A Dallas origin routes to Port Houston. A Boston origin routes to the Port of New York and New Jersey. A Denver or Minneapolis origin usually moves by rail through Chicago to a coastal port. Transit swings by weeks depending on which one you use.

Some cargo cannot be auto-priced. Vehicles on RoRo, a motorcycle riding in a shared container, air freight, live pets and dangerous goods all need a human quote. For those, the element at #quote-calc becomes a custom-quote request form instead.

Pricing a car alongside the move? Start with our International Car Shipping Calculator: 2026 Rates and compare the two line items separately.

LCL vs 20 ft vs 40 ft HC vs air freight: which should you ship?

Quick Answer: Consolidated LCL wins below roughly 13-15 cubic meters. A 20 ft container holds a two-bedroom apartment at about 28 usable cubic meters. A 40 ft high cube holds a three-plus bedroom house at about 67 cubic meters. Air freight only makes sense for documents, clothing and a few urgent boxes.

Look at the jump from 20 ft to 40 ft HC: $100 more from Miami for roughly 2.4 times the usable volume. That is the single most useful number on this page. If you are anywhere near filling a 20 ft, price the 40 ft HC before you decide.

The LCL break-even sits around 10-13 m³. Below that, paying per cubic meter beats paying for empty container space. Above it, the sealed box usually wins on both cost and handling risk.

New to groupage mechanics? Our LCL Shipping Miami to Panama 2026: Small Business Cost Calculator and Transit Times guide walks through how consolidation, cut-offs and CFS charges actually work.

What is CBM and how do I calculate my shipping volume?

Quick Answer: CBM means cubic meter — length x width x height in meters, the unit every international mover prices by. A one-bedroom apartment averages 10-15 CBM, a two-bedroom 18-28 CBM, a three-bedroom house 35-50 CBM. One CBM equals about 35.3 cubic feet.

The math is simple. Multiply length by width by height, all in meters. A wardrobe box measuring 1.2 x 0.6 x 0.9 m equals 0.65 CBM.

Room-by-room volume reference

Nominal and usable volume differ. A 20 ft container measures 33 CBM on paper but packs to about 26-28 CBM with real furniture. A 40 ft HC is 76 nominal and roughly 65-67 packed. Odd shapes and non-stackable pieces eat the rest.

Dense cargo hits weight limits first. Books, hand tools, marble tops and gym plates can max the payload while the container still looks half empty. Tell us the weight if you own a workshop or a library.

Do I have to pay customs duty on my furniture when I move to Argentina?

Quick Answer: It depends on your status. Argentines returning after more than one year abroad and foreigners who obtain permanent residence may import their household goods, new or used, free of import taxes through ARCA (formerly AFIP). Foreigners with temporary residence bring them in temporarily and must guarantee 50% of the taxes. Goods must arrive between three months before and six months after you enter Argentina.

The mudanza regime is the whole reason a full household move pencils out. It is run by the Dirección General de Aduanas, part of ARCA (the agency that replaced AFIP), under AFIP General Resolution 3109/2011 and Customs Resolution 3751/1994. As of October 2026, ARCA publishes these rules:

• Argentines back after more than 2 years abroad — household goods and work tools free of import taxes with no value limit, once every 7 years.
• Argentines back after 1 to 2 years abroad — household goods and work tools free of import taxes, once every 3 years, as long as visits to Argentina in the last year did not exceed 60 days.
• Argentines back after less than 1 year abroad — the import pays taxes.
• Foreigners with permanent residence — household goods free of import taxes with no value limit, once every 7 years.
• Foreigners with temporary residence — the goods enter temporarily and you must guarantee 50% of the taxes until you obtain permanent residence or take them out again.

The goods may be new or used, but their quantity and type must not suggest a commercial purpose, and you may not sell or transfer them for two years without Customs authorization. Your residence category is decided by the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, not by Customs. A tourist stay or a digital-nomad permit is a transitory residence, which is not among the categories ARCA lists for this regime.

Documents ARCA asks for

• A note requesting the entry of the goods, with your personal details
• Packing list describing the goods, with their total value in US dollars
• Passport and, once issued, DNI, plus your CUIT or CUIL number
• Foreigners: proof of permanent or temporary residence and your record of entries and exits (movimientos migratorios)
• Argentines: after more than 2 years abroad, the residence certificate or baja consular from the Argentine consulate showing how long you lived abroad; for shorter stays, your record of entries and exits. Also a sworn statement of your date of definitive return
• Bill of Lading
• Certified poder (power of attorney) if a broker or mover files for you

Documents in another language need a Spanish translation certified by an Argentine traductor público. The request is filed in advance online, in ARCA's SITA system. The import declaration itself is registered by a despachante de aduana, the licensed Argentine customs broker, or by Customs; Argentina's consulate in Atlanta advises using a broker because the rules are complex.

Timing matters. Guides such as Planning Your International Move to Argentina and Moving to Buenos Aires from Abroad (2026) describe a six-month window. The official rule is that the goods must arrive between three months before and six months after you enter Argentina, and Customs releases them only after you have arrived. If you are a foreigner and obtain residence after arriving, the period counts from the date it is granted. Confirm your dates with your despachante before you book a sailing.

Not everything qualifies. Commercial quantities, cars, motorcycles, engines, boats and vehicle parts are outside the household goods regime. Vehicles follow their own rules, covered further down.

Worked duty example (illustration only)

If you do not qualify, your goods pay import taxes. Say an item is valued at $1,000 and, as an assumption, its tariff line carries a 20% duty, with IVA at the general 21% rate:

• Duty: $1,000 x 20% = $200
• Taxable base for IVA: $1,000 + $200 = $1,200
• IVA: $1,200 x 21% = $252
• Illustrative total tax: $452

That is arithmetic, not a quote. Duty rates vary by tariff code, and other import charges may apply.

How long does it take to ship a container from the USA to Argentina?

Quick Answer: Port-to-port ocean transit from Miami to Buenos Aires is about 14 days for a full container. New Jersey is also about 14 days. Houston runs about 29 days because of transshipment routing. Customs clearance and delivery in Argentina come on top, and how long they take depends on your paperwork.

FCL 20'

MiamiUSMIA

→

Buenos AiresARBUE

from · Sep 2026USD$2,800Quote this route →

FCL 40'HC

HoustonUSHOU

→

Buenos AiresARBUE

from · Sep 2026USD$3,110Quote this route →

Port cut-off and vessel ETD are not the same date. Documentation cut-off typically falls 3-5 days before the ship sails, and the container gate cut-off earlier still. Miss either one and your box waits a full week for the next sailing.

Destination options differ by cargo. Our ocean shipments on this lane, including vehicles loaded in containers, arrive at the port of Buenos Aires. Terminal Zárate is a port terminal dedicated to vehicles (RoRo). Ezeiza (EZE) receives air freight and pets.

LCL adds 5-10 days on top. You wait for the consolidation to close at origin, then for deconsolidation at the CFS in Buenos Aires.

What does DAP mean in an international moving quote?

Quick Answer: DAP means Delivered at Place: the mover carries the shipment to your Buenos Aires address but you pay import duties, taxes and clearance. EXW is origin-only, CIF ends at the Argentine port with insurance included, and DDP means the mover pre-pays duties too. The term you pick changes your quote total.

Incoterms 2020 apply to personal moves, not just commercial cargo. Here is the plain-language version:

• EXW — the mover takes over at your door and nothing more. You arrange everything else.
• CIF — freight and marine insurance to the Argentine port. Clearance and delivery are yours.
• DAP — delivered to your address in Buenos Aires. Duties, IVA and broker fees still yours.
• DDP — the mover pre-pays duties as well. Rare on household goods.

The published ABGS Argentina prices are port to port. In scope they sit closest to CFR — freight only, no insurance, no clearance, no delivery. You handle both ends.

Marine insurance runs 2-3% of declared value and stays optional. On a full household it is the cheapest protection you will buy. Declare realistic replacement values, not purchase prices from 2015.

Is it cheaper to ship my furniture to Argentina or buy new there?

Quick Answer: Shipping usually wins for a full household when you qualify for the duty-free regime, because no import tax is due. Buying locally wins for large appliances, because most US units run 120V/60Hz and Argentina uses 220V/50Hz. A single sofa or fridge rarely justifies the freight cost on its own.

Argentina runs 220V at 50Hz on Type I plugs. A transformer fixes voltage but not frequency. Compressor and motor-driven appliances — refrigerators, washers, dryers — run hot and die early at the wrong frequency. Electronics with switching power supplies, like TVs and laptops, usually handle 100-240V fine.

The marginal-cost logic decides the rest. Once the container is booked and paid, each extra cubic meter costs almost nothing. So ship the full load or ship almost nothing. Half a container is the worst value on the board.

Watch the exchange rate. Currency and inflation swings move local replacement prices quickly, and cost-of-living tools like the Argentina Living Cost Calculator [2026] and the breakdown in Moving to Argentina 2026: Buenos Aires From $1,000/mo can go stale within a quarter. Re-check ARS prices close to your move date.

Can I bring my car, motorcycle or pet to Argentina?

Quick Answer: Yes, but the rules are strict. Importing a used car is prohibited in general; the exceptions for people who move are Argentines returning after at least one year abroad and foreigners who obtain residence. One car is tax-exempt up to a customs value of USD 15,000 for Argentines with more than two years abroad and for permanent residents. Dogs and cats need an international veterinary certificate issued by the USDA, which SENASA checks on arrival. RoRo runs approx. $1,250 from Miami and a shared container approx. $1,500 from Miami; pet transport is quoted on request.

Vehicles: check eligibility before you book

Argentine vehicle imports register with the DNRPA, the national auto registry. A car is handled separately from the household goods. As of October 2026, ARCA publishes these rules for people who move:

• Argentines back after more than 2 years abroad, and foreigners with permanent residence — one used car per person aged 18 or over, registered in your name abroad at least 3 months before you enter Argentina. It is tax-exempt if its customs value is USD 15,000 or less; above that, the whole value is taxed.
• Argentines back after 1 to 2 years abroad — one used car per adult, with import taxes due.
• Argentines back after less than 1 year abroad — importing the car is prohibited.
• Foreigners with temporary residence — temporary import only, for up to 480 days with no extension.
• Motorcycles — a used motorcycle may be imported by an Argentine returning after at least one year abroad or a foreigner who obtains residence, and it pays import taxes.

The vehicle must arrive between three months before and six months after you do, and it cannot be sold for two years without Customs authorization.

Three physical options exist, each with trade-offs:

• RoRo at Zárate — the vehicle drives on and off. Cheapest per unit, but nothing may be packed inside.
• Sole-use container — sealed, protected, and a personal-effects load can share the space.
• Car plus household goods in a 40 ft HC — often the best value when you are already shipping a house.

RoRo runs approx. $1,250 from Miami and approx. $1,350 from Houston, a motorcycle in a shared container approx. $1,500 from Miami, and air cargo $1,398 for 100 kg from Miami (October 2026). Request a custom quote at #quote-calc. For rates and mechanics on the vehicle side, see our Car Shipping to Argentina Calculator: Instant Rates. Comparing South American lanes? International Moving Costs from USA to Chile: 2026 Prices & Required Documents lays out the Chilean alternative.

Pets: SENASA runs the process

• No prior SENASA import application; SENASA checks the animal and its papers on arrival (for a pet flying as cargo, the agent must notify the border post in advance and a fee applies)
• USDA-endorsed international health certificate from an accredited vet
• Current rabies vaccination (a first vaccine at least 21 days before entry) and parasite treatment within 15 days before the certificate is issued
• Airline cargo booking into Ezeiza (EZE), not ocean transport

How do I lock in a 2026 price and book your move?

Quick Answer: Run the calculator on this page with your origin city and volume, then book the sailing that matches your arrival date in Argentina. Quotes reflect current freight market conditions and surcharges, so a rate confirmed today can move by the next sailing window if you delay booking.

1. Estimate your CBM with the room table above, then add 10%.
2. Run the moving to Argentina calculator with your origin city and volume.
3. Choose LCL or FCL based on the 13 CBM break-even.
4. Confirm the documentation and gate cut-off dates, not just the ETD.
5. Prepare the valued Spanish packing list and send it to your despachante.

Book 4-6 weeks before your flight. The goal is cargo arriving after you do. The shipment may reach Argentina up to three months before you, but Customs releases it only after you have entered the country, and cargo that waits at the terminal accrues storage and per-diem charges.

Vet any international mover on these four points

• An FMC licence number — OTI, NVOCC or freight forwarder — that you can verify
• Proof they issue their own House Bill of Lading, not a broker's paper
• An itemized quote, not a vague "all-in" figure
• Written free-time terms at Buenos Aires, in days

Itemized beats all-in every time. Origin THC, BAF, CAF, ISPS and destination handling should appear as visible lines. With thousands of shipments moved across the USA-Latin America corridor, we have seen too many "all-in" quotes reopen at the destination as surprise invoices.

To repeat the boundary clearly: our published Argentina prices are port to port from Miami and Houston. Every other origin, plus door service, air and vehicle options, prices live in the calculator.

Stop guessing at relocation budgets built on someone else's lane. Use the moving to Argentina calculator above to price your exact origin city, your real CBM and your chosen container size — LCL, 20 ft or 40 ft HC — in seconds. No email, no signup, no follow-up sales call. Enter your numbers, compare the options side by side, and book the sailing that matches your arrival date in Buenos Aires.