A newsletter for expats in Buenos Aires

[Pink Panther]

Thanks @Vince and @Betsy Ross !

Yeah I'm actually hoping to get a wide range of responses - that way I can breakdown the article into: Cost of living for a single expat, cost of living for a family, etc.

Currently at 58 submissions, I'm hoping to get 100-200 before I start analyzing the data and writing the article.

It's a good idea to get a big enough sample size. I will go and fill out today. Thanks for doing this.

 

[Argentina Expat]

By the way, I haven't forgotten about this; I just haven't gotten enough data yet.

It will probably be just for Buenos Aires since I couldn't find enough people in other cities willing to fill it out.

At 82 submissions for Buenos Aires, so if you want to help me out and get it to over 100, here's the link: https://tally.so/r/m6koJO

I'll share the results with everyone in a blog post (need to get my girlfriend to design nice charts and everything)

 

[Matt G]

By the way, I haven't forgotten about this; I just haven't gotten enough data yet.

It will probably be just for Buenos Aires since I couldn't find enough people in other cities willing to fill it out.

At 82 submissions for Buenos Aires, so if you want to help me out and get it to over 100, here's the link: https://tally.so/r/m6koJO

I'll share the results with everyone in a blog post (need to get my girlfriend to design nice charts and everything)

Thanks. I'll go and fill it out today. Submissions might be slow because there are just so many resources for Buenos Aires. A few forums and Reddit, a few Facebook groups. Lots of information out there and people sharing on a bunch of forums so they might be gunshy to submit to another.

 

[Argentina Expat]

that's fair - appreciate the submission!

 

[Argentina Expat]

Hey all,

The survey is out!

It ended up being just about Buenos Aires (lack of responses in other areas).

Interesting facts:

- Median cost of living is $1,550
- Median rent is $650
- Rent is almost always 40% of total monthly expenses

Here's more information: https://argentinaexpat.com/cost-of-living-buenos-aires/

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Buenos Aires is relatively safe but I actually don't meet with strangers that I don't know

bruh that's how you meet people! i went to an Expat meetup in Palermo and did NOT get robbed. i also pay attention to who is walking behind me, and i don't look like i have money.

i met @Coffee Enjoyer and had a nice breakfast/coffee, and i was going to meet @earlyretirement but i left for Cordoba too soon. if you never meet strangers, how do you experience life? just don't publish your life story 24/7 and use common sense : )

I have too much spam with emails.

you shouldn't be getting more than 10 emails per day on a personal account - do you have GMail? 99% of the time the top button (browser) will unsubscribe for you. easy enough to set filters for the stubborn spammers. this is a 10-minute fix that will make your life WAY better.

Block or unblock an email address in Gmail - Android - Gmail Help

If you get unwanted emails, you can block the sender in Gmail. After you block the sender, all future emails from them go to Spam. Block or unblock a

support.google.com

$99 seems steep for me just to get information that people seem like they share on this and other online forums free.

depends on the info; for instance, doing business or moving a family to Argentina, i would for sure subscribe to @BowTiedMara's Substack membership. he's documented a LOT of stuff that is hard to do. also, @BuySellBA has a nice "consult" service that isn't cheap, but you get 1-on-1 coaching/advice, and then you're sort of part of a paid list of members that has benefits that are hard to price-out. for instance, months after paying and without asking, i was sent a Home Inspection contact, the owner's personal WhatsApp, and i was able to find out how pre-purchase inspections work in Mendoza vs CABA. some people will pay $50 for a gym membership they don't use, $9 per sugary coffee, $30 for Uber rides to a bar where they spend $100 on sugary cocktails, and have all the Netflix/Hulu/etc. subscriptions, but balk at paying $5/month for something that actually might benefit their life

@Argentina Expat site shows:

"This site can’t be reached
www.buenosguide.com took too long to respond.
Try:

• Checking the connection
• Checking the proxy and the firewall

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"

 

[Argentina Expat]

What link did you click?

I switched everything to Argentina Expat, Buenos Guide is no longer active

 

[oil rush]

bruh that's how you meet people! i went to an Expat meetup in Palermo and did NOT get robbed. i also pay attention to who is walking behind me, and i don't look like i have money.

i met @Coffee Enjoyer and had a nice breakfast/coffee, and i was going to meet @earlyretirement but i left for Cordoba too soon. if you never meet strangers, how do you experience life? just don't publish your life story 24/7 and use common sense : )


you shouldn't be getting more than 10 emails per day on a personal account - do you have GMail? 99% of the time the top button (browser) will unsubscribe for you. easy enough to set filters for the stubborn spammers. this is a 10-minute fix that will make your life WAY better.

Block or unblock an email address in Gmail - Android - Gmail Help

If you get unwanted emails, you can block the sender in Gmail. After you block the sender, all future emails from them go to Spam. Block or unblock a

support.google.com

depends on the info; for instance, doing business or moving a family to Argentina, i would for sure subscribe to @BowTiedMara's Substack membership. he's documented a LOT of stuff that is hard to do. also, @BuySellBA has a nice "consult" service that isn't cheap, but you get 1-on-1 coaching/advice, and then you're sort of part of a paid list of members that has benefits that are hard to price-out. for instance, months after paying and without asking, i was sent a Home Inspection contact, the owner's personal WhatsApp, and i was able to find out how pre-purchase inspections work in Mendoza vs CABA. some people will pay $50 for a gym membership they don't use, $9 per sugary coffee, $30 for Uber rides to a bar where they spend $100 on sugary cocktails, and have all the Netflix/Hulu/etc. subscriptions, but balk at paying $5/month for something that actually might benefit their life

@Argentina Expat site shows:

"This site can’t be reached
www.buenosguide.com took too long to respond.
Try:

• Checking the connection
• Checking the proxy and the firewall

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"

All very good points @StatusNomadicus. I believe it's a personal choice if people want to meet up personally with others. I used to do that when I was younger but the older I get I find out the weirder people are in this world. I have all the friends I want or need. But forums like this are a dying breed where people are polite and share good intel.

I agree about benefits for good consultants that have been operating for long periods of time in a city. I have done that over the years. Although it seems now there are a lot of nameless, faceless people trying to get into consulting which might be ok for some people but I have been around a while and there is usually a reason someone doesn't use their real name. Fighting the law, not paying taxes, or a million other reasons so you have to be careful.

I also did an initial consultation with @BuySellBA because I might buy an apartment here. But even months after it, I get recommendations and referrals every few weeks. I have found an accountant here that speaks English. An Escribano that my amiga needed for a letter to travel for her child, a cueva to easily get cash here safely at low cost and people to help with various things.

 

[JonJLA]

I agree about benefits for good consultants that have been operating for long periods of time in a city. I have done that over the years. Although it seems now there are a lot of nameless, faceless people trying to get into consulting which might be ok for some people but I have been around a while and there is usually a reason someone doesn't use their real name. Fighting the law, not paying taxes, or a million other reasons so you have to be careful.

I also did an initial consultation with @BuySellBA because I might buy an apartment here. But even months after it, I get recommendations and referrals every few weeks. I have found an accountant here that speaks English. An Escribano that my amiga needed for a letter to travel for her child, a cueva to easily get cash here safely at low cost and people to help with various things.

Funny you mention nameless faceless people @oil rush. I get in my feed on X every day people claiming residency and tax services and they all operate under companies where although they say you can legally pay 0% taxes, they don't have any biography or even their name on their website! That tells me they are scared of the services they are providing or at least the income they are making.

The key with consultants is to use one that has been operating for many years. I first hired @BuySellBA back in 2005 to help me buy an apartment in Palermo Soho that I still own to this day. Better yet, the same people that helped me buy my apartment so many years ago still work there. I have stayed in contact over the years and still meet up for a meal with staff there when I am in town. Very good folks.

 

[FuturoBA]

Hey all,

The survey is out!

It ended up being just about Buenos Aires (lack of responses in other areas).

Interesting facts:

- Median cost of living is $1,550
- Median rent is $650
- Rent is almost always 40% of total monthly expenses

Here's more information: https://argentinaexpat.com/cost-of-living-buenos-aires/

Great info seems to be inline with albeit slightly more, $1550 vs $1488 more than what's shown here.

The Earth Awaits - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Check out my cost of living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a family of 2!

www.theearthawaits.com

But I love how your report has it broken down into greater detail.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Hey all,

The survey is out!

It ended up being just about Buenos Aires (lack of responses in other areas).

Interesting facts:

- Median cost of living is $1,550
- Median rent is $650
- Rent is almost always 40% of total monthly expenses

Here's more information: https://argentinaexpat.com/cost-of-living-buenos-aires/

Thanks for sharing. This matches what most people have mentioned. I think between $1600 and $2000 is what I usually hear. Rent was typically about 40% of total monthly expenses but this seems to be creeping up when monthly expensas are included. Almost everyone's has been jumping up all of this year.

I read the report. It's helpful but I don't necessarily think that expats prefer to rent vs. not having funds to purchase something. Most of my friends would rather own vs. rent but almost impossible with all cash up front payment. Some of the things sound low. Like health insurance. Most of the people I know on health plans here are spending at least $250/month. Some $400+ but it depends on plan and age. But good detailed info. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Argentina Expat]

Thanks!

Yeah I made a few mistakes - I should have asked for age - I'm assuming older expats are paying more for health insurance, similar to how prices for Belgrano appear to be higher but that's mostly because families live there so they have higher expenses (bigger apartments, own a car, schooling, etc.)

I'm going to repeat the survey in 6-12 months, will be interesting to track the change in expenses.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Great info seems to be inline with albeit slightly more, $1550 vs $1488 more than what's shown here.

The Earth Awaits - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Check out my cost of living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a family of 2!

www.theearthawaits.com

But I love how your report has it broken down into greater detail.

Good website @FuturoBA. Thanks for sharing that link. Great job @Argentina Expat. I filled out that survey so nice to see the results.

One thing I am surprised is that the costs aren't much higher for kids. My girlfriend's sister and brother have kids and they spend quite a bit of money on everything. The cost of all kid related stuff is crazy high here. I went to buy a toy for them for their birthday and went to the toy store and toys are like 300% the price you will find on Amazon.com. Things like strollers and stuff are much more expensive here. Same thing with baby formula, etc. I would go broke having kids here. Also, I heard that you have to send them to private schools as the public ones aren't good. Those don't seem cheap either.

 

[Argentina Expat]

Yeah the schools are the big expense - the difference ends up being over $1k/month.

I was surprised too but then again, I only had 16 families answer, I'm really hoping to repeat the survey later with a larger sample size.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Thanks!

Yeah I made a few mistakes - I should have asked for age - I'm assuming older expats are paying more for health insurance, similar to how prices for Belgrano appear to be higher but that's mostly because families live there so they have higher expenses (bigger apartments, own a car, schooling, etc.)

I'm going to repeat the survey in 6-12 months, will be interesting to track the change in expenses.

That will be great to update it in 6-12 months so you can see how inflation adjusts things. Most owners on long-term contracts are asking tenants to pay for the monthly expenses now. I know mine is asking now that I am thinking of staying for a longer term lease. I can see the statement as they slide it under my door each month. The bill has gone up each month. Utility bills have also gone up each month that I have been here and I'd have to pay those too.

Taxi and ride share and transportation costs are all going up too. So this will probably change over the next few months.

 

[Uncle Wong]

Hey all,

The survey is out!

It ended up being just about Buenos Aires (lack of responses in other areas).

Interesting facts:

- Median cost of living is $1,550
- Median rent is $650
- Rent is almost always 40% of total monthly expenses

Here's more information: https://argentinaexpat.com/cost-of-living-buenos-aires/

Thank you for posting this. Good stuff. I'm thinking of possibly moving down there so it helps to see this. I have some friends living there and it kind of matches what they told me. Their estimate is a bit higher. One spends about $2,000 USD per month. The other $2,200 but they are living a decent life there. Their rent payment was higher than yours and so is their healthcare amount just like Betsy mentioned. One is on OSDE 310 and only in his late 30's but he is paying about $285 USD per month. Maybe in your next survey you can ask them if they have prepaid healthcare which company and which plan.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Vero]

Yeah the schools are the big expense - the difference ends up being over $1k/month.

I was surprised too but then again, I only had 16 families answer, I'm really hoping to repeat the survey later with a larger sample size.

Very nice. I think one thing you will find is that when expats first move here their costs are usually higher but as they figure out and network more they are able to get costs down especially on thinks like rentals.

 

[Argentina Expat]

One thing I really want to do is to compare just how much the prices of restaurants have gone up.

Everyone says a lot - but just how much?

My idea was to go back to December 2023 and look at the prices of 100-200 restaurants for bife de chorizo. Also, look up the blue dollar rate for that day. Convert it into dollars.

Then, look up the same restaurants today, also for bife de chorizo. Convert the price into blue dollar today.

The economists have the McDonald's index, I was thinking of calling this the "bife de chorizo" index 😂

Will probably have to wait a bit because I'm busy with other stuff, but it would be interesting to see some data-driven conclusions.

 

[Spend Thrift]

Hey all,

The survey is out!

It ended up being just about Buenos Aires (lack of responses in other areas).

Interesting facts:

- Median cost of living is $1,550
- Median rent is $650
- Rent is almost always 40% of total monthly expenses

Here's more information: https://argentinaexpat.com/cost-of-living-buenos-aires/

Very good breakdown. I didn't get a chance to fill it out but people's rents are sure much lower than mine. I guess many people are in very basic apartments. I am in a bigger unit but spending more than most people's entire budgets with just my rent!

 

[Spend Thrift]

One thing I really want to do is to compare just how much the prices of restaurants have gone up.

Everyone says a lot - but just how much?

My idea was to go back to December 2023 and look at the prices of 100-200 restaurants for bife de chorizo. Also, look up the blue dollar rate for that day. Convert it into dollars.

Then, look up the same restaurants today, also for bife de chorizo. Convert the price into blue dollar today.

The economists have the McDonald's index, I was thinking of calling this the "bife de chorizo" index 😂

Will probably have to wait a bit because I'm busy with other stuff, but it would be interesting to see some data-driven conclusions.

That would be very helpful and interesting! Most don't post prices online however so you'd have to go to them. That would be a fun project.