Hi all, considering moving from Australia.

[TMWNN]

Hey everyone,I'm considering taking up a job offer in Buenis Aires I just was hoping some people here might be able to give me info on Expat life for a young family in Argentina.

I'm 32, my wife is 30 we have 2 sons aged 7 and 5, I was wondering what kind of salary I should expect to keep a similar standard of living to what I have in Australia, here I earn AU$ 70 000 a year gross which is enough to rent a nice 3 bedroom home in a good suburb, 2 secondhand cars, 1 child in private school and a reasonable amount (say $300 or so) left after bills and expenses every week. Basically a standard middle class lifestyle with only me having to work (my wife is a qualified acupuncturist, but has not been working untill recently as she was a fulltime mother). I'd prefer not to live in an apartment if possible too

Whats the story with schooling? We are prepared to homeschool our boys if the local schools are sub par.

I don't know much about Argentina, is it a safe place to raise children? I figure our stay would be 2-5 years long before going back to Australia.

Also we don't speak Spanish, we would be keen to learn it as fast as possible but is it possible to get by ok with no/beginner spanish?

Thanks in advance,

Nic

 

[sergio]

This site is full of information for you. Do some checking.

The salary (gross or net?) in Australia is around $5,000 USD per month. That kind of a salary (if net) would place you at the very top of Argentine wage earners.

If you want to live in a house in a good suburb, you are going to have to pay a large percentage of your salary for housing. If you're prepared to live in a flat you will have many more reasonably priced options.

It's unlikely that your children will be allowed in a state school and you wouldn't want them to enter anyway. Unless your company is willing to pay, you will not be able to afford the extremely expensive international school favored by the corporate and diplomatic communities here. You can find less costly bilingual schools which will still be pricey (though less so) at the top tier and will be less expensive as you go down the scale of private schools.

Cars will cost you a lot more here, even the used ones. Maybe you can transport yours.

If you are willing to adapt to local conditions, $5,000 USD net a month will give you a good lifestyle. If you expect to live like high level foreign executives you will not have enough money.

 

[orwellian]

So what do you do? Your wife could make some decent money here IF she spoke Spanish. Unless you are in some certain high paid field of work I doubt you will make anything near the money your making in Australia.

 

[bloody_bloo]

If you can choose do not come to live in buenos aires, there are plenty beautiful places in Argentina. I have chosen El Bolsón (some 100km south Bariloche) as a nice place to have a family. I you would come alone and want to experience different things, that is another story.

 

[TMWNN]

Hey thanks for the replies. I dont expect that my salary would compare to what is in Australia but I'd like to get paid enough so that my lifestyle in Buenos Aires would be comparable (the $70k salary is pre-tax btw). I was basically wondering what a middle class professional supporting a family of 4 with a single income would usually earn. I need to tell the employer an expected salary and I have no idea what is good for Argentina, is $5k USD a month unusually high?

My wife doesn't speak spanish, but shes a fast learner of languages (she can speak Chinese).

The job I'm considering is in Buenos Aires so I'm pretty much limited to being close to it.

 

[French jurist]

Where will you work in Buenos Aires (just give the street) ?
This could be useful for your housing options (Bs As is big).

 

[jez]

I earn AU$ 70 000 a year gross

= u$s 62,864 year in Australia

I dont expect that my salary would compare to what is in Australia

is $5k USD a month unusually high?

= u$s 60,000 year in Argentina (depending on your tax status)

so you are asking u$s 2,864 a year less for working in Argentina?

If you say what line of work you are in, I'm sure someone here can tell you what to expect.

 

[marksoc]

is $5k USD a month unusually high?

Yes it is. That is a high class wage in Argentina.

But of course, it depends on what are you going to do, and your qualifications.

A middle class manager does some USD 3000 in a nice company (IMHO). That would give you a nice house in the suburbs (stay off the expat areas), a normal private school (again, not the ones for the sons of ambassadors) a car etc etc etc. Some help with this please?

 

[mariposa]

don't do it

 

[mini]

A$R20,000/month is an extremely high salary and for jobs well above one where you would be paid your current salary. Depending on your job, you should expect to earn about 25-35% of what you did in Australia. Most people of the same salary will live in an apartment. House living is certainly possible, but on that type of salary it will most likely will mean that you will have to live very far from your work.