So what about cost of living for a single person? Assuming a one-bedroom apartment (not necessary to be downtown, not fancy but not a hovel either), no car, no children? Willing to cook for myself but would be nice to hit the pizzeria or parilla every once in a while?
What kind of "start-up" costs exist to get set up in an apartment, for example? In the US we have the security deposit/last month's rent, what's the BsAs equivalent?
Housing and living expenses
We are two, but our fixed costs are the same as one. Rent (330 EUR), other rent costs (expensas+ABL) (90 EUR), Internet and mobile phone plan (20 EUR), Electricity (10 EUR) and Gas (less than 10 EUR) = 460 EUR, that's 500 USD. We pay private health insurance 1400 pesos / each per month, that's 84 EUR or 93 USD (we're in our 30's). So I'd say fixed costs for 1 person are
around 600 USD/month.
We are in downtown San Isidro, which is in the Gran Buenos Aires (GBA), so outside the city limits but urbanized the same as a city. We have no car, use only public transport and choose this area because we have a train stop a block away and
avenidas 2 blocks and 5 blocks away, so very well connected.
There is a height limit to buildings in the historical centre of San Isidro, which keeps the feel less metropolitan. Of course there are a few awful skyscrapers that missed the enforcement. There are trees along the streets, a lot of schools and hospitals, very busy during weekdays 7AM to 7PM, pretty dead outside these hours. Very different from Palermo and Recoleta, who have a busy nightlife and places open to dine until late, deliveries, rare shops, quirky bars, etc.
We live in a 1 bedroom apartment, and we were lucky enough to find a direct owner last September. Our rent increases 30% annually and we have the standard 2-years contract, with a owner
garantia (from a family of my husband). We used to live in the same building but in a bigger apartment which cost a lot more with 15% rent adjustment every 6 months. Tourist rental market here is pretty non-existing for cheap rentals, we are not in Capital. There are, however, big mansions and villas in the nicest areas near the river which I am sure for $$$$ a month won't care too much about
garantia or not.
If you want someone to clean your place, then add another 80 USD/month (considering 3 hours to clean at 90 pesos/hr, 4 times a month).
Start up costs: 1 month rent in advance, 1 month rent deposit, costs for the contract (to verify your
garantia, to draw up the contract). In our case I'd say it was 5500+5500+2000 pesos (850 USD). If there is a real estate agency in the middle, they take about one month rent or a percentage of the whole duration of the contract - I don't recall exactly. Anyway if you take away the 1 month rent in advance and replace it with the one month rent commission, you already get an idea. Plus any moving costs and fixing (like painting, a plumber to install your laundry machine and fix leaking pipes, a locksmith to change the lock of your main door, etc.)
Food
Going out is increasingly costly. If you just want to avoid cooking at home, there are junk food place all over, such as
kioskos or cheap food-stops. You can stuff yourself up with a hotdog and a glass of coke for less than 3 USD.
But for example, an entire pizza (eat 4) in a pizzeria can cost 180 pesos (10 EUR), a bottle of industrial beer costs about 90 pesos (5 EUR). Many places now apply "cubierto", which is around 15-20 pesos per person (1 EUR), plus 10% tips.
To give you another example, last night we went out to a craft beer place in downtown Mar del Plata (550 km from Buenos Aires, but very big). There was a 2x1 promo on beers, so we had 2 pints each for 55 + 62 pesos (6 EUR), I had a small steak with fries (160 pesos, 8 EUR), my husband had a veggie sandwich (82 pesos, 4.2 EUR). Total about 400 pesos incl. tips (24 EUR) For me, that's not cheap considering it was in an Argentine city and not in the coolest barrios of the Capital. However, we could have done as the other Argentines and share a plate of french fries and cut the food costs down to half.
Another example: downtown Mar del Plata cheap pizzeria, combo 1 pizza mozzarella + 1 bottle of beer 130 pesos (7.4 EUR). No cubierto, add tips... it's 8 EUR. Not the best pizza in the world, very old and simple place, but enough to stuff you up for night.
However, last Saturday we went to an organic fair and we spent about 250 pesos (14 USD) in veggies, and they were enough for a week. We don't eat meat & fish, so we combine veggies with rice and pasta and cereals (pasta being the most expensive of them all if bought at the supermarket, cheaper if you do it at home).
Or you could live the Argentine way: one heavy lunch with fried stuff and lots of cheese, and then drink hot mate or tea with butter+sugar pastry (facturas) at 5 PM to fool your stomach and you are good for the day with just one full lunch.
I'd say eating at home would cost 1 person
around 100 USD/month, going out twice per week would cost about the same (
120 USD) >>> total = around
200 USD/month.
To recap
There are many ways to live in Argentina, sometimes things are more expensive than abroad, others are incredibly cheap. It depends on what and when. If you want a fancy car, then it is definitely more expensive, but if you want to enjoy culture, then it is almost inexpensive (courses, workshops, guided tours). If you want fancy food, nice restaurants cost about the same as abroad, cheap joints cost less,
very nice restaurants are still cheap compared to abroad, though.
If you have kids in school and want them to go to a private high-class school then it can cost you 400 USD/month.
If you live in Europe in a welfare Country and have kids, I think
now living in Argentina is more expensive. You add up private health insurance and private education, and your monthly fixed costs easily double. You would get them for free in Europe (you'd pay them through taxes, whereas here taxes are very low and public services very poor on average, so you have to compensate these by going private).
I believe that if you want to retire or lead a
conservative life, then Argentina is still an interesting option. But if you want to expand your family, or enjoy the best there is in the world, then it is not that convenient anymore.
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This is just my personal opinion
based on economy only, then there is another whole thread to write about quality of life.
