New guy contemplating move to BA

[Jai Dee]

Hi All ..... new reader/poster here and I think this forum will be very helpful!

I am 42 years old, living in Thailand since 2003 but getting bored here now; I'd like to be closer to my family in Boston and also have 4 seasons again, this 95 degree year-round heat gets really old.

At the same time I'd like to continue being an Ex-pat; being self-employed gives me the freedom to live anywhere in the world with an internet connection and I like what I have already heard about the cost of living in Argentina, it sounds about the same as here [maybe a bit more].

I may have a few questions here and there, hope to see you all around the board! Cheers, J,D.

 

[gouchobob]

Hi All ..... new reader/poster here and I think this forum will be very helpful!

I am 42 years old, living in Thailand since 2003 but getting bored here now; I'd like to be closer to my family in Boston and also have 4 seasons again, this 95 degree year-round heat gets really old.

At the same time I'd like to continue being an Ex-pat; being self-employed gives me the freedom to live anywhere in the world with an internet connection and I like what I have already heard about the cost of living in Argentina, it sounds about the same as here [maybe a bit more].

I may have a few questions here and there, hope to see you all around the board! Cheers, J,D.

Don't know what you have heard about the cost of living here, it's probably not as cheap as you have heard. Inflation is currently in the 20-30% range. There is another person who participates here that recently made the move from Thailand to Argentina, perhaps he will write in and give his impressions. I believe his handle is BKK to BA

 

[HenryNisental]

The problem here is that the dolar/peso rate has been maintained at near 4 to 1 artificially for almost 6 years now.
This will change (due to inflation) sooner or later, probably after the 2011 elections. Nobody wants to do a savage devaluation now due to its political costs. Wait and you will see the dollar exchange rate almost double (or more). Guaranteed.

 

[Jai Dee]

Don't know what you have heard about the cost of living here, it's probably not as cheap as you have heard. Inflation is currently in the 20-30% range. There is another person who participates here that recently made the move from Thailand to Argentina, perhaps he will write in and give his impressions. I believe his handle is BKK to BA

Understood, after all it IS extremely cheap to live here depending on the lifestyle you want to lead. I know people who can do it for less than 1500 per month, I myself budget around 2000US and live very well and travel a lot also. From what I have seen around other websites before I found this forum, I am lead to believe that 2K in BA would be a pretty good lifestyle as well, with apartment rental being by far the biggest expense.

I don't drink a lot, have simple tastes and would stay in probably 5 nights per week.... on a budget of even 800 a month for a furnished rental that would still leave me 40 per day for spending; should be enough if I stay within the city limits most of the time, no?

 

[Jai Dee]

The problem here is that the dolar/peso rate has been maintained at near 4 to 1 artificially for almost 6 years now.
This will change (due to inflation) sooner or later, probably after the 2011 elections. Nobody wants to do a savage devaluation now due to its political costs. Wait and you will see the dollar exchange rate almost double (or more). Guaranteed.

Great news!
I had heard that the inflation of the past few years was really driving things up, and as gouchobob said the 20-30% inflation rate is widely mentioned on other websites and blogs as well. If that stops or even turns back in our favor by 2011 that would be great timing for me

 

[syngirl]

.... on a budget of even 800 a month for a furnished rental that would still leave me 40 per day for spending; should be enough if I stay within the city limits most of the time, no?

Describe to us the apartment you envision for 800 dollars a month and we can tell you if it's realistic. Is it a studio? One bedroom? what amenities? what type of neighbourhood?

 

[syngirl]

Great news!
I had heard that the inflation of the past few years was really driving things up, and as gouchobob said the 20-30% inflation rate is widely mentioned on other websites and blogs as well. If that stops or even turns back in our favor by 2011 that would be great timing for me

Ah ha ha HA HAA!!! Inflation Stop? You've got to be kidding, this is Argentina, it only stops when the economy collapses, then it stops for a few months, and then climbs climbs climbs climbs again. The 20% + has been going on for the 5 years I've lived here.

 

[gouchobob]

Great news!
I had heard that the inflation of the past few years was really driving things up, and as gouchobob said the 20-30% inflation rate is widely mentioned on other websites and blogs as well. If that stops or even turns back in our favor by 2011 that would be great timing for me

As Syngirl said this has been going on now for several years with no end in sight, if anything I would say the rate of inflation is increasing. Things were very cheap back in 01-02 but not so now. The cost of living here is now probably about the same as an average U.S. city. Whether the peso dollar exchange changes to make it cheaper for Americans is anybodies guess. It has become somewhat more favorable compared to 5 years ago but not anywhere close to covering the high inflation rate here.

 

[BKK to BA]

Just did the Thailand to Argentina move in Feb...drop me a message if you want to discuss the pros and cons.

 

[ssr]

Just did the Thailand to Argentina move in Feb...drop me a message if you want to discuss the pros and cons.

Anyway you could share some here, BKK to BA? I'm actually interested in going in the opposite direction (if Thailand doesn't descend into civil war, that is) and would love to hear some of the pros and cons of living in Thailand and how it compares to Argentina (a place I know pretty well at this point).