Looking for a cheap place to write for 6 months - 1 year

[mymantaray]

Hey everyone,

I'm a single man, currently living in Hawaii--way expensive of course--and have a little money (~$10k) in the bank that I want to stretch (I also have about $1500/month in remote-work income) long enough to finish writing a book, which I think will take about six months to a year. I've never lived anywhere but the U.S. and in fact have traveled abroad very little, but I've always felt drawn to Latin America, in particular Argentina (in part for literary reasons, but it also just seems beautiful to me in many ways). What I want for 2025 is to live somewhere where I can be comfortable, have a cultural experience, work on my lousy Spanish a bit, and write. I'd love a beach town but I'm not set on that. Beunos Aires looks amazing to me and though it's not a beach town it's my top choice at the moment, I'm just wondering how long my money will last there.

I'd like to avoid anything too touristy or party-town/spring break vibe.
I don't want to live anywhere where the possibility of being kidnapped or killed is at all likely.
I need to be somewhere with good public transportation.
I would like it to be somewhere with a decent-sized expat community.

So my questions for you nice folks:

1) What would a life in Buenos Aires be like on, say, $1500-$2000/month?
2) Are there other places in Latin America that might be a better fit for what I'm looking for?

Thanks!

 

[Shpongle]

Rent in Paraguay can be $300 in rent a month + expenses. Does get quite hot in the north though! Places on the Argentine / Paraguay border:

1. Posadas (Argentina) / Encarnacion (Paraguay) on the border is a really nice town with open spaces, fresh air and the possibility of watersports.

2. Puerto Iguacu (AR) / Ciudad del Este (PY) / Foz de Iguazu (BR) is a junction between the 3 countries. Fascinating place, mix of numerous cultures.

PY has the best prices, IMO AR has the more interesting culture, and the BR people are always super friendly (if you understand Portuguese).

 

[mymantaray]

Rent in Paraguay can be $300 in rent a month + expenses. Does get quite hot in the north though! Places on the Argentine / Paraguay border:

1. Posadas (Argentina) / Encarnacion (Paraguay) on the border is a really nice town with open spaces, fresh air and the possibility of watersports.

2. Puerto Iguacu (AR) / Ciudad del Este (PY) / Foz de Iguazu (BR) is a junction between the 3 countries. Fascinating place, mix of numerous cultures.

PY has the best prices, IMO AR has the more interesting culture, and the BR people are always super friendly (if you understand Portuguese).

Thank you for this, I'll look into those spots.

 

[jantango]

If you want cheap, then a "pension" is where to start looking. It's a boarding house where you get a room with a bed, maybe a desk and chair, and closet. All the residents share the bathrooms and kitchen, so you have to wait your turn.

I know a retired American woman who has lived in one for at least 15 years. The building in which she lives is strictly for women on the two floors.

 

[mymantaray]

If you want cheap, then a "pension" is where to start looking. It's a boarding house where you get a room with a bed, maybe a desk and chair, and closet. All the residents share the bathrooms and kitchen, so you have to wait your turn.

I know a retired American woman who has lived in one for at least 15 years. The building in which she lives is strictly for women on the two floors.

Hmmm, I appreciate that. I do want cheap, but not so cheap that I'm cohabiting (I'm pretty introverted, and have never been able to live with people without my mental health wrecked). I could get a cheap place with roommates here in Hawaii, but I'm hoping to find somewhere affordable I can live for a while *at a certain comfort level* -- which is a big reason I'm looking at South America at this time (and I've always been drawn to Buenos Aires...).

The short version of why now is that I'm losing my nice affordable apartment here soon, and to get an equivalent level of comfort and dignity here will blow through my money far too fast (since the pandemic the housing market here has been squeezed pretty intensely, so there's not much left).

So, I'm just really hoping to find a bit of private space (doesn't have to be big) and with some unique/fun cultural experiences to be had, where I can focus on writing for a while rather than all my attention going to survival.

 

[VincentKMcMahon]

$1500 a month is plenty you can get a nice 1 bedroom even at airbnb rates for well under 1000 a month and live on the other $500

Keep in mind a 'good' wage here is $400 USD a month and the locals have to pay rent and everything else out of that. Even accounting for the fact they pay less in rent there is a huge gap between $1500 a month and $400

 

[LuckyLuke]

1) What would a life in Buenos Aires be like on, say, $1500-$2000/month?

This depends entirely on what location you want and the rent in that location. It's doable with careful planning.

2) Are there other places in Latin America that might be a better fit for what I'm looking for?

Chile would get you more bang for your buck right now.

 

[mymantaray]

$1500 a month is plenty you can get a nice 1 bedroom even at airbnb rates for well under 1000 a month and live on the other $500

Keep in mind a 'good' wage here is $400 USD a month and the locals have to pay rent and everything else out of that. Even accounting for the fact they pay less in rent there is a huge gap between $1500 a month and $400

Great, that's really helpful, thank you.

 

[mymantaray]

1) What would a life in Buenos Aires be like on, say, $1500-$2000/month?

This depends entirely on what location you want and the rent in that location. It's doable with careful planning.

2) Are there other places in Latin America that might be a better fit for what I'm looking for?

Chile would get you more bang for your buck right now.

Any favorite spots in Chile? A spot on the water but with something of a city vibe would be great if that exists...

 

[on the brink]

$1500 a month is plenty you can get a nice 1 bedroom even at airbnb rates for well under 1000 a month and live on the other $500

Keep in mind a 'good' wage here is $400 USD a month and the locals have to pay rent and everything else out of that. Even accounting for the fact they pay less in rent there is a huge gap between $1500 a month and $400

In Buenos Aires, four hundred dollars a month is under the Gov. current poverty line. But US$1,500 a month is enough for a good life, even eating out a few times a week.

I agree with a previous poster about Chile, if you want to be near a beach. Best of luck...