Reality Check

[expatinowncountry]

We live very well with my local salary 12K pesos per month and we are a family of 4 BUT we do not pay rent or "expensas" as we own a house. Our biggest expenses are kindergarten and supermarket, and the occasional trip inside Argentina.

We save 80% of our non local salary. The 20% finances two annual trips back home (Europe)

 

[Ashley]

It really depends what field you're hoping to work in. It could be anything from 5,000 per month to 15,000 per month - I'd say that the salaries that were suggested above are more realistic for IT-type careers which pay comparatively well here but there are plenty of other fields that pay appallingly for experienced and qualified professionals (smaller companies, some creative and NGO fields). I'm guessing that you'd be working in an AFIP-type or banking job so would probably be earning at least 10,000 per month (if not more). You could definitely live on that but you wouldn't be able to travel extensively, or have a luxurious lifestyle. You should also factor in the costs of setting up an apartment (furniture, etc) which can be very steep. Local rents with a garantia are mostly around 4,000 pesos for a 1 bedroom...If you don't have a garantia, they'll be higher.

 

[citygirl]

1) That background is really too vague to give you real numbers.
2) For arguments sake, if we say 12.000 neto, the biggest question will be your living arrangements. Are you renting or do you own? Will you have access to a guarantia if you rent? Will you be staying for the long-term and want to furnish an apt with items you bought? Or rent something already furnished? The answer to those questions will determine how you live on a salary like the hypothetical 12.000.

Personally, when I rented, as a single person, I couldn't have lived in what I consider anywhere near a decent manner on 12.000 pesos a month. My rent alone would have been about 8.500 pesos of that (I had a 2 BR apt, furnished, in a nice area).

 

[syngirl]

We live very well with my local salary 12K pesos per month and we are a family of 4 BUT we do not pay rent or "expensas" as we own a house. Our biggest expenses are kindergarten and supermarket, and the occasional trip inside Argentina.

We save 80% of our non local salary. The 20% finances two annual trips back home (Europe)

Just curious now Expat... so you have local salary 12k pesos + an untold amount of non-local salary, of which you save 80% and spend 20% on 2 trips to Europe (so I'm assuming it is quite a considerable non-local salary if 20% funds 2 trips for 3-4 pasajeros, depending on age of children). So question is for family of four, are you essentially spending all of your 12k every month?

For us (family of 3) housing / daycare / supermarket / car is consuming an enormous amount of our income (local is more than 12k, but we also have more expenses than you because of rent). And then we've had a few months in a row where we ended up with unexpected expenditure -- ie A/C broke, 5k pesos spent on new machine and install, needed new tires / brakes done on car another month, had to pay the matricula for daycare another month, and now in March we're moving from a 2 ambientes to a PH, a move that in the first month with commissions, deposit, flete, etc etc will cost us a good 18k-20k out of pocket.

I understand you have no rent, which for us eats up a huge chunk of income. But are you suggesting you can have 12k for a family of four and still save, or are you basically spending 12k ...

just curious, not critical More like a "hmm if he can save on 12k and a family of four, we really must be doing something wrong!"

 

[expatinowncountry]

Just curious now Expat... so you have local salary 12k pesos + an untold amount of non-local salary, of which you save 80% and spend 20% on 2 trips to Europe (so I'm assuming it is quite a considerable non-local salary if 20% funds 2 trips for 3-4 pasajeros, depending on age of children). So question is for family of four, are you essentially spending all of your 12k every month?

For us (family of 3) housing / daycare / supermarket / car is consuming an enormous amount of our income (local is more than 12k, but we also have more expenses than you because of rent). And then we've had a few months in a row where we ended up with unexpected expenditure -- ie A/C broke, 5k pesos spent on new machine and install, needed new tires / brakes done on car another month, had to pay the matricula for daycare another month, and now in March we're moving from a 2 ambientes to a PH, a move that in the first month with commissions, deposit, flete, etc etc will cost us a good 18k-20k out of pocket.

I understand you have no rent, which for us eats up a huge chunk of income. But are you suggesting you can have 12k for a family of four and still save, or are you basically spending 12k ...

just curious, not critical More like a "hmm if he can save on 12k and a family of four, we really must be doing something wrong!"

We basically spend 12K pesos per month for the four of us. More or less we spend 2500 in kindergarten, 3500 in supermarket, 800-1000 in utilities, cable&internet, security surveillance, 500-1000 in transportation and the rest is to enjoy. We have medical cover by my job. We have no car (could not drive in BsAs). Our largest single expenditure in Argentina (except for tickets but for those we use our international salary) is "Bienes Personales" tax in April/May each year.
We really do not try to save any pesos and when there is a surplus we travel in Argentina.

As I said, the trips back home come from our international work. We buy almost all our cloth back home as BsAs is not a good deal in general for clothing.

 

[Rich One]

Well $12K pocket money would be enough to survive for a bachelor...!! Figures below are +/- 10% Based on a yearly average.


$3K spent in rent + utilities + internet. ( a furnished studio on a 6 mo. temporary contract)
$1K for medical insurance. If you are YOUNG.
$2K is the cost of maintaining a vehicle (including insurance) OPTIONAL.
$2K for supermarket food, cleaning products and some toiletries $70 /day..!!
$1K for Pharmacy et. al.

TOTAL Expenses; $9k
Disposable income: $3K or $700 pesos aprox. per week for; incidental expenses , entertaining, savings?, etc, etc,

Or more shocking $100 pesos a day....!!!
(For Lamarque; No need to debate my figures, just post your valuable insights...!!

 

[citygirl]

3K rent might be tough for a furnished apt - even for a studio.

We don't pay rent, OH owns the house. For just the 2 of us, with cars (we have 2), food, insurance, etc, we spend over 12K a month.

 

[Julieta0317]

We basically spend 12K pesos per month for the four of us. More or less we spend 2500 in kindergarten, 3500 in supermarket, 800-1000 in utilities, cable&internet, security surveillance, 500-1000 in transportation and the rest is to enjoy. We have medical cover by my job. We have no car (could not drive in BsAs). Our largest single expenditure in Argentina (except for tickets but for those we use our international salary) is "Bienes Personales" tax in April/May each year.
We really do not try to save any pesos and when there is a surplus we travel in Argentina.

As I said, the trips back home come from our international work. We buy almost all our cloth back home as BsAs is not a good deal in general for clothing.

Just curious, what is the Bienes Personales tax?

 

[expatinowncountry]

Just curious, what is the Bienes Personales tax?

It is the tax we pay every year on the house we owe in Buenos Aires. We do not have a car or any other property and I think you pay tax on those too if you are above a certain threshold. Since the threshold has not been updated in years despite inflation, most properties pay the tax.

 

[lamarque]

First of all i would consider having a car in this city as a drawback more than as a plus unless you live far away or you have family in with case you would probably need it but he is alone i don't think a car in this city add any value to your life standar it will add a stress but i supose depend on the person i don't like the idea of having a car in this city anyway, second 2 k between pharmacy and medical insurance lol really? what are you 90 years old, i barely use if i use more than 100 pesos in a given month and normally the medical plan my company pays make that ammount even smaller in pharmacy at my age and medical insurance is not needed as one of the working benefit that your company will pay for you is a more than adecuate medical insurance for you, and as he mention he is going to work in here.

Anyway i agree with the rest of the expenses, the rent depend on if he want to live alone or he want to share a department (that depend on how social you are and how you like to live, alone or live with other people), but i supose the diference in perception come with our diference of age here, what is well for me even when i consider that i live prety well and travel abroad a lot, probably is not that well for you at your age, and the use and expenses depend as well alot on your given age and if you have or not family.