BA Expensive??? - Help!!

Robert,

Get to know this city and you will find, in dollar terms, it's cheap as chips (as we English say). Furthermore, ignore the moaners worrying about the price or availability of peanut butter! BA is beyond doubt the best city in the world to be living in at the moment. You can do anything, see anything, and even do a course in anything for the kind of price that if you don't like it, it is no real loss to move onto the next thing. I bought a bunch of horses last week, and it costs me approx 15% to keep them here compared to the UK.

Come and enjoy!
 
You will find most things here pleasantly inexpensive, as most people are saying here.

I have a friend who lived here who was from Manhattan. He recently returned to NYC after two years and he always told me about how expensive it was there and how cheap he lived here.

You can do the same.

Temporary apartments are a tad expensive in comparison to long term leases. But you can EASILY find a nice temporary apartment for far less than $2200 a month that should suit your needs. Temporary apartments are all furnished. Longest lease you can legally do on a temporary apartment is 6 months, but you may be able to make a deal with someone for more time, or just renew at the end of 6 months if they let you.

If you can get to the point, once you've moved here, to find a way to rent an apartment on a long term lease, you'll save yourself money on the lease (1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a temporary apartment for the same property, roughly, depending) but of course then you have to think about furnishing it.

Refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc, are a bit on the expensive side. Furniture can be a little expensive.

I'm basing costs on comparison to Houston, Tx, which is one of the cheapest big cities in the US to live in. I can just live here, NICELY, for a little less than I would live there in about the same style.

You being from Manhattan, I don't think you'll have much problem with these kinds of things price-wise.

Computers, cellphones, cameras, etc - like the others said, stock up on everything you will want that you can carry and bring it with you. That is one of the things that will cost you far more than what you can buy them for in Manhattan, or anywhere in the US for that matter.

You will find that things are not engineered as well here, for the most part. Things are not finished as well. You will hear things like incessant pounding on the walls with a hammer because all buildings are built of bricks and the plumbing and electrical cabling are run through them. When someone is remodeling or repairing pipes or cables, etc, they have to break the walls open and find the item they want to work on. That's the hammering. It's a pretty common occurrence in the city in apartments. After awhile you don't notice it so much.

It will take some adjustment. Living as an ex-pat here is not for everyone, but if you're tolerant and willing to make some sacrifices, again, like the others have said, living here can be very nice overall.
 
For $2700 USD/month you can live like royalty in BA. My girlfriend and I live in a very nice furnished 1 br apt in Palermo and our TOTAL monthly expenses including rent, utilities, food, entertainment, transportation, private spanish tutoring and health insurance is under $1600 USD/month. But I guess cost of living is always relative depending on your tastes and proclivity for consumption.
 
"Expensive" is a relative term. I moved here from L.A. and i pay a little less in rent but I get a fully furnished apt with a 24 hour door man. As far as living, you will be SHOCKED how much food you can buy at the market for not that much money. Restaurants are cheaper as are movies, but if you want electronics or books you'll pay more.
 
Roberto,
Congratulations as a Yankee in the World Series! You CAN live in BA a lot cheaper than in the US. Take it from me after spending three weeks there this September and already making my plans for a near future move to BA. If you pay $2700 for an apt in Manhattan and earn around $3000-3500/mo you are set. Like Mini said, you will be comfortable, but not in luxury, but who cares about luxury, you are not Trump nor Madoff! I found the COL cheaper especially if the dollar maintains its 3.80 or higher, or even drops down to 3.00, you are talking about 14 cents difference. What EliA, ssr and jkreisler says is quite true. Make the move NOW! Hope to see you there once I depart from the Sunshine State!
 
I'm from NY.
Rents are A LOT cheaper here. That will be your biggest savings. I have a 2BR, 1200 square foot apt & pay less than I did for my studio in NYC.

If you're earning in dollars - it will be cheap here compared to NY.

I equate BsAs to be about the same price point as a mid-sized US city.

Personally, I find restaurants a lot cheaper, clothes about the same, electronics are more expensive and grocery shopping is about equal.

YMMV.
 
citygirl said:
I'm from NY.
Rents are A LOT cheaper here. That will be your biggest savings. I have a 2BR, 1200 square foot apt & pay less than I did for my studio in NYC.

If you're earning in dollars - it will be cheap here compared to NY.

I equate BsAs to be about the same price point as a mid-sized US city.

Personally, I find restaurants a lot cheaper, clothes about the same, electronics are more expensive and grocery shopping is about equal.

YMMV.

I think this pretty well hits the nail on the head.
 
citygirl said:
...I find restaurants a lot cheaper...

Yeah, but you definitely get what you pay for here in Argentina. A New Yorker should not expect to find anything close to the variety, value and quality that they're accustomed to here in Buenos Aires. Beyond the Argy staples (beef and wine), there are really no great food bargains to be found here in Argentina.

An example: I recently went to a highly recommended Indian restaurant here in BA and it was, well, okay. About as good as the place my girlfriend and I wandered into at 4AM in Manhattan a few months ago where all the taxi drivers were eating. Which cost more? The place here in BA, about double the cost of the joint in Manhattan. And the service, of course, was far better in New York.

That Indian restaurant here in BA has very little competition, locals can only go there very rarely because the prices are outrageous for them and I'm sure the restaurant owners have to keep their prices high because their imported ingredients must cost them a fortune. The place in New York, however: they better keep serving quality food cheap every night because they're surrounded by competitors and that army of cabbies will have no problem taking their business elsewhere.

If you don't mind eating beef, empanadas and absolutely awful pizza every day then you'll certainly find some cheap restaurants down here. Otherwise, you're gonna have to spend a bit.
 
If you pay 100-150 pesos you generally get a great meal with wine in a number of very good restaurants across BA.

You could spend 100 pesos on a starter in a similar restaurant in europe or the US.

Indian food sucks here though. Try peruvian food. Bardot do some amazing curry style dishes.
 
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