Hi Anita,
Welcome to the forums of Travel Amazing South America. Argentina is absolutely breathtaking, a dream for the adventurous backpacker. The good news is that traveling in Argentina is very cheap. The bad news that distances are enormous and a travel plan will have to be made.
I'm going to list the places you want to see from North to South:
This trip is going to be awesome! Considering that you're going to travel about 10.000 km my estimated time frame when traveling by public transport would be 6 to 8 weeks. You can set a time frame and adjust your travel itinerary accordingly. You'll see that your carefully prepared plans will change on the road. It's what makes adventure traveling so much fun.
It's always very difficult to predict daily costs. As a general rule you can start by setting a budget of $15 - $20 per day. You can find wonderful hostels starting from $4 in some towns. If you're really going for it you can spend the night on camping grounds with your own tent but you have to be prepared to do so (camping gear, etc...). Meals don't go more than a few dollars. Just don't set your daily budget too low. Calculate some fun stuff into your budget such as cruising amongst the wonderful whales in Puerto Pyramides.
The following are some timetables to travel from Buenos Aires by bus:
- Buenos Aires - Iguazu: 18 hours
- Buenos Aires - Mar del Plata: 4 hours
Distances in km and the time to get there if you fly from Buenos Aires:
Best wishes,
Mark