Advice Please

[Ries]

I think a coffee roasting business could work here- but it would take some investment.
I actually know a bit about roasting machines, having fixed a few- and I know that you be spending some money on one here.
There are a few local companies that make them- these guys, for example, make larger ones- http://brunetexpress.com.ar/tostadoras.html
But they arent gonna be cheap.
Locally manufactured is going to be the best way to go- importing one from elsewhere will most likely cost you close to triple (yes, triple) the US or Euro price by the time you get it landed in Buenos Aires and taxes and duties paid.
Same thing with grinders.

Beans will be another problem. Whatever is currently being imported, you can buy- but, if like my friend who custom roasts here in the US, you want to buy small quantities of organic beans from around the world, and make custom roasts- well, thats going to be very very difficult and expensive.
Importing ANYTHING to Argentina is very complicated and very expensive.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Regarding the property stuff. It depends what you want, those were really really small apartments that glasgowjohn showed you, and some of them to be frank where in pretty dodgy areas or far out of town.

Depends what you needs and expectations are, but as I think you agree explaining it in abstract is no solution for a seeing it in person.

If cost of living is a big factor for you really should carefully consider your options, unless you have a dollar income when you are here or have a good chunk of savings.

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Just for fun I went on the La Nacion website / real estate section. And to my surprise yes there are apts for sale for less than 40.000 U$D.
Most of the are small / studio types but some have balconies. So Good luck.

http://aviso.zonaprop.com.ar/departamentos-1-ambientes-villa-crespo-capital-federal-4369439
http://aviso.zonaprop.com.ar/departamentos-2-ambientes-villa-tesei-hurlingham-bsas-gba-zona-oeste-4352378
http://aviso.zonaprop.com.ar/departamentos-1-ambientes-constitucion-capital-federal-3926724
http://aviso.zonaprop.com.ar/departamentos-1-ambientes-congreso-capital-federal-4085924
http://aviso.zonaprop.com.ar/departamentos-1-ambientes-once-capital-federal-4125585

I saw the one with diminutive 20M total space but at bargain US$37.000 under construction and 8 of them available..
How safe is the location.? It says, Bartolomé Mitre 3200 (entre Anchorena y Aguero)..I always thought minimum semi-comfy space has to have at least 80M. But at US$37k and with balcony can not be discarded. Is it large enough dwelling for a single person to live in? Subject condo is the fifth one in the list...

 

[Gringoboy]

As for setting up a business, it's not that much of a horror story.
Depends of course on what type and IF you intend to employ anyone.
The bit that makes you tear your hair out is the registration with the local municipality, but if you put your mind in neutral it alleviates the numbing of the mind.

 

[syngirl]

I found a website with some condo's priced at under $40k. From everyone's reaction it appears that $40 is a pipe dream. What is a reasonable amount for a small condo in a safe area?

Argentina offers free health care and college, two very large expenses in America. I would be able to have children and they would be able to obtain a college degree, that is not something I can foresee myself being able to afford in America.

Be aware that you will not be able to get free university until you have a permanent DNI -- and as I've been reminded yet again in another thread, you have to complete Argentine high school requirements in order to enter university, so if your wife is wanting to continue her studies, she may have some issues to sort out first

 

[kerriem]

I found a website with some condo's priced at under $40k. From everyone's reaction it appears that $40 is a pipe dream. What is a reasonable amount for a small condo in a safe area?

Argentina offers free health care and college, two very large expenses in America. I would be able to have children and they would be able to obtain a college degree, that is not something I can foresee myself being able to afford in America.

Well, if Argentina doesn't work out for you Australia has free healthcare and free university education for citizens (well actually it isn't free at all, in todays money it costs about $30K for a degree but you don't have to pay a cent until you start earning at least 45K a year post uni so there are no upfront expenses) and are coffee mad. It is also very easy to start a business in Australia.

 

[CoffeeExpert]

I think a coffee roasting business could work here- but it would take some investment.
I actually know a bit about roasting machines, having fixed a few- and I know that you be spending some money on one here.
There are a few local companies that make them- these guys, for example, make larger ones- http://brunetexpress...tostadoras.html
But they arent gonna be cheap.
Locally manufactured is going to be the best way to go- importing one from elsewhere will most likely cost you close to triple (yes, triple) the US or Euro price by the time you get it landed in Buenos Aires and taxes and duties paid.
Same thing with grinders.

Beans will be another problem. Whatever is currently being imported, you can buy- but, if like my friend who custom roasts here in the US, you want to buy small quantities of organic beans from around the world, and make custom roasts- well, thats going to be very very difficult and expensive.
Importing ANYTHING to Argentina is very complicated and very expensive.

Those roasters look really nice. Thanks for the tips.

 

[CoffeeExpert]

Here is the website where I found the condos for less than $40k.

http://www.enbuenosaires.com/recoleta-sales.html

 

[sleslie23]

Here is the website where I found the condos for less than $40k.

http://www.enbuenosa...leta-sales.html

There are apartments for 40k, but as people have already mentioned most of them are outside of Buenos Aires or are in questionable neighborhoods.

The ones that aren't are 20-22 sq meters. You're from the US, right? Do you realize how small that is?

If it's that cheap, there's a reason and probably not the place for your budding family.

 

[ARbound]

40K Condo isn't going to happen, I mean would you really want to live in a 40K condo?

My roommate and I pay $4K ARS a month for rent and fees ($2K ARS each). Yes this is cheap when paying with dollars, but
you have to consider the cost when earning an income in local currency. People with college degrees here often work for less
than $5.00 hour, with the median income being a bit under 12K USD/year.

I don't mean to sound rude or harsh, but you would likely struggle here if you stayed in your field for 2 reasons. Firstly,
most Argies drink Mate, not coffee. Secondly, I am assuming by looking at 40K "condos" you're not loaded and therefore
are unable to pay/will waste all your cash on the wonderful taxes and fees that make Argentina such a developed first world
country. However bad you think/know it is to start a company in the states imagine it 10 times worse here. People literally
give up after trying to go to school here/work here/live here let alone start a business.

As for school though, yes it is free, but you must take these exams to show your education received is equal to that of
Argentine high school. The exams are only in Spanish from my understanding, and the free education here is also only
in Spanish aside from studying English.

I will however like to put out there that I've encountered different information regarding requirements to attend say UBA
while living here. I was told by the consulate in the city I was living in prior to moving to Argentina that you simply complete
the exams then apply for a position at UBA from within Argentina and if you get it you are then able to go with the conformation
of enrollment, background check documents, birth certificate, etc. to migrations and change your status to that of a student.
Perhaps the consulate officer responsible for education was wrong, but this is what I was told, and have heard from others.

Over all I think you need to seriously consider whether you would want to start a business in a country where you can not even
get US Dollars from banks and you must buy them in stores at an exchange rate nearing double the one the government claims.
This, followed with lots of petty crime, language differences (it's still unclear to me whether you and your wife speak Spanish, and
even if fluent, it's very different than Spain Spanish/Mexican Spanish) and finally a government that will make you jump through
hoops and likely bribe (from what I've heard others say) to just get a company to exist on paper, let alone a brick and mortar store...