My wife (Argentinian) claims you can live "well" on $1500 a month in Argentina. True?

[Stantucker]

But more of them happen in the USA, and in addition to that, we have mass shootings, random shootings, accidental shootings, drunken shootings, gang shootings, and more, in the USA.

Are you suggesting that they don't have all those kinds of shootings in Argentina? There have been any number of cases here where a family members shots or stabs and kills 3, 4, 5 other family members. I don't know what number technically constitutes a "mass" killing but neither 3, 4 nor 5 are not small numbers in my opinion. Argentina's "mass" shootings may not be on the same scale as in the US, but how many deadly home invasions in the conurbano does it take for those numbers to reach per capita equivalencies. Yes, a home invasion here does not draw the attention that a mass killing does in the States, but that does not mean that Argentina is safer overall? And people will say, but wait, at least Argentines do not have to worry about their children being shot and killed at school? But how many young people have been killed in parts of the conurbano over their cell phones. Again, a cell phone robbery and murder do not draw the kind of media attention that a school shooting does, but does that really mean that children are any safer here? I bet parents in certain parts of Argentina (not the parts where most BAExpats live) worry a lot about their children coming home alive. Have you not heard of "los monos" in Rosario? If they are not a gang, they sure act and shoot like one.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

There are not mass shooting here and yes, it is safer when crazy people cannot but guns and submachine guns.

Last mass shooting I remember was over 25 years ago with a shotgun when the dentist Barreda killed his wife and dauthers tired of being called pussy by them.

https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Barreda

There were 2900 kills by guns ladt year in Argentina against 40.000 in the US. It means that the risk here is more or less half but gun violence here does not happends in safe places like the mass shootings in the US.

You have i kill by gun shoot every 14.000 people in Argentina against 1 every 8.000 people in the US.

 

[Stantucker]

There are not mass shooting here and yes, it is safer when crazy people cannot but guns and submachine guns.

Last mass shooting I remember was over 25 years ago with a shotgun when the dentist Barreda killed his wife and dauthers tired of being called pussy by them.

https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Barreda

There were 2900 kills by guns ladt year in Argentina against 40.000 in the US. It means that the risk here is more or less half but gun violence here does not happends in safe places like the mass shootings in the US.

You have i kill by gun shoot every 14.000 people in Argentina against 1 every 8.000 people in the US.

What are your sources? Mine were the US Justice Dept and the Ministerio de seguridad here.

 

[Aztangogirl]

Buenos Aires is expensive but still cheaper than Montevideo, Santiago, Panama City and Sao Paulo. But perhaps more expensive that Guayaquil, Bogota. And more or less equal to Lima, Asuncion.

Buenos Aires is definitely cheaper compared to world cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok,Tokyo, London, New York, Auckland, Sydney.

Will not supply data or figures. Just basis my travels.

There is no way I could have bought an apartment as nice as mine in any city in the States. For under $100,000. In San Francisco , my apartment would be over a milllion, easily. Utilities are a fraction of my utilities in the States. Healthcare is a fraction of my costs in the States. No car, no car insurance ,maintenance or gas. I am single, but $1500 is sufficient for me. There are months I spend far less.

 

[steveinbsas]

There is no way I could have bought an apartment as nice as mine in any city in the States. For under $100,000. In San Francisco , my apartment would be over a milllion, easily. Utilities are a fraction of my utilities in the States..

Is it safe to assume that your annual property taxes in CF are also much lower than they would be on a similar apartment in San Francisco?

 

[Ries]

I cant speak for San Francisco, but my property taxes in CF are about 1/10 of similar property taxes in Washington State. And, of course Utilities, are about 1/4, and, in the USA, it is extremely rare to buy without a mortgage, and lenders usually require at least homeowners and fire and sometimes flood insurance, which is another hundred dollars a month, and can be much more- and we wont even get into interest costs.
I do not know an Argentine with a mortgage, so none of them are paying that extra 2/3 or so for interest alone.

 

[Aztangogirl]

Is it safe to assume that your annual property taxes in CF are also much lower than they would be on a similar apartment in San Francisco?

Hell yes.

 

[ali84747]

What would be a reasonable cost of living for a single person to live decently? Willing to live in a studio. I see apartments going as cheap as $300-400 USD / month on Airbnb, so I'm pretty surprised at hearing $1500 isn't enough for two people.

 

[domthegreat]

I can respect the opinions of others here but I must disagree with those that say its difficult to live for less than this. I am married, live in Palermo in a 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in a newer building. Our rent is 16000 per month + about 6000 in expenses + internet. We do not have a car but we do have private health insurance. We NEVER go over 1500 USD a month in living expenses. WE are not ascetics either...we buy nice food to cook at home (not going crazy on imported things but still buying high quality meats and veggies and cheese) nice wine and enjoy eating out/getting a beer at happy about once a week. Our groceries + food and drink expense never goes above $300 per month.

In my experience living here over 10 years and knowing many locals and expats along the way...people who spend a lot either are not great at managing their spending or do not take time to learn their way around and how to live modestly within what's reasonable for the area (i.e. not insisting you have expensive imported food and needing to eat out at a trendy hipster cafe in Palermo 5 times a week to "survive", switching to buy more red meat instead of fish, being content with an apartment size thats common for here, etc.)

 

[garryl]

I have to say that the property tax is a big problem for Americans who live in the big cities. When they have high income, they can somehow manage it, but when they are retired, it's painful for many of them. A German woman, who is a real estate broker in Australia, sat next to me, on my flight from Munich to SFO, was shocked after I told her that my property tax in SF area is over $1000 a month, which is quite modest in Bay Area. She said her parents and other people, who are retired, if with such a big burden, that would have been a problem for the seniors.
Building expense (HOA) and property tax can be easily up to 2000 for average people living in SF.

It makes no sense to continue to live in places like that when you are retired. $2000-$3000 for nothing. You can live nicely in many civilized big cities
for that amount, pay rent, eat outside, have hourly maid and pay your private insurance. If you live in south east Asia, you can have massage everyday. Many gringos never think about retiring abroad, after their employers outsource their jobs abroad, due to mostly fear of unknown places.

Back to Argentina, I think, considering the income level, the expense is relative higher here in big city like BA. The potero situation is a joke. Europeans quickly realized it did not work. They dumped the doorman, but Argentina was not able to get rid of them. They are the main reasons that the building expense is high, and that makes it very for the retired Argentine who are on fixed income. But the expense here in absolute value is still much lower than that of US.

In Asia, many people own multiple apartments, this is not that common in US, the cost to own is too high in US.
The rent, mortgage, property tax is the reason that Americans can not save, not because Americans like to spend. The saving for average American families is amazing compared to an Asian family of much lower income in Asia. The Asian families have way more savings. Earn your income in US and retire abroad is the way to do.