Expanish Blog
How to Get ‘Plugged In’ in Buenos Aires
There is no standard voltage or frequency (number of times the current changes direction per second) throughout the world and therefore every country requires that you bring the write plug-in or currency conversion equipment in order to avoid any sort of small, or big, firework display. If you have plans to study Spanish in Buenos Aires and are wondering what kind of equipment you will be needing, here is a guide to electricity in Argentina!
Argentina has a single-phase voltage of 220V. That means, all you foreigners from the United States, Canada, Australia and many countries in Europe, you can not just plug in your equipment here, unless it has its own adapter (some laptops, ipod’s, etc.). You must buy an adapter that will change the voltage to correspond with the voltage in Argentina.
Argentina has two different ‘socket’ types. A socket is the part that gets plugged into the socket in the wall.
1) The first socket is often referred to as the ‘Euro plug’. Here is an example of what it looks like:
2) The second socket has a ground pin and two diagonal prongs that make a V shape.
Here is what it looks like:
*3) This is sort of a rip-off of #2 but you can find the same above, without the bottom ground pin.
Remember, the photos above are of adapters however, these do not change the voltage! You will need an adapter that changes the actual voltage of your equipment from abroad.
If you have any comments or tips about electricity in Argentina, let us know!
