Buenos Aires

Welcome Miranda!

I've move your post to the living in South America ... all my wishes of success in your project

Hi Miranda

My 2 cents...

Flats: short-term rentals are very easy to find. Monthly contracts will vary from $450 to $2000 USD for a fully furnished place. $700 is about average. You can find cheaper  housing if you're prepared to live in a smaller place and out of the 'plush' barrios of Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano etc.

Longer term rentals are much cheaper but almost impossible to find if you're a tourist/non-resident. You need a guarantor (a property owner) to back you, not only do they need to guarantee you, they also need to provide proof of salary.

Cost of living: I live very well on $1200USD/month....including rent etc. So figure $900 to $1500 depending on your lifestyle. Food is very cheap, as are buses and the underground. So if you're prepared to eat in most nights you can live cheaply. Your average Porteno will get by on $500/month USD IMO.

Personal security: I've never once felt threatened here, though many Argentines warn me of the dangers (constantly). Personally I think they're a little paranoid...I've felt far more at risk in London for e.g. Petty crime is way more of a problem than violent crime. As always...common sense prevails.

People are generally great. Most are kind of ambivalent to foreigners, some are very welcoming and interested in where you're from.

There's plenty of work here, though salaries are very low. For e.g English language teachers earn 15pesos/hr (so I'm told).

I've been here on a tourist visa for 18months on and off (skipping to Uruguay every 90 days). The authorities have absolutely no problem with that. Residence visas aren't hard to obtain so I'm told, but I think someone else would know way more than I do about this.

Hope you enjoy your time here.

www.perpetualtraveller.org

Hello. I have been living here for 4 months and I have loved every minute of it. I do not find it a paticularly "hard" city to live in. As mentioned above, visa's are pretty easy to come by and can simply be renewed by going to the immigration office and paying 100 pesos (about 30$ US) or taking a cheap and quick ferry over to Urugauy which only takes a couple hours. When you return, they will stamp your visa again and you'll be good for another 90 days.

As for cost of living.

you can get a good meal for 15 pesos or a great meal for 25 pesos. Food is very cheap here.

Also there are a tonne of free or almost free things to do. the zoo is right downtown and only cost a few dollars to get into, there are botanical gardens here which are free, countless big parks with lakes, great neighborhoods and it's even fun just to walk around the beatiful streets.

Definately a world class city. One of the best in my opinion.

Best of luck.

Miranda wrote:

...Is it a "difficult" city ? 
I mean....Visa, flat, cost of living, personal security, people ?

Miranda, once you've got the immigration side of things sorted it isn't really a difficult city to live in. I think the main difficulties are with the bureaucracy involved in getting anything official done (residency, permits, license, etc.)

The cost of living is pretty low but you'll need a plan on how to get by - hopefully you have some savings or a good business idea because you're not likely to earn very much in a standard job.

Central Buenos Aires is pretty safe - I've never had any problems and feel at ease walking around the streets.

Good luck and enjoy your stay!

hi miranda, i'm italian and i moved 6 months ago. the city is beautiful, i agree with perpetualtraveller that is not as risky as argentinians say ... rentwise, there are opportunities to share flats or peaches with other foreigners, it is a little more expensive than a long term rent but burocracy wise far more accessible! the visa is just a question of time and patience ... so, enjoy your stay and "suerte" as they say around here

http://italianidargentina.blogspot.com