Six months ago today, I took my final remis ride to Ezeiza and, after 3 years, left BA for good. I had never moved down there to live like an expat, but to be with my Argentine partner. I genuinely enjoyed living there for the first couple of years -- while I'd always recognized the basic inconveniences, as long as I was earning enough to get by, they were generally outweighed by the things I liked. However, between 2009 and 2012, daily life became progressively more difficult, to the point that I could no longer justify the struggle (living with mediocre coffee and customer service is one thing, but when you have a master's degree and can't afford to buy a can of tuna, it's time to throw in the towel). Since then, I've been living in Madrid, and I must admit that, even in the midst of an economic crisis, life here is quite comfortable. However, neither the city nor the people have the charisma of their Argentinian counterparts. All things being equal, I'd choose BA over Madrid, but unfortunately... they're not. So, since Spain is sometimes mentioned in posts as a possible "alternative destination," I thought I'd make a list of some of the pros and cons of living in Madrid vs. Buenos Aires.
Pros of Madrid
Salary vs cost of living. In Buenos Aires, I made 50-60 pesos per hour as an English teacher, and despite an extremely frugal lifestyle, was barely able to get by. In Madrid, I charge 20-30 euros per hour, earning around 1,200 per month. My expenses are as follows:
-Rent (for a furnished room in a 2-BR apt.) = 275, plus 20-30 for gastos
-Monthly smartphone plan = 14 (600MB of data, 200 free texts, 60 minutes of free national calls and 20 free minutes to other cell phones.)
-Public transportation = 52 for an unlimited monthly pass or 12 for a 10-trip ticket
-Health insurance = 50 per month for the most comprehensive private plan (since I don't pay into the social security system, I can't use the public system.)
-Food and drink = maybe 30-40 per month for groceries, and 10-20 for social drinks (a beer, glass of wine, or coffee all cost around 2 euros, anywhere you go.)
This leaves me enough to travel at least once per month, and still have some money left over.
Security. This was kind of the dealbreaker between me and BA. Constantly being on-guard left me anxious and exhausted, and I feel 100 pounds lighter not having to worry about it anymore. Do I carefully watch my belongings in the Metro, a restaurant, a crowded street, etc? Of course. But I can walk near the curb without worrying about motochorros, feel safe at an ATM or walking home in the dark, and go away for the weekend without worrying about someone trying to break into my apt. It's awesome.
Ease of travel. Air and bus travel is extremely affordable, and Madrid's location makes it easy to get around. Since August, I've visited Sevilla, Granada, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Lisboa, Rome, and next month I'll visit Pamplona, Venice, Florence, and Milan.
General first-world efficiency. Consumer products are easy to find and reasonably priced. Huelgas, while annoying, are fairly organized and inconsequential (they must be announced in advance, continue to offer minimum services, etc -- no walking off the job or blocking off entire avenues whenever the hell you want.) If you buy something, you can exchange or return it without hassle. Buses and trains adhere to European safety and environmental standards.
Food. To be honest, I dislike dining out in Madrid. There's not much variety and the local cuisine is heavy and bland. When it comes to food, madrilenos are just as unadventurous as Argentines, and seem content to eat tortilla, croquetas, and bread with ham every day. However, thanks to the high quality and low cost of almost all supermarket items, you can eat very well by cooking at home. Olive oil, cheese, wild-caught seafood, real yogurt, nuts, coffee, dark chocolate... my diet is SO much more balanced here, thanks to all of those basic food items that I couldn't afford in BA.
What I Miss About Buenos Aires
The people. Generally speaking, I have found Argentines to be friendlier, wittier, more intellectually curious, and more open-minded than Spaniards. They are less entitled, better at managing money, and better at coping with crisis. And, despite the reputation that Argentines have for being rude, I saw MANY more displays of kindness and basic manners in BA than I have in Spain. I've made some lovely friends here, but I personally do prefer the company of Argentines.
The energy. Madrid is an extremely livable city. It's well-preserved, clean, easy to get around in, and although not super-sophisticated, offers all of the amenities of a national capital. HOWEVER... it's just kind of boring. It doesn't have the vibrancy or charm that BA has, and is often depressingly quiet (since the majority of the city closes at lunchtime, on weekends, and by 9pm.)
Verdulerias. One of my favorite things about Buenos Aires. It was awesome knowing that, regardless of what street you were on, you would be able to find fresh, affordable produce within a 2-block radius. In many parts of Madrid, where verdulerias are non-existent, your only choices are to buy produce at the supermarket (cheapest prices, generally decent-to-bad quality) or one of the "mercados tradicionales," which offer higher quality at much higher prices. And despite being "the farm of Europe," it is becoming damn difficult to find Spanish-grown produce in Spain.
Cafes. Yes, the coffee in BA sucks. The milk in BA sucks. The typical 22-peso cappuccino in BA sucks. BUT the cafes are generally wonderful. The decor, the history, the touch of ceremony (the agua con gas, the cookie) and the fact that you can sit there for hours without feeling pressured to leave. Meanwhile, I have yet to find a truly charming, authentic cafe in Madrid. The Spanish just aren't into coffee, so most "cafes" are actually bars/tabernas with an espresso machine.
Ice cream. The ice cream in Madrid is terrible and nobody seems to care.
Drinking in moderation. I have been amazed by how much alcohol the Spanish consume on a daily basis. They don't binge-drink like Brits or Americans, but it's all day, every day -- beer before lunch, wine with lunch, beer after work, wine with dinner, gin and tonics after dinner. In BA, Sunday lunch might include 1-2 glasses of wine... in Madrid on Sunday, the first beer and tapa happen around 2pm, and they continue pretty steadily until the final gin and tonic around 8 or 9. I miss being allowed to stop after one glass of wine.
