Average salary in Argentina 2026: ARS 1,982,518 a month

What RIPTE measures and what it leaves out

RIPTE is a mean of gross taxable pay (remuneración imponible) for employees with stable registered jobs in the SIPA system. Before using it to set a salary, note three things:

• It counts only registered (formal) employees, so informal work is outside it.
• Pay above the social security maximum base is cut off at the cap, so the highest salaries are understated.
• It is monthly pay before the employee's own contributions and income tax.

INDEC's wage index (índice de salarios) tracks change but gives no peso average, so RIPTE is the figure to quote. RIPTE has no median, and the source we read has no regional or industry split.

Why the month matters

Recent RIPTE values show how fast the peso figure moves:

• December 2025: ARS 1,633,547
• January 2026: ARS 1,646,344.54
• June 2026: ARS 1,915,878.76
• July 2026: ARS 1,946,028.12
• August 2026: ARS 1,982,518.19

August alone was 1.9% above July. A benchmark from six months ago is already out of date. If you hire in Argentina, budget for regular raises; the Argentina employer of record guide covers the rest of the employer rules.

The employer's cost on an average salary

Two items add most of the cost. Employer social security contributions (contribuciones patronales) are 20.40% for private services or commerce employers above the small and mid-size business (MiPyME) limits, or 18% for firms with a valid MiPyME certificate. And every employee earns the aguinaldo (SAC), a 13th salary equal to one twelfth of annual pay, paid in two halves due June 30 and December 18.

For a large services employer: (1 + 1/12) for the aguinaldo x 1.204 for contributions = 1.30433, so pay costs 30.43% more. On the August 2026 RIPTE of ARS 1,982,518.19, that averages ARS 2,585,864.56 a month. The employer health insurance charge (obra social) and work-risk insurance (ART) come on top, and we could not confirm their rates. If the obra social is the commonly cited 6%, the factor rises to 36.93%, or ARS 2,714,728.24. A fixed base deduction of ARS 7,003.68 per worker lowers the total slightly. A new severance fund (Fondo de Asistencia Laboral) is offset against employer contributions, but the secondary sources we read disagree on its start date (June or November 2026).

An employer of record (EOR) runs this payroll for you and charges a fee in dollars: list prices checked October 16, 2026 run from $99 a month (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster), with Deel at $599. See ranked EOR providers and the employer cost index.

RIPTE against the minimum wage

The minimum living and mobile wage (SMVM) is ARS 391,200 a month from October 1, 2026, or ARS 1,956 an hour for hourly-paid workers (Resolution 4/2026, read from a copy published by the Colegio de Escribanos rather than the Boletín Oficial page). The August RIPTE is 5.07 times that floor, though the two are two months apart. Our Argentina minimum wage page tracks the schedule. For a regional view, compare average income in Chile and Uruguay's average salary.

Related: what EOR providers charge.