Current Cost Of Living

[cemdev]

Hi,

I'm curious as to what the current cost of living is in Argentina.

Before I get flamed - I understand it's variable. A little background. I've travelled a ton - about 3.5 years in total across 3 trips. I've spent a few months enjoying Argentina - from the North all the way to Ushuaia.

However, my time in Argentina was about 7 years ago, and from what i understand a lot has changed.

So. I understand there is a range. I don't need an exact number, but rather a range so I can get a feel.

I'll get started. I'm currently living in Vancouver.

My rent is $1450 a month.
I don't really break down my other expenses - but I get by easily on about $3500. That's canadian dollars, but for the purpose of this thread, you can assume parity with the US dollar.

I have a beachfront apartment (rented), a car, eat out a lot (cheaply), like going out, but not excessively. i would want to live in a nice, reasonably central BA neighbourhood. I will want a nice, secure apartment with high speed internet. I don't care about appearances (ie: my beachfront apartment is awesome, but the building from the outside is far from luxurious)

I don't have a job. I saved up a bunch of cash from a former venture, and am now building a new tech play, that is making cash and growing, but slower than I anticipated.

I have enough cash to survive at least 6 months in Vancouver. Which really should be long enough to grow the business to get to a point where all is good.

But I like stacking odds in my favour, and I loved argentina. What could I expect to get by on, renting a nice 1 bedroom (furnished) in a good neighbourhood, taking taxis 3-4 times a week, eating out nicely 1x a week, and cheaply 6-7x a week. Cooking really only breakfast and occasionally for lunch or dinner? I would expect to be down there for 6-12 months.

Trying to decide between staying here, Argentina, and Colombia (which I also love).

Thanks for any pointers in advance,

Chris

 

[gordita75]

ok, i apologize now for the written slurring- i found vanilla absolute around the corner from my house for 130 pesos (19 bucksish) and am indulging. I know that many on here will defy my claims on expenses but I can only speak for my own experience. As i am currently looking for a place, debating between the six month furnished 'temporario; and getting a 24 month lease (which you need a gurantia for but can also back out of after six months while only enduring the loss of your deposit with no penalty to the nice argie who is your guarantia, if you have some).

I also left seven years ago and just came back a couple of months ago so i think I will be able to relate to your experience. First, we are both idiots for not having bought a place back then. I looked at about 50 apartments in Palermo, 4 ambientes for about 40 grand and regret not having bought any of them. But, anyways, here is my experience and my experience only.

Apartments: You can do a piso compartido with random people (which i do not recommend and am currently trying to get out of), for about 1800 to 2400 pesos a month. You can do airbnb for about 650 us dollars for a studio to about 1100 for a nice one bedroom/crappy two bedroom. You can find a temp 6 month furnished place for about 5500 to 6500 pesos monthly (too drunk to do the math but calculate about 7.6 pesos a dollar, which you can get here on the blue market). If you can find a guarantia you can find a 24 month lease, which you can back out on after six months (losing deposit) for anywhere between 2800-4200 pesos a month- im talking one bedroom, which you will have to furnish likely. On mercadolibre you can get a queen bed, decent looking, with a backboard, sheets, blanky for about 1900 pesos, same goes for a futon, other furniture less. The only neighborhoods im looking at are palermo, barrio norte, abasto and villa crespo, with priority on villa crespo. And only looking at palermo due to that is where my friends and pseudo argie bf live. otherwise i would only look at abasto and villa crespo, as well as a little area I like to dub cabocrespo, on the border of caballito and villa crespo.

Food wise, i live on about 75 pesos a day- that is buying fruit/veggies/basics daily and not going out. If you go out for food, expect to spend 50 pesos for a lunch and 100ish for a dinner by choosing basico-mid basico places.

it is a bit loosey goosey to speculate on taxi costs without knowing where you are and where you wanna go.

i would say that you can live decently on 1200 dollars a month but i know that most people on here will call bullshit on me.

 

[Somewhereinba]

I pay $250 pesos a month for TV + internet, however that is a "special" promotion that they always run on TV. Rent is currently 3500 pesos for a new 2 bedroom place (I live in a city north of BA). Spend ~300 pesos every 2 weeks on things at the supermarket for 2 people. Eating out costs 150-300 pesos at a decent place for two people. I have been living here paying the "official" rate on my USD's, I'm trying to change that now to give me more purchasing power using the blue rate.

 

[Matiasba]

I would say 3000-3500 pesos/month plus rent. That to live decently well with not so many luxuries.

 

[PhilipDT]

I would say 3000-3500 pesos/month plus rent. That to live decently well with not so many luxuries.

That's a rice and potato diet zero luxury budget. Someone one who is comfortable in Vancouver with $5k a month would not enjoy life here on 300-3500 pesos

 

[Ceviche]

Rent + 3000 us$ a month is a good budget to have to live a decent life, I would say. ( for one person).

 

[gordita75]

@ somewhereinba, why would you ever choose to live while paying the offical rate? some nationalistic puritan inherent quality i lack or something else i am incapable of imagining?

 

[PhilipDT]

*grabs popcorn

 

[PhilipDT]

@ somewhereinba, why would you ever choose to live while paying the offical rate? some nationalistic puritan inherent quality i lack or something else i am incapable of imagining?

Logistical inconveniences would be mi guess

 

[Rich One]

A brief basic calculation of your request for living conditions here.:


Prices per month:
A nice temporary one bedroom furnished US$1000 minimum
Taxis US$70
Eat out nice US$ 80 once a week
Eat out cheap US $ 200 6 times per week
Supermarket US$ 200

Total: US$ 1550 or $12,000 pesos per month at Blue rate to survive. No splurging

In no way compares to the standard you mention in Vancouver ...!!