Who each one is for, and the catch.
Pick it ifPeople who want old San Isidro's quiet without its Sunday visitors.
The catchAlmost nothing comes up for rent; what does is a house, in dollars, through a local agent who already knows the family.
Pick it ifFamilies who want the house, the garden, the school and the train, and will own a car.
The catchUnicenter and the Panamericana are the other half of the name — malls, traffic, towers — and the family-house stock is thin and listed in dollars.
Pick it ifSettlers, not short stays: people who want a real town with a center and plan to stay years.
The catch'San Isidro' in a listing can mean the partido, which runs to the Panamericana; the town on the hill is a few prime blocks and priced like it.
Pick it ifLincoln families, and anyone who wants the quietest, greenest pocket near the city at any price.
The catchLibertador cuts it in half and the Mitre line hems it in; the dreamy part is the few streets between them, and the rest is Olivos by another name.
Two or more points apart on the 1–10 scale, widest gap first. The tick is the median barrio.
Alike onwalkability (6–7) · cost value (4–5) · transit (6–7) · parks (6–7) · culture (4–5) · english & expats (7–8) · schools (7–8) · clubs (all 7).
Each lens weighs the marks differently; what each one weighs is in the note below.
First landing — Walkable, transit-rich, English-friendly, food and culture on tap — with reported crime included in the comparison. With kids — Schools and healthcare first, then the clubs, safety, parks, quiet and walkable streets. On a budget — Lower asking prices first, with transit, walkability and reported crime in the mix. Creative & nightlife — Culture, food and walkability — and the louder, the better. Quiet & green — Calm streets and green space, with reported crime and asking prices in the mix. Car-free — Transit and walkability only — live here without ever owning a car.
Averages of asking prices; crime as reported robberies and thefts per 1,000 residents.
Scores run 1 low to 10 high; “data” means derived from a source, “our read” is our considered opinion. Rents are averages of asking prices — the city statistics office for barrios (43 m² one-bedroom), the Zonaprop index for Zona Norte (50 m²) — converted at each table's bank rate. A missing dimension is left out of fit, never counted as neutral. Methods and every source with its date: how we score.