Thinking of moving to BA

[chris]

jb5 : You are right. $4,000 US will give a family of three a decent lifestyle here but there won't be anything left over with health care and child care (maid) costs etc. With that money you won't be able to rent a house in the best areas and won't be able to get a great car but you'll be able to live decently, depending on your expectations. School won't be a factor for these people as their child is so young.

 

[littlebird]

Thanks so much for all the information.

I was trying to be conservative in guessing our monthly salary - deducting taxes and what we currently pay in healthcare. Our actual monthly income is around $6,600 so it sounds like we should be okay. Right now we live in a tiny 1BR apartment and don't necessarily need anything big. Our daughter is young enough and doesn't yet need her own room although it would be nice. We'd also love room for an office in our house. Our priorities are living in a really safe area and having access to good health care. She doesn't go to school yet and won't need to for a few more years but we do have her in daycare which costs us around $700 USD a month.

What areas do people recommend for families? We love the city but would also be happy living just outside it if it meant we could have a small yard or garden. I've heard having a car is a nightmare and driving is really dangerous - is this true?

And we would need to go back to the US probably at least twice a year for work, which means work would most likely cover at least my husband's travel costs. But we'd love to travel within SA as well.

I've read Guyana is much safer than BA...and it sounds nice but BA seems to have more going on. What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much!!

 

[littlebird]

Also, when you say buying a property, why is it such a better deal? And is it easy to sell if we decide we want to sell after a year?

We have some money in savings. What kind of money is required up front?

 

[jb5]

Over $6K is a big difference, that should let you live well and travel.

Houses, unfortunately, are bought in cash, no mortgages here, and with the overall volatility of the country, I wouldn't bank on an easy sale in 2 years.

 

[syngirl]

My husband and I both work full time from home. We have a 14 month-old daughter. My husband was born in Colombia but we don't want to go back there but would like to give our daughter an international experience. We're exploring the idea of moving to Buenos Aires for a year but are trying to get some information.

I think your daughter is too young to really get anything of value from an international experience -- if this is the primary goal of a move, I'd delay it for a few more years, or at least until she is 3 and enrolls in kindergarten. She's very young so right now you could live in the US, Argentina, or on the moon and she still won't remember any of it later on!

 

[texxaslonghorn]

I've read Guyana is much safer than BA...and it sounds nice but BA seems to have more going on. What are your thoughts?

I spent a summer in Guyana and would not call it safer than BA--not in the least. And, yes, there is a TON going on in BA compared to Guyana.

I know people in Argentina say that Argetnina is a 3rd world country, but just try visiting Guyana. If Argetnina is a 3rd world country, then Guyana is a 10th world country (I know there is no such thing, just trying to get my point across).

 

[citygirl]

As always, the question is too variable. if you don't have access to a guarnatia and you're only planning on being here a year, you would need to rent a furnished apt.

Short-term rentals for nice, furnished 3 BR apts in Capital won't be cheap. I would guess you would be looking at least 2000 USD a month and I may be under-estimating. Renting an unfurnished apt is much cheaper but not an option for you since you would need a guarantia and furnishing it would be expensive and standard lease is 2 years.

House is suburbs for me wouldn't be realistic since you would need a car.

Health care - I assume you will keep your insurance in the US since you are planning on returning. So factor that cost. Additionally, you would want insurance here. If you get a private plan, for a family, for a family of 3, in OSDE 210 (lowest level), you will be paying 2000 pesos a month effective this August.

Speaking of costs - do you have on-going expenses in the US? Mortgage payments? Health care? Credit card bills? (not to answer me but just something to factor in! I had a friend who budgeted for his expenses here, completely forgetting he had bills to pay back in the US as well. His money ran out a lot sooner than he anticipated!)

Traveling is expensive. Your average tix back to the US will be 1500 USD. I just flew to Colombia 2 months ago and my tix was 600 USD r/t. Even within Argentina, if you are a foreigner, flights are not cheap.

Domestic help will be much less than you are paying in the US. That's a huge savings.

You'll do fine living on the salary you have. I would definitely not say you'll live like kings or queens but you'll certainly be okay.

 

[chris]

You have clarified your situation. Why must you have a house? In terms of safety
apartments are far safer. Zone Norte is the best suburban area. Its not nearly as safe as the best urban areas like Recoleta.

Buying makes no sense for you.

If you want a maid to help with the baby etc you will need 400 to 500 usd for a live in.

Agreed no comparison to Guatemala. BA has some third world characteristics but you also have concerts, opera, theatre, art etc that come close to major 1st world standards.

 

[NickH]

hey, i'm afraid i can't help you with your accomodation problems (that was all sorted for me!) but i can point you in the direction of a good language school!

when i arrived in BA a few months back i did a few weeks a this one www.expanish.com. it's right in the centre of town, they have a good variety of courses and the teaching was excellent! my spanish definitely wouldn't be up to scratch if it wasn't for them.

hope you enjoy Buenos Aires,
N

 

[dionysio]

Also keep in mind many of the LAM countries you're probably thinking about traveling to are
even more expensive than AR. Brazil, Chile, Uruguay for example. LAM has become as expensive as the US in general, more in resorts and high end areas.

Columbia is the new Argentina, it's attracting the type of expats AR did before it became so expensive. You may want to consider it.

This is nuts! Brazil, Chile and Uruguay are all cheaper than Argentina and Argentina is far cheaper than the US. Rent in BA can be high, no doubt but food is at least 1/3 less and bills (internet, phone, etc) are vastly less.

I lived here 3 years ago and I am living here now. Things are more expensive than they were then but the dollar is worth about 30% more and climbing daily (it's gone by .10 since I have been here).

Personally, I believe BA lives up to the hype but there are cheaper places. Outside of Argentina, Ecuador is the cheapest that is still livable. Cuenca is very popular now and you can apparently live really well there for less than $1,000 a month. If you are set on Argentina though, check out Rosario. It's a lot like Buenos Aires and far cheaper. You can get a house in Funes (sort of American style housing with yards) for less than the US for a comparable home. Living downtown around the Monumento de la Bandera is very affordable as well and it is very artsy. There are great private schools, fantastic restaurants and great cultural attractions like great theaters, tango halls, museums, parks, etc. It's also growing like crazy. Puerto Norte is doing for Rosario what Puerto Madero did for BA. There are skyscrapers going up like nuts there. Rosario also has the largest Casino in Latin America and they are building a gigantic post-modern opera house on the Parana River which is like a 21st century version of the Sydney Opera House. I love BA but I prefer Rosario and I live here for part of the year.

I do highly recommend Argentina, wherever you choose to go!