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PUNTA DEL ESTE (Special Envoy).– If you arrive by car before Christmas Punta del Este It could take about eight hours, but from December 26th the panorama changed: anyone who traveled on that day and in the following two days found a collapsed border. There were Argentinians who were stopped for three hours between delays crossing the Fray Bentos International Bridge toll booth and customs. Many Porteños speak of a journey time of 10 to 12 hours from Buenos Aires.
When they reached their destination, they found a uniform panorama: yesterday afternoon on the main artery that connects them The bar with FeathersThe moving cars seemed to be parked, forming endless lines of vehicles. With the windows rolled down, drivers saw packed restaurants and beach bars – the most successful had sold-out reservations for the next four days – and crowded cafes with lines of up to 20 people.
The National Immigration Service today released the income report for the country on the weekend before the New Year. Between Friday, December 26th and Sunday, December 28th, 102,229 people entered Uruguayof which approx half – a total of 56,807 – were Argentinians. The vast majority of them crossed the border by car via the Fray Bentos Pass.
“It was quiet until the 26th. Today it’s already full,” says Belén Anacleto, 28, who works in the construction industry, as she stands in line with three friends at a cafeteria in La Barra. Ahead has 11 people.
She and her friends spend the summer in Punta del Este every year. Since last summer, they have become more relaxed about spending. “Two years ago you went to the pharmacy and it was impossible. You were embarrassed to spend that money on an ibuprofen. Today these basic purchases might cost you a little more than in Buenos Aires, but not as much,” he says.
Since arriving, her group has eaten out three times. They went to classic restaurants: La Huella, I’marangatú and Fish Market. “We found the prices similar to those in Argentina. If you don’t order octopus, which costs $70 in one of these restaurants, you end up spending the same amount,” said a friend of Anacleto, engineer Candela Zufriategui, 26. When asked if he ordered the octopus, he answered yes, albeit with some modesty: “I ordered it, but it was very difficult,” he says with a laugh.
Although prices have risen recently, many Argentinians who spend the summer in Punta every year still react with some relief Uruguay prices. There were many years when buying a product here in the supermarket cost twice as much as in Argentina.
This reality changed last year thanks to higher exchange rate parity and led to a significant increase in the number of Argentines who once again chose Punta del Este as their summer vacation. The new exchange rate reality also impacted how much they spent during the holidays. While in years past many families brought all their soda, wine and cleaning supplies from home and skipped eating out, in the summer of 2025 they were able to relax a little more.
This year the panorama seems to be similar, but not entirely, the tourists emphasize: “The entire supermarket is much more expensive than in Buenos Aires. Last year it was better. I still bring food from there, but less than what I brought before. I don’t bring flour or sweets or oils, which are much richer here,” says Susana, 70, as she leaves the Devoto supermarket with her three youngest granddaughters. She and her family have an apartment a few blocks away where they have spent summers for 20 years.
Some Argentines who arrived in Punta del Este for the first time thought they would find cheaper prices. This is the case of Carolina Mota from Mar del Plata, who came on vacation with her husband, daughter and father-in-law. “The other day we bought a tray of pasta with cream, a piece of salmon, lettuce and dishwashing cream and spent $100. I was surprised at how expensive it was,” says the 40-year-old.
Like them, the majority of Argentine tourists choose pay with credit card in Uruguay to benefit from the 22% VAT reduction applicable to foreign cards.
Soledad, a 51-year-old woman from Buenos Aires who prefers to protect her last name, took a break from her supermarket shopping to go to that location’s bazaar and look at the wicker trays and salad bowls, which she said are usually of better quality and cheaper than in Argentina.
“Yesterday I made a huge purchase for four people. I bought everything, but only what I needed: I loaded two cars with cleaning supplies, groceries, water, some cooked food, meat and soft drinks. And I spent $700. I’m sure it would have cost me a lot less in Argentina,” she points out.
Yesterday she had dinner with her husband. “It was a quiet meal and we spent $120. We don’t normally spend that much,” he says, emphasizing that he doesn’t pay much attention to the expenses. “We still like to come. We come with my family for 15 days, we live a quiet life, we go to a beach where there aren’t many people and we rent a mini apartment. We love it: the beach is spectacular, everything is beautiful,” he says.
For her 18-year-old daughter, the night in Punta del Este is unique: “On days when they don’t go to parties, they meet up with friends at someone’s house to celebrate beforehand and then maybe go to a bowling alley or stay there,” says her mother. During the day they meet friends on the beach. They spend their summer life on foot, all in La Barra.
The immigration checkpoint that recorded the most entries into Uruguay last weekend was Fray Bentos with 25,397 entries, followed by the port of Colonia with 21,889. 5,741 arrived via the port of Montevideo. There were also tourists arriving by plane, 9,464 through Carrasco Airport and 3,621 through Punta del Este Airport.
Rents exploded. They expected more than last year, say the tourists and the business chambers. “I started looking in July and had to stick with what they initially offered me because there were no other options, at least in La Barra, where we usually stay. I looked at three different real estate agencies,” says Soledad.
The price increase compared to last season was also reflected in the price of the apartment he rented for the first half of January. “It cost me $3,000 more than last year because I was in the same area and even in a worse category,” he says.
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