Various questions about moving to Buenos Aires
#1 2009-07-20 03:47:52
- kedwamo
- New member
- From: Oklahoma City
- Registered: 2009-07-20
- Posts: 1
Various questions about moving to Buenos Aires
Hello all --
My partner and I are thinking about moving to Buenos Aires. We're both in our 30s, and are desperately ready to do something drastically different with our lives. We've researched some places in Central and South America, and Buenos Aires sounds terrific.
Our questions:
1. How much money (in USD) would we need to survive for a few months or so? We'd probably hit the ground running looking for work once we get there, but I think it would be very wise to have a nest egg. The only question is: How big would that nest egg need to be?
2. How is the economy in Argentina? Right now, we're living in Oklahoma, a state that hasn't been affected as much by the economic slowdown, thanks to the oil industry. But still, the job market isn't great. I myself just finished a college degree, only to end up working in a cell phone store for the kind of wages I could have made without a degree! Frankly, if I'm going to waste my degree working a tedious little job, then I'd prefer to do that tedious little job in a beautiful and exciting world-class city, as opposed to Oklahoma City, which really isn't all that nice.
3. The visa issue. Could anyone provide some clear information about this, or at least link to a page with some straight-forward information? (It seems as if I've come across a great deal of conflicting information.) I read something about some visa-holders taking ferry rides to Uruguay every three months in order to get around certain requirements. Is this even legal? Is the citizenship process as difficult as I've read in some other sources? More than likely, neither of us will have jobs when we get there, although my partner works for a very well-known Seattle-based coffee chain that does in fact have stores in B.A. (But he doesn't know if he'd be able to have his company sponsor him.)
Like I said, we're getting to a point in our lives where we realize that we just aren't getting any younger, and we both feel that the world is just way too big to stay in one place forever. The time is now for us to make the move of our dreams. Any advice whatsover would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, and sorry for the long post!
Last edited by kedwamo (2009-07-20 05:02:05)
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2009-07-20 03:47:52
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#2 2009-08-04 19:29:33
- WynnWoods
- Member
- From: Capital Federal
- Registered: 2009-06-07
- Posts: 20
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Re: Various questions about moving to Buenos Aires
Hello, and welcome to the idea of moving to Buenos Aires. I actually lived in Oklahoma for a while many moons ago.
To answer your questions:
1. It is hard to tell someone how much money it might take to live here. There are way too many lifestyle factors to consider. Roughly speaking apartments range from about USD 400 to USD 500 for a furnished studio with all bills paid to USD 800 to USD 1400 for a two bedroom. Of course, you can spend in the thousands for an apartment depending on the amenities you require.
You can live for a couple of hundred dollars a month for the two of you for meals, depending on whether you enjoy preparing food at home. A steak dinner and a bottle of wine range from about USD 15 to USD 40 depending on neighborhood, quality, etc.
2. The economy continues to sink here, as it is globally. By next year the country will have likely exhausted their foreign reserves and due to their recent sovereign default, loans from organizations such as the IMF are out of the question. False reporting of inflation, etc. also factor into this equation. Last year the country borrowed a few billion from Chavez of Venezuela but ended up paying about 15% interest. This year those kinds of loans seem out of reach as Venezuela is experiencing their own crisis due to the collapse of the price of oil.
Prices are raising nearly every day here and over the course of the 2 1/2 years I would estimate my overall cost of living has increased around 30 to 34%. My electric bill (a bi-monthly bill) was once about USD 12 now it is around USD 40.
3. Visas are difficult to obtain as is residency as much due to an archaic system and routine incompetency than anything else. I personally believe that they are concerned about the volume of people from the USA moving here due to our economy and they are making it harder to get paperwork through here. Recently people from the USA reached the level of the 5th largest group of immigrants here.
As to going to Uruguay, you are not talking about a visa issue. Visas require documentation, an interview, etc. If you come here merely on a passport it is stamped for 90 days. You then have to either go to immigration and pay a fee for another 90 day extension or go to Uruguay. There is currently no limitation on the number of times you can do this, but you can only go to immigrations every other time.
You can find detailed information regarding work visas on my website: www.goodmorningba.com
There is other information there including a downloadable city guide, the official one published by the City of Buenos Aires, which is in English.
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