Moving Summary Questions

[Arronius]

Hello all. So, despite nervousness over the economic situation, I have decided to head on down to Buenos Aires anyway. I am not wealthy, but I will be working from home for non-Argentine companies and getting paid into my American bank account, so I should be insulated from the economic situation unless it goes totally tits up. (It doesn’t really matter if you can afford to eat in the middle of rioting.) I also plan on officially being a tourist for the duration of my stay in Argentina. That may change in the future, but as of now I think that’s the best option for me.

1. First dilemma is one of logistics. I want to buy my ticket soon, but I am going to want to give myself some time so as to get a good price (at least a month in advance). The trouble is finding a place to live for when I first arrive. I will probably rent a furnished room in an area like Palermo or Villa Crespo for a month or two when I first arrive so that I can get my bearings. I have been using the website www.compartodepto.com to peruse options, but it’s a bit difficult because I am not there in Argentina to actually go see the places, and most of them probably rent pretty quickly—meaning they are not usually available for a month or more in advance. I should also say so as to avoid inapplicable advice, I am looking to spend about 3000 pesos a month on rent, hopefully including utilities and all. It’s hard because there are a lot of crappy, dormroom-like student rooms for a little bit less than this price (2500-2800), but 3000-3200 is the bottom end of breaking into more decent rooms with double beds and decent bathrooms and whatnot, so I believe my goal is possible. So, what is my best move? Just buy my ticket and then hold my breath and hope to find a place closer to departure time?
2. After this familiarization period, I would like to rent an unfurnished room and buy my own stuff. Not really a question in there but I just feel that in general you can find much better quality living arrangements that way for the same money. Feel free to comment based on your experience.
3. The other question about my ticket: do I have to have a return? If so, can I just buy a one-way ticket and then buy a ferry trip to Uruguay in advance to show them? I plan on maintaining my tourist status legally while I am there (renewing tourist visa and running to Uruguay when necessary).
4. What documents should I bring with me? Passport, obvs. Anything else? Will I need my birth certificate? Apostilled? I reiterate that I plan on being a tourist. I am single.
5. I know from living in Mexico that many things may be difficult to find or carry shocking price tags when you do. I see on www.biovea.com (found by searching this forum), that protein is a bit pricey at 350 pesos for a kilogram. If I have the space I may bring a 5 lb. bag with me. My question is, what am I not thinking about that I should bring while I have the chance to buy it here in the states?
6. Telephony: I am planning on bringing my old iPhone 4 with a Gevey chip in it. As a tourist, can I get some kind of cell phone service with a chip to fit my phone?
7. I know there are a lot of posts on this site about money issues, and I have done my research in them, so this isn’t really one of those questions. I just want to summarize what I have learned for any others who follow after me. Skip the rest of this paragraph if this doesn’t interest you. Obviously, getting money out at an ATM in Argentina, while possible, would be very stupid because they give the official exchange rate, which is based on Argentina’s underreported inflation figures. Therefore, you don’t get the “real” value for your dollar. (As of this writing, the official exchange rate is 7.88 pesos to 1 dollar.) If you can get dollars cash into the country by other means (on the plane or by trips to Uruguay), you can take them to the cuevas and get the blue rate (the illegal street rate), which as of this writing is 11.68 pesos to the dollar. Trips to Uruguay being somewhat impractical at a moment’s notice, and not wanting to necessarily have tons of cash in my possession, I am also going to set up and use Xoom. They charge a little money, and you get less than the blue rate, as I read in some forum post or another that Xoom uses the contado con liquidación rate, which as of this writing is 10.48 pesos to the dollar. That’s still about 11% less than the blue rate, but I can live with that if I really need to get some money out to make it through the week or whatever. Sorry for the long explanation that many vets probably find boring, but it took me a while to get my head around this issue from afar. Do I have all of that right?

That’s it. Thanks so much to anyone who takes time to read and can help in any way. Chomping at the bit to buy my ticket.
P.S. Is this the appropriate forum for this topic or should it have been posted in the newcomers forum?

 

[thorsten]

Hi and welcome.

Just a few comments:
- personally, I'd always go for the ticket first - you will always find apartments, especially if its just to get familiar and then move to another one
- don't expect too much from a furnished apartment in Palermo for 3000 pesos
- how long do you plan on staying in BsAs? Buying furniture make more sense, if you plan to stay quite long... Also, I'm not sure if its possible to get a 2yr rental contract based on a tourist visa.
- I never had a return ticket and never got asked for one
- passport is enough for tourist status
- imported products are expensive and sometimes hard to get here, so buy e.g. electronics back home
- you can get prepaid sims from all major companies

 

[sleslie23]

Wow, someone who did their research. Impressive!

I can't think of anything I would add. You seemed to have all of the basics covered. If, by chance, you decided to study or immigrate formally, then there is other documentation you should bring.

One thing I would suggest, and that I would have done differently, is to look for an apartment outside of Palermo/Recoleta/San Telmo. That's obviously where all the action is in terms of bars and restaurants, but they are also more expensive and have a different vibe than other less trendy/touristic neighborhoods. Boedo, for example, though remote has a much different "onda" that I really like.

Anyway, good luck in your move.

 

[garryl]

You can find a furnished place that costs about the same as unfurnished. For unfinished, you have to pay expenses, if your rent is 3000 peso, your expense could be 2000. You probably get a really bad apartment for 3000, I mean a dog house in Recoleta. As for furniture, all the made in China stuff is considered high end, basically pay more and get less. It's better to find a furnished apartment first, then find your long term place, then buy furniture. It's not like in US, you can get the right furniture quickly. Good luck.

 

[Arronius]

Thanks for all the good advice. I will feel better already getting my ticket. Remember, I won't be looking to rent an apartment myself, even when I get a more permanent unfurnished place. I still plan on just renting a room / sharing with flatmates, so hopefully contract won't be a problem. Thanks for the advice about areas to live also, slesie. Once I learn the city a bit that's basically my plan of attack too. I didn't live in the super trendy bar/restaurant parts of Guadalajara either, but I lived in a middle-class area about a ten-minute bus ride from there. So I would be cool with a similar arrangement in BA. (Problem is that none of the guidebooks or other websites are very helpful in finding these areas from afar. I know where I lived in GDL, while pretty and quiet and well-communicated, was certainly not listed in any.) I'll probably be popping onto this website again once I get settled asking about ways and means to hunt for that more permanent place.

Thanks for the well-wishes too.

 

[French jurist]

Like Sleslie, finally someone who properly investigated the subject (congrats).

What else to add?

For your peace of mind, if you make 2.000 USD or more per month, you're sure to be able to live comfortably.

1. -> If you have a shortlist of 4/5 places to stay on the short term, I guess you're OK (maybe more tourist in July/August & around Christmas of course)
2. -> Even as a tourist, you can rent an unfurnished place for a 2 years lease (can be tricky for some people, easier for others... depends on your Spanish skills, attitude, etc.)
3. -> Return ticket is not really a problem. At worst, spend the 30 USD to buy online a ferry ticket to Colonia and that's it
4. -> Passport. For the other aspects, people from your country will know better than me.
5./6. -> already answered
7. -> Yop, Xoom is fine for now. But this option could become unavailable at any time (such things happen here). So Colonia with a credit/debit card will be your backup plan indeed. Just come here with enough cash to live for 1 month (in your specific situation).

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Here's a link to the BA subway system & a link to the Airbnb/BA site. You should not rule out other BA neighborhoods.
Aslo centrally located & subway accessible are Balvanera, Montserrat, Almagro, Caballito, San Nicolas.

http://www.metrovias.com.ar/

https://www.airbnb.c...ires--Argentina

I don't know where you're coming from but I assume you're in the US. If I were you I would skip the 5 bl. bag of protein.
Customs people are on the look out for anything that looks suspicious. Argentina is fast becoming a half way point for international drug trafficking.
If they find it, they may want an explanation as to what it is & what you do with it. Besides what kind of a person boards an international flight with a 5bl. bag of Protein??? (Nothing personal, just trying to be helpful)
If you can,... bring 10.000 in U$D in ca$h. Clean, crisp, fresh, unmarked $100 dlls bills only.
That's the limit you can take out of the US without declaring it. You can put it in a money belt, and nobody would know about it.
Good luck !.

 

[Matiasba]

If I were you I would bring at least a photocopy (if not the original) of your birth certificate and any other important document. Argentine bureaucracy is impossible and you will never know what you ll need.

 

[glasgowjohn]

Very often a return ticket is cheaper than a one way . so stick a date 30 - 60 or 90 days after your arrival for the return

Always good to have a plan B in case you hate it when you get here

 

[Arronius]

Besides what kind of a person boards an international flight with a 5bl. bag of Protein???

I LOLed at this, thanks. A weirdo I guess haha. Someone who lived in Mexico where the GNC charged like 100 dollars for a large jar of it .... I have flown from U.S. to Mexico like this without questioning, but I guess they're not really expecting anyone to be bringing drugs upstream like that. It's not likely anything would happen, the worst thing being that they take it away from me and discover that it's really just protein, but maybe you're right and I should just avoid the potential hassle.

Glasgowjohn, I often heard that from my European friends in Mexico, but I never found it to be the case from the U.S., and in my looking so far I have not found that to be the case from the U.S. to Argentina either. And looking for a return a few months ahead bumps the price up quite a bit as well.