Cost of living?

[Paulk]

Hi Everyone,
Well the time is get closer and closer for when I move to BA!. I'm trying to save as much money as possible. Based on my calculations, I'll have about 2,200/month to live on. I've already secured a room in a shared apartment in San Telmo for 1,000 pesos month.Do you think that 1,200 pesos will be enough to cover living expenses (excluding rent)? I don't expect to live a luxurious lifestyle but it would be nice to have enough for food and to be able go out for a few drinks at the weekend and also eat out occasionally.Gracias.

 

[KatharineAnn]

Is that in pesos or dollars or some other currency? 1,200 pesos a month is certainly enough to live on, rent excluded, but it depends on your lifestyle. Eating out isn´t terribly expensive, a cheap meal will cost you around 15-20 pesos, while a nice meal could cost maybe 30-40. If you go out to the nice bars in Palermo, a beer will cost you between 10 and 15 pesos, and a mixed drink maybe 15 to 20. Cover charges at clubs seem to be somewhere between 15 and 25 pesos on average... Food at the grocery store is rather expensive, all things considered, but if you have 1,200 a month you shouldn´t have too many problems. Public transit is ridiculously cheap - 90 cents per subway trip, and 1 peso gets you anywhere in the city limits by bus. i hope that gives you a better idea of what you might be spending! good luck on your move

 

[Paulk]

Hi KatherineAnn, Many thanks for your post! I meant pesos and I've modified my first post. It's good to hear that I should be able to survive on 2,200 pesos/month. 30 pesos for a decent meal sounds extremely reasonable!
I'm really excited now about making the move!

 

[SaltShaker]

30 pesos to eat out? Sure if you're having pizza, empanadas or sandwiches. If you plan to eat out anything fancier than that, 30 pesos a day isn't going to cut it here anymore. Eating in, of course, you can do it on far less. Does your 1000 pesos rent (which, by the way, is really expensive for a "shared apartment in San Telmo") include all the utilities or do you need to budget for those as well, as that can add up quickly, keeping in mind things like a phone if you need one, internet access, etc.? Personally, I think you're going to find that 2200 pesos a month to cover everything is short of what you'll need.

 

[Paulk]

Hi Saltshaker,

The 1,000 pesos/month for a shared apartment in San Telmo is inclusive of bills etc.

You said that 1,000 seems expensive. Perhaps I should have shopped around more. From your experience, what's the average cost of a shared apartment in San Telmo?

Suerte.

 

[tangobob]

As one who has often taken exception to people who quote very high costs here, it may suprise you if I tell you that to try and live on less than 3000 pesos a month will be pretty near impossible.
Having just completed on my appartment the escribano, taxes, and other expenses wiped me out (far more than I had expected) this left me with the problem of trying to live on next to no money. I do not live in an expensive way, we don't eat out much, or drink a great deal. I do however go out dancing every night(no point in me being here otherwise) we walked everywhere or used the subte. I managed on about 100 pesos per day.
I think if you try to live on less you are going to feel quite poor and you will have a miserable time.

 

[Karma]

Hey Paul.
I will be going to Ba, Ar for 4 months soon and was wondering how your move went? Also how dificil is it to find a job? And have you traveled outside of Ba,Ar since you've been there??

 

[jp]

Hi Paul

2200 a month is low. Sure, you can live on it. But its not a lot, and you might find it a bit frustrating to begin with. Whilst you can get a good meal for 30 pesos, you need to hunt around and find the right places. I'd bring more if you can, BA isn't as cheap as it used to be.

 

[BlahBlah]

But one 30 peso meal would already be about 75% of your daily allowance

I would think that 40 peso a day is definitly not enough to have a decent life

 

[BlahBlah]

Is that in pesos or dollars or some other currency? 1,200 pesos a month is certainly enough to live on, rent excluded, but it depends on your lifestyle. Eating out isn´t terribly expensive, a cheap meal will cost you around 15-20 pesos, while a nice meal could cost maybe 30-40. If you go out to the nice bars in Palermo, a beer will cost you between 10 and 15 pesos, and a mixed drink maybe 15 to 20. Cover charges at clubs seem to be somewhere between 15 and 25 pesos on average... Food at the grocery store is rather expensive, all things considered, but if you have 1,200 a month you shouldn´t have too many problems. Public transit is ridiculously cheap - 90 cents per subway trip, and 1 peso gets you anywhere in the city limits by bus. i hope that gives you a better idea of what you might be spending! good luck on your move

Cover charge for a well known club is probally somewhere between 30 and 50 peso