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

[earlyretirement]

My wife and I (no kids, just two cats) live in Recoleta. We don't rent because we own our apartment and we have no car. We have spent on average per month $3300 this year, and that does not include any money for travel. We have health insurance that we really like, but not with the top providers. We eat out some (once or twice a week). It all adds up, but life here is cheaper than in the States. Safety is one of my biggest concerns, but not big enough that I will leave. We really like it here (most days, anyway).

The biggest benefit is you own your own place. Rental or housing costs in a nice apartment in the Capital would be most people's biggest expenses. I totally agree if you own your own place it's much easier but still your number of $3,000 to $4,000 per month is accurate. That's about what my friends there spend with no kids but including a bit of travel around Argentina.

My friends here that have kids are really suffering as they are sending their kids to private schools and complain prices keep going up.

 

[Fiscal]

My wife and I (no kids, just two cats) live in Recoleta. We don't rent because we own our apartment and we have no car. We have spent on average per month $3300 this year, and that does not include any money for travel. We have health insurance that we really like, but not with the top providers. We eat out some (once or twice a week). It all adds up, but life here is cheaper than in the States. Safety is one of my biggest concerns, but not big enough that I will leave. We really like it here (most days, anyway).

Interesting, thank you. I'm surprised by the $3300 figure. Do you mind breaking that out into individual categories?

 

[Ceviche]

Interesting, thank you. I'm surprised by the $3300 figure.

No surprise. if you want to live a cool lifestyle.. It adds up

 

[sergio]

My wife and I (no kids, just two cats) live in Recoleta. We don't rent because we own our apartment and we have no car. We have spent on average per month $3300 this year, and that does not include any money for travel. We have health insurance that we really like, but not with the top providers. We eat out some (once or twice a week). It all adds up, but life here is cheaper than in the States. Safety is one of my biggest concerns, but not big enough that I will leave. We really like it here (most days, anyway).

3,300 USD? More than double the U$S 1,500 figure and you OWN. You have no car; you have second tier health insurance. You imply that you spend modestly and don't mention children. One has to conclude from your comments that Fiscal would need a lot more since he presumably will have to rent and eventually will have steep private school bills. He may or may not want a car. Churchill is unfair in saying that expats here are being negative. I have known expats who, for personal reasons, have lived very modestly (like lower middle class or middle class Argentines) for personal reasons. For example, one woman had to stay in Argentina as she was divorced and the father would not allow the son to leave the country. She had few job opportunities but with the help of parents from abroad and the little income she earned, she was able to stay but her standard of living would be considered very basic in her own country. Others married Argentines of varying backgrounds. I know expats from countries like the UK, Canada and the US who married Argentines of different economic/social backgrounds. One who married into a wealthy family had an easy life but last time we spoke he was bored and wanted to return to his home country however the wife would not permit it. Others married partners from the middle or lower middle classes and have been struggling to make ends meet. In all cases that I know it has been the wife who was very attached to her family and unwilling to leave. These expats have settled down and adapted to Argentina and the way of life here. It can be done but it means flexibility, adjustment and a willingness to go with the flow which equates to unpredictability, instability and in most cases a lower material standard of living. While I'd say that U$S 1,500 is not realistic, double that amount might be if adjustments are made but Fiscal will have to understand what he's getting into. And there will be tax issues as well. If he's a permanent resident with a family he will have to justify where his money comes from. He should talk to an accountant familiar with expat issues in Argentina and the US. None of this is being negative. It's being realistic. Fiscal is talking about uprooting a FAMILY, not a solo lark in an interesting city.

 

[nikad]

After reading this post, I am starting to seriously question my own numbers. My background is middle - middle class ( own apartment, car, travel one month during the year, private insurance, private school ). My husband moved here about 15 years ago. We live on 2500 usd a month and we save and invest the rest. It has always been like that since we have been together. We are two adults and a child. We live in Recoleta. In general we are somewhat frugal by choice: we like to go to parks, fairs, walks, museums, etc. I cook 90% from scratch ( as I think it is healthier ) and I am very picky when I decide to give my money to a restaurant. We do not have fun " shopping " for stuff we won't use, and we do not get bored when we are not shopping ( I know that for a lot of people this is very important and is almost cultural ). We live in a building with central services and 24 hs security, own a car and keep it in a garage. I guess we all live differently. Note: this budget does not include travelling abroad.

 

[Stantucker]

Interesting, thank you. I'm surprised by the $3300 figure. Do you mind breaking that out into individual categories?

First of all, I recalculated the numbers from my spreadsheet (twice this time) and I got average monthly expenses of 3451(not 3300) this time. I must have copied and pasted something incorrectly last night. Here's the breakdown by categories on my spreadsheet (all in dollars unless specified otherwise):

Food (both groceries and eating out)- 872
Recurring monthly expenses (building/condo fee, water, gas, electricity, health insurance, cell phones, apartment insurance, landline, cable & internet, internet, Netflix, city property taxes, tax on personal income and property)- 1111
-our building fee is currently 4400 pesos, pretty cheap for what a lot of folks pay. Other costs this month: health insurance- 372 for both of us, 2 cell phones- 25, cable/internet- 80, Netflix- 6, city property taxes- 77)
-the building fee and the city property taxes you would still have to pay as a renter; they get passed on to the renter
-quite a few of these of the costs listed above are quite a bit cheaper than they were a year ago because we pay them with an American credit card
-we are 57 and 62, so our health insurance is probably more than yours would be. I said in my first post that we weren't with the top providers. We do have the best plan with our carrier (Union Personal/Accord Salud), and we are very happy- never a copay- but this company is not one of the ones that you see heavily advertised and that is mentioned on BAExpats.
Entertainment (books, newspaper, movies, theater, concerts)- 139
Charitable giving- 355
Cats- 67
Clothes- 161
Gifts- 24
Household (1 weekly house cleaning, computer related expenses, among other items)- 144
Misc- 85
Personal care- 492 (seems excessive, I know, but I don't have a separate column for medical/dental, so in addition to makeup, haircuts, 1 gym membership, running gear, glasses, misc. drugstore items, this also includes 3 replacement crowns -but only 1000 here!, and medication (which you will not spend on kile us older folks)

 

[nikad]

First of all, I recalculated the numbers from my spreadsheet (twice this time) and I got average monthly expenses of 3451(not 3300) this time. I must have copied and pasted something incorrectly last night. Here's the breakdown by categories on my spreadsheet (all in dollars unless specified otherwise):

Food (both groceries and eating out)- 872
Recurring monthly expenses (building/condo fee, water, gas, electricity, health insurance, cell phones, apartment insurance, landline, cable & internet, internet, Netflix, city property taxes, tax on personal income and property)- 1111
-our building fee is currently 4400 pesos, pretty cheap for what a lot of folks pay. Other costs this month: health insurance- 372 for both of us, 2 cell phones- 25, cable/internet- 80, Netflix- 6, city property taxes- 77)
-the building fee and the city property taxes you would still have to pay as a renter; they get passed on to the renter
-quite a few of these of the costs listed above are quite a bit cheaper than they were a year ago because we pay them with an American credit card
-we are 57 and 62, so our health insurance is probably more than yours would be. I said in my first post that we weren't with the top providers. We do have the best plan with our carrier (Union Personal/Accord Salud), and we are very happy- never a copay- but this company is not one of the ones that you see heavily advertised and that is mentioned on BAExpats.
Entertainment (books, newspaper, movies, theater, concerts)- 139
Charitable giving- 355
Cats- 67
Clothes- 161
Gifts- 24
Household (1 weekly house cleaning, computer related expenses, among other items)- 144
Misc- 85
Personal care- 492 (seems excessive, I know, but I don't have a separate column for medical/dental, so in addition to makeup, haircuts, 1 gym membership, running gear, glasses, misc. drugstore items, this also includes 3 replacement crowns -but only 1000 here!, and medication (which you will not spend on kile us older folks)

We spend about the same except for food ( 400 usd here ) and personal care ( 200 usd here ) Our health insurance ( Medicus ) 2 adults in their 40s + a kid 230 usd monthly no copays ( intermediate plan )

 

[Jaredberryman]

You will likely need more than $1500 to live well in Argentina, especially if you are thinking of putting your kids in an elite school. Also, your rental depends a great deal, as mentioned earlier, on whether or not you can rent temporary, or with a garantía. I recommend the garantía way if you are going to spend a great deal of time down in Argentina. Also, I recommend you consider Zone Norte, which is where I live. It's a lot more tranquil than the city, and you can actually get a decent sized house in a nice area with a backyard at $1000, and you have the river and other nice amenities close. I live in Olivos and in a car can get to Palermo in 15 to 20 minutes. It's outside of the capital proper, but in my opinion, much nicer. If you are working from home, you don't need to live in the Capital and go downtown on a continual basis, and a lot of expats just know the capital, and not anything outside. My quality of life has taken a quantum leap since I moved out to the north. You also have some of the best bilingual schools there.

Some of the actual numbers people mentioned here are pretty realistic. I imagine with $3500 to $4000 you could live okay out in a house to the north of the city, have a car, and if you're careful, have some savings from that, while sending the kids to a decent bilingual school (but if you send them to the best bilingual schools you will pay out the nose).

However, I recommend that right now, you wait for at least 6 months before trying something like that. The reason why is that socially things might get ugly down in Argentina in the short term. You don't want to be down here when they are burning stuff in the streets, rioting, and looting. Also, crime tends to increase quite a bit in these kinds of situations. I wouldn't recommend to anyone just this moment to even come visit with all the recent instability. It might turn out okay, but it could also end up similar to 2001. I might be going overboard here, but judging by my wife's reaction, who lived through 2001, I would be extremely careful. Don't put your kids in the middle of that, and my wife and I are ready to travel or relocate at a moments notice if things are super ugly.

 

[Aztangogirl]

I can live in 1500. U.S. a month. But I own my apartment and am single and have no children and do not have a car. I don't have an extravagant lifestyle. I cook at home mostly. But I have a great life here.

 

[earlyretirement]

After reading this post, I am starting to seriously question my own numbers. My background is middle - middle class ( own apartment, car, travel one month during the year, private insurance, private school ). My husband moved here about 15 years ago. We live on 2500 usd a month and we save and invest the rest. It has always been like that since we have been together. We are two adults and a child. We live in Recoleta. In general we are somewhat frugal by choice: we like to go to parks, fairs, walks, museums, etc. I cook 90% from scratch ( as I think it is healthier ) and I am very picky when I decide to give my money to a restaurant. We do not have fun " shopping " for stuff we won't use, and we do not get bored when we are not shopping ( I know that for a lot of people this is very important and is almost cultural ). We live in a building with central services and 24 hs security, own a car and keep it in a garage. I guess we all live differently. Note: this budget does not include travelling abroad.

Nikad,

That's awesome you can get your budget down so low. The biggest difference I see from reading your post and all the people that I know there is no matter how bad things get it seems like they are always eating out. Medialunas in the morning, coffees throughout the day, and dinner out quite a bit. I'm always surprised how often most of them eat out no matter how bad they seem to be doing financially.

For my monthly cost of living spreadsheet I include all of these things. Many people forget to include everything and think they are spending less than they are because they don't include everything.


Monthly Cost of Living


-Mortgage or Rent (if you don't own outright)
- Property taxes if you own
-Phone (Land line and Cell phone)
- Utilities (gas, water, electricity, cable, internet, etc)
- HOA fees/expensas each month
- Maintenance and repairs (if you own a property)
- Car payments
- Car insurance
- Auto Fuel each month for each car
- Registration fees for your car each year
- Maintenance on your car to include car washes and oil changes
-Parking (various times when you're out and about plus if you don't have a garage in your apartment and have to rent one)
- Home/rental insurance for your property
- Life insurance
- Health insurance premiums
- Dental insurance premiums
- Medical/Dental expenses (what insurance won't cover)
- Prescription medications
- School expenses for kids (tuition, stuff for school, ballet classes, etc)
- Babysitter expenses
- Annual fee for Credit Cards
- Clothes for kids and yourself
- Toys for kids
- Dry Cleaning
- Health club / gym
- Taxi/Uber fares which are inevitable.
- Beauty (hair salon for hair cuts, color, nails, make up, etc)
- Extracurricular activities dues/fees
- Entertainment (movies, theatre, plays, Zoo, concerts, sporting events, etc --)
- Magazine/newspaper/Ipad subscriptions
- Dining out at restaurants
- Grocery budget
- Retirement savings contributions
- Kids college fund savings contributions
- Charity/donations
- Travel / vacation expenses
- Federal/State/local income taxes
- Any revolving debt payments you might have
- Bad habit type stuff (alcohol, smoking, etc)
- Emergency savings fund for any major health issues
- Non reimbursed office/work expenses and supplies


Many people if they are living alone and own their own place and don't have any kids can get away with not spending a lot. But the wild card for me is having several kids. Kids aren't cheap.