Job Offer

[cford1905]

I've been offered a job in Buenos airies, salarly is 1500 USD a month. Will this be enough money to have a decent standard of living? And how much will I be able to save after rent food etc

Thanks

It depends on what you mean by a decent standard of living. You should be able to find an apartment for AR $1,200 a month. If you don't have a garantia that could complicate things however. Offer to pay six months to a year up front. If that is not an option banks are also selling garantias now. In order to do this I would assume that you would need some type of residency other than that of a tourist. If you are not yet in Argentina make sure that this company facilitates your work visa. Things can be very complicated here without residency and a DNI. They should take care of the visa as it doesn't really cost them anything other than opening their books to the government and if this is something that they don't want to do then they probably aren't legit in the first place.

-cford

 

[syngirl]

What's the deal with the contract, are you able to negotiate salary increases? 30% interest here... Are they paying for your prepago (health insurance)? There was a 60% increase in that last year.

2 bed for $300USD? "city center" probably means Barrancas or La Boca, maybe San Cristobal, which certainly isn't hitting the Top 10, let alone the Top 20 in the best areas to live list, or in San Telmo -- but the scuzzy cracked-out part, not the good part. 2 room it might be (which could easily be 250 sq ft as pointed out), but a local contract only and with garantia.

If I were you, I'd listen to the people on this board, they've been here longer than you have and they aren't lying about rents. And it really is important to understand the difference between a foreign short-term lease and a 2-year lease. A short-term lease you're usually paying 2-3x the value of the apartment. And you have to pay your commission and bond (2 months of lease? or more now?) up front. And every 6 months they can jack the rent on you as much as they like AND make you pay another round of commission.

Also, it's not too common to share apartments with strangers here -- and if you're sharing, it will be with other foreigners on short-term leases because most locals do not share with people they don't know, they would rather stay at home until they are 35 then move in with some stranger.

To get a deal on an apartment you'll need a local contact - the 300USD apartment may exist, but I can pretty much tell you that it's going to be a local contract and won't include expensas.

Anyway 1500USD you can do, but don't have visions of champagne and caviar. Most friends that have come to visit lately have been disappointed that Argentina is no longer cheap. 1500USD you'll be able to have a decent life, but not a lot of saving going on, so if you're coming here for the experience but don't care about putting away any cash, then come, you'll have a great time, but you won't be at the top restaurants in town very often.

 

[KatharineAnn]

It depends on what you mean by a decent standard of living. You should be able to find an apartment for AR $1,200 a month. If you don't have a garantia that could complicate things however. Offer to pay six months to a year up front. If that is not an option banks are also selling garantias now.

-cford

Please, please don´t buy a garantia. As far as I know, bought garantias are NOT legit and most experienced owners know this and check your garantia, and will not except a bought garantia. This is actually a scam where they ´sell´ the same garantia often to many people. When your garantia is then checked, it´s clear it´s not a real garantia, because numerous people have rented with said garantia.


And in response to the original poster, people here clearly have very different standards of living from most Argentines. Are you from the US or Britain? U$S 1500 is a very good salary here.

I PERSONALLY do not know any argentinian who earns more than 4.000 pesos a month, but then again I know mostly young people (20s and 30s), and it´s very rare for someone of that age group to be making more than that.

That said, most Argentinians have a lifestyle that most americans wouldn´t be willing to have. It´s up to you whether you want to make certain sacrifices that are commonplace here. That said, if you´re smart, you could live very very nicely here on 1500 dollars a month. Just don´t go renting any 1000 dollar a month apartments!

And to those who say that a $300 dollar a month apartment is probably a rathole, I find your comments at least somewhat offensive. Many, many, many middle class people here with dignified jobs live in $300 apartments or cheaper. Please keep in mind we don´t all have incomes in dollars.

 

[steveinbsas]

And to those who say that a $300 dollar a month apartment is probably a rathole, I find your comments at least somewhat offensive. Many, many, many middle class people here with dignified jobs live in $300 apartments or cheaper. Please keep in mind we don´t all have incomes in dollars.

I daresay that there are no $300 dollar a month two bedroom furnished apartments worth living in anywhere in or even near a nice area, including the center. You didn't point out that the Argentines who live their dignified lives in cheaper apartments also pay the utilities, expensas, and must provide their own refrigerator, TV, washing machine, furniture, linens, kitchen items and often need to supply the light fixtures and curtains as well. They usually have to sign up for cable, internet, gas and electricity in their own names and must also be able execute two year leases. Foreigners can't easily do that.

I seriously doubt simon would come here and spend thousands of dollars to furnish an apartment he can't legally rent while working at a job he can't legally hold.

Where's your indignation for the foreigners coming here to work illegally (taking Argentine jobs), not paying taxes and enjoying the services provided buy those Argentines who do pay taxes (at least those they can't avoid paying)?

Don't you find that offensive?

I'm happy to hear that many, many, many middle class people here with dignified jobs live in $300 apartments or cheaper. That certainly runs contrary to those sob-sisters who have recently posted how Argentines can't afford to live in their own capitol city.

There is also the possibility that there is some confusion about the number of rooms in the $300 per month apartment simon's friend owns. Two ambientes doesn't mean two bedrooms, but that is a common error made by those not familiar with real estate terms here.

 

[cford1905]

Please, please don´t buy a garantia. As far as I know, bought garantias are NOT legit and most experienced owners know this and check your garantia, and will not except a bought garantia. This is actually a scam where they ´sell´ the same garantia often to many people. When your garantia is then checked, it´s clear it´s not a real garantia, because numerous people have rented with said garantia.


And in response to the original poster, people here clearly have very different standards of living from most Argentines. Are you from the US or Britain? U$S 1500 is a very good salary here.

I PERSONALLY do not know any argentinian who earns more than 4.000 pesos a month, but then again I know mostly young people (20s and 30s), and it´s very rare for someone of that age group to be making more than that.

That said, most Argentinians have a lifestyle that most americans wouldn´t be willing to have. It´s up to you whether you want to make certain sacrifices that are commonplace here. That said, if you´re smart, you could live very very nicely here on 1500 dollars a month. Just don´t go renting any 1000 dollar a month apartments!

And to those who say that a $300 dollar a month apartment is probably a rathole, I find your comments at least somewhat offensive. Many, many, many middle class people here with dignified jobs live in $300 apartments or cheaper. Please keep in mind we don´t all have incomes in dollars.

Buying a garantia from BANKS, not individuals is something that is new. They started doing it late last year using a couple of banks in a trial run. It is not bogus as the actual bank is your garantia. One needs to find out from the owner of the apartment however as to whether they will accept a bank's garantia. Owners can refuse a garantia for any reason. I'm not sure if it is legal but it is very common in practice (e.g. refusing garantias from the provincia). I believe that you pay something like 10% of the total of the two year lease as collateral to the bank. But then again I'm guessing residency is a prerequisite. I think the key to Simon's success lies with his expectations regarding standards of living.

-cford

 

[NikT]

rare for someone of that age group to be making more than that.

And to those who say that a $300 dollar a month apartment is probably a rathole, I find your comments at least somewhat offensive. Many, many, many middle class people here with dignified jobs live in $300 apartments or cheaper. Please keep in mind we don´t all have incomes in dollars.

I don't think anyone wants to offend anyone else, middle class Argentine or well meaning foreigner.

Katharine you know people who live in 300 USD apts... if they are foreigners they must have been very lucky in their search. Apts accessible to foreigners are in their vast majority quite more expensive.

I know people who live in what they call here "hotel familiar", where a family of three, or two bachelors, can share one room with no windows, common bathroom, toilet and kitchen on the corridor, and stuffy air all over. And they pay 800 pesos a month. Having people living there doesn't make the people less descent, nor the place less of a rathole.

Just in case anybody thought that us who now make our money in dollars live in a bubble, or have never lived in ratholes.

Cheers to all
N.

 

[nikad]

Buying a garantia from BANKS, not individuals is something that is new. They started doing it late last year using a couple of banks in a trial run. It is not bogus as the actual bank is your garantia. One needs to find out from the owner of the apartment however as to whether they will accept a bank's garantia. Owners can refuse a garantia for any reason. I'm not sure if it is legal but it is very common in practice (e.g. refusing garantias from the provincia). I believe that you pay something like 10% of the total of the two year lease as collateral to the bank. But then again I'm guessing residency is a prerequisite. I think the key to Simon's success lies with his expectations regarding standards of living.

-cford

Are you sure banks are actually offering this services? I thought that between the expensive rental prices, the 5% comission on the total of the lease contract plus a 10% for a garantia ( 15% of the total of the contract ) it was a steal. You also have to be legal and have verifiable and legal income...

 

[steveinbsas]

Are you sure banks are actually offering this services? I thought that between the expensive rental prices, the 5% comission on the total of the lease contract plus a 10% for a garantia ( 15% of the total of the contract ) it was a steal. You also have to be legal and have verifiable and legal income...

I believe that being "legal" to get a garnatia from a bank (if they are doing it) means you have to have permanent residency in Argentina, and before that (in most cases) you would have to have temporary residency for three years.

 

[cford1905]

I believe that being "legal" to get a garnatia from a bank (if they are doing it) means you have to have permanent residency in Argentina, and before that (in most cases) you would have to have temporary residency for three years.

FYI

http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/405787-100884-0-Garantía-otorgada-la-solución-alquilar

 

[perry]

Furnished apartments are more expensive for everyone not just foriegners . Of course there are benefits of having a fully furnished apartment and nowadays with expenses being so high renting a long term furnished apartment can be a better deal than a 2 year contract unfurnished with guarantia.

The best deals are the share accomodation offers where you can have a great room in a spacious apartment with all services for around US 400 dollars a month.