Cost of living in South America

Hi Julien,

to do it short : Life in Santiago (so THE big city in Chile) is as expensive as in France. may be not Paris but no so far.
In fact, last year we had a big figth with the international organiztion we were working for, because they apply a cost of living adjustment, compare to Munich. This COL was always negatif (up to -25.4%!). After a lot of noise, they finally readjust it : now it's +8%.
So Santiago is not really cheap.

Of course you can live with nothing, in the middle of the favelas....

IŽmm living in Buenos Aires right now.
this are some prices

apartment rent - 720 pesos
subway - 70 cents
bus - 80 cents
a decent meal - 15 pesos
1 bottle of 1 liter of beer in a supermarker - 2,15 pesos
a very fancy dinner with sushi - 80 pesos

IŽm kind of lazy to convert the prices, but 3 pesos are 1 dollar. Just divide everything by three and you get the dollar prices.

Hi I also live in Buenos Aires and I would like to supplement what has been listed by tuliopn earlier.  The cost of living also depends on whether you have children, whether you are keeping a car, rent would depend on whether you have an Argentine guarantor and obviously how big the apartment is. 

720 pesos rent per month rent is NOT achievable if you don't not have a guarantor.  If you have one then may be you would get something of a decent size in a local neighbourhood - forget about the expat hubs of Recoleta and Palermo Hollywood/ SoHo because landlords there are after higher rents paid by short-term tenants.

If you have children then you are probably going to send them to a private school here.  There are some good one and very average ones; and prices range form 500 pesos per month to over US$1,000 from kinder and up.

Please look up real estate websites, etc. at least if you can't come for a visit to decide.  Costs of living vary significantly depending on your personal requirements.

First of all I assume a Guarantor is a property owner who will make your obligation good should the Tenant not pay as agreed.

Hi all, haven't been around for a while, but here's some info about Bogota, Colombia.

Accommodation and prices of utilities vary depending on where you live. The city is divided into stratas, and the higher the strata, the higher the prices of everything. Apart from the rent, the higher prices subisidise lower stratas.

Public transport is cheap, about 1000 pesos for the bus, and roughly 1200 for the Transmilenio, which is an articulated bus, but operates like a metro system.

I don't eat meat at home, so my food bills are cheap, even taking into account the imported luxuries I buy from time to time. My average weekly bill is 50,000 pesos, for a single person. A meal in a nice international restaurant is usually about 30,000 to 50,000 depending on where you go.

Everyone needs medical insurance here, but mine is provided by my employer, so I don't know how much it costs. There are plans where you buy prepaid vouchers, rather than having to pay monthly premiums.

I studied part time at a private art college for one semester. Two courses (one session a week each) cost me 650,000 pesos for the semester, plus materials and photocopying.

Traditional food is generally quite cheap. You can get a 3 course lunch for 5000 to 8000 depending on the quality.

A beer in a regular pub is about 3500 pesos, and about 7000 for a pint in a "British" pub. Not sure about how much a coffee is, maybe about 3000.

As for currency conversion, 1000 Colombian pesos is approximately 50 US cents.

Lots of things in Bogota are cheap, but as soon as you want something that is imported, the price rises quite significantly. This can make your initial setup expensive, but then day to day life is cheaper. This will probably change once the free trade agreement is working.

posted by fercho, moved by Julien

Cost of living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
First of all, we have to take into account the rate convertion. ONE (1) ARS peso is equal to Euros 0.24  or U.S dollars 0.32.

Anyway, IŽll try to to convert the prices in order for you not to figure out everything I post.

I do have my own appartment so I donŽt have to pay for rent.. but two years ago, I used to paid 700 pesos (U.S $ 225)

Electricity per two months is about Euros 10
Telephone per month: 35 pesos arg - 12 dollars
Internet 1 G 100 pesos / 33 dollars / 25 euros

Going out:
Eating:
Lunch: Main+soda/coke+desert or coffe: 12 pesos /4 dollars / 3 euros (in Palermo Hollywood, one of the most expensive places)

Dinner: Same kind than lunch. 20/40 pesos. Aprox Euros 10

A coffe: 3 pesos / euros 0.80 / 1 dollar
A 750 ml coke: 1.75/2 pesos / 0.50 euros
A sandwich: 3/5 pesos / Euros 1.50
A Marlboro box: 3.80 pesos / Euro 1

Transportation:
Subway: one way 0.70 pesos / some coins for you guys... 0.20 cents of euros
Bus: one way 0.75 same thing
Taxi: depending on the traffic... the minimum 4 pesos... 1 euro 10/15 blocks

A ticket to a Museum: 5/10 pesos

Anything else you need.. just let me know it. Hope it helps.
Fercho

moving to Quintero, Chile. any ideas about cost of living, rental availability? any help would be greatly appreciated

regards,
justine

Does anyone the cost of living in Santa Cruz, Bolivia?

Cost of living in Santiago Chile?  Daily food, transportation, etc.

hi! I live in brazil and i gonna try do this compare too, and I use number from Rio de Janeiro:

> accommodation prices - 1500 reais
> public transportation fares - about 2 reais
> food prices - 600 reais or more
> health prices - 60, 70 reais
> eduction prices - 700 reais in a simple school
> energy prices - 100 reais
> common bills - 400 reais
> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant - 100 reais (a really good one)
> prices of a beer and of a coffee in a regular pub - 3, 4 reais


(1 dollar = 1,8 reais)

Hi, does anyone know about cost of living in Asucion, Paraquay?

Another opinion on cost of living in Santiago, Chile!  When I came here two years ago as an exchange student I found most things - especially food and rent - to be cheap.  Chile was never as cheap as the other Latin American countries due to its strong economy and other factors, but overall as someone living off US dollars and spending pesos, I felt reasonably wealthy.  Now that I live here permanently and make a Chilean salary, I would say it's actually an expensive country, on par with a lot of Europe.  There is also a huge level of income disparity in Chile - last I checked it was actually above Brazil in this respect - although you don't necessarily notice it as much as in some cities because Santiago is very divided by comuna, and the average person won't see the richest or poorest segment of society.  Anyway, on to the numbers!

> Rent for a 1-bedroom apt in the comuna of Santiago: $155,000/month - US$340
Rent varies a LOT depending on where you choose to live.  By living in Santiago centro, I save about $40,000 each month over living in the comuna that's literally across the street from me.
> Groceries: Around $40,000/2 weeks - US$90 for two people
We shop in la vega, which is the central market of Santiago, which is a HUGE saving over supermarkets.  If you live in Santiago reasonably close or have a car, it's worth coming here.  We would probably spend at least $60,000 by shopping only in supermarkets.
> Bus: $380 - US$0.80
Metro: Also $380 most of the day, $420 - US$0.90 during rush hour
> Liter of beer from liquor store: $700 - US$1.50
> Lunch "menu" (fixed meal, usually 2 courses plus dessert or drink): $1500 in a market or cheaper restaurant, $3500 in a normal/nice restaurant - US$3.30, US$7.70
> Dinner in a similarly normal/nice restaurant: $20000 per couple including appetizer and drinks - US$45
> Internet: Around $25,000 - US$55
Cheaper to combine internet, phone and cable than have them separately

It adds up!

I live in Chachapoyas, the regional capital of Amazonas, in the northern sierra of Perú.  Life's pretty cheap here, especially compared to the 'low' prices of Lima.

> accommodation prices
Our staff (I run a language school) rent rooms locally for $20 a month. They're pretty basic.
If you want a luxury furnished apartment, you'd be paying $60 a month.  But the concept of 'luxury' is somewhat different than back home. For instance, pretty much nobody in the city has an apartment with a kitchen, so eating out is the norm, and therefore cheapisimo.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)
Well, we're remote.  It's 12 hours bus to the nearest city with bookshops supermarkets or cinemas.  That would cost you around $12.
Anywhere within the city costs you $0.80c in a taxi.  But as only six roads are paved, it's actually more comfortable to forget the hurry and just walk.

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)
If you eat in a restaurant daily, a two course lunch and refreshment would cost you $1 on average.  I'm a rare creature with a kitchen, so it's a little less.  I share the cost of cooking with my staff, and we all dig in.  It costs us around $28 a month.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
I have medical insurance, but as it only covers doctors who practise in the cities on the coast, around 200 miles from here, I've never used it.  The public hospital charges $1.10 per consultation, and a private hospital charges around $11 for a consultation.  That could rise as far as $13 if you get any work done.

> eduction prices (if you need to pay)
Most people don't need to pay, and can attend state schools, but private education is expensive, and largely religious.  As many kids study in cities far from their families, offsetting the guilt by slamming them in a religious school is popular (so that families don't need to worry so much about what discos the teens are working in over the weekends, it seems.  Average age of bar staff seems to be 15). 
You can study for 90 minutes a day at the school I run for around $32 per month.

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
Water is around $8 per month for a household of four, and electricity a little over that.  Gasoline I don't know about, because nobody in their right mind would run a car on unsealed Andean roads.  You need an experienced driver to escape the potholes, flash floods, avalanches, and the 12 hour dark stretches of road, so you would be suicidal not to employ a taxi or passenger bus for that purpose.

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
Nobody uses personal internet, because there's quite enough web cafes dotted around the city, who all charge $0.30 per hour.
TV costs nothing, if you like 3 blurry channels - or if you want cable, you can pay $35 a month, or do what most people do - go to a polleróa with cable and spend the duration of the movie you want to see gently nursing a cup of tea - $0.20 for as long as you can stretch it.
Pay as you go, or prepaid mobiles are the rage here.  In a room full of 60 people, generally nobody will have credit.  The cheapest PAYG phone costs about $10 from Claro.

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant
A trad local restaurant will offer the 'menu' or almuerzo (2 course lunch) for $1.  You can go rizty, though, and pay $1.50 if you want silverware and a tablecloth, though.
Typical regional food is pricier - a plate of cecina will cost you anything from $1.80 to $3. 
The most expensive dish you could order is $12 - a whole roast cuy, or guinea pig.

> prices of a beer and of a coffee in a regular pub
A beer is $1.20 for a big stein of Pilsen.  The local custom of 'one beer' is that you share one bottle, and one glass, between all of your party.
A Pisco Sour would come in at $2 and is for impressing girls.  A coffee is $0.30 for a good one, a cafe pasado.  But you could pay less if you prefer instant. 
The favourite weekend brain maasher is to round off a night of beer drinking, with a jug of coffee with six piscos in it.  But that's for the government workers, not the ordinary guy.

I live just outside Antigua, Guatemala, so prices are a bit higher since there are so many tourists. All prices here are approx. $US
accommodation prices: $150-500, depending on the house  . . . IŽve lived in ones as low as $50
public transportation fares: Chicken buses charge $0.50 from my pueblo to Antigua, $1.50 to the capital
food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?): We eat fairly well, meat once a week or so, etc. Veggies and fruit are super cheap, so we spend approx. $150 (two adults, two small children)
health prices: I pay $6.50 per doctor visit and have only gone to the public hospital, which is free
eduction prices: private schools cost around $150 per month
energy prices (oil, electricity): We pay $50 per month for a small, three room house with the usual appliances.
common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone): Cable - $13, Internet - $50, mobile - depends on how many minutes you buy per month, 1 quetzal per minute is the norm
prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant: $5-10
prices of a beer and of a coffee in a regular pub: Beer - $1.50, Coffee - $0.75

Hope that helps anyone interested in visiting or living here.

I live in Quito.
Accomodations: from $8.00 per night in a hostal, a decent apartment in a decent area $150.00 per month, luxury apartment in an exclusive area $400 + per month, depending of course on the size and location. I pay $250.00 for a 2 bedroom of 500 sq feet + 500 sq feet of a terrace with a nice view. Parking is included.
Water and gas are dirt cheap, not worth mentioning. Electricity $15-25 a month. I have a CableTV package: phone, internet, basic cable for $45.00 a month with a very decent internet speed and 1000 local minutes on the phone.
Public transportation is cheap. City buses $0.25 per ride, outside of the city buses $0.35 per ride... long distance buses: approximately $1.00 per hour of the travel time. Taxis: for $2-3 you will get to most destinations in the city... a ride from the old airport for some reason is always $5...   
Cars are more expensive in general with an exception of some fords and chevy locally assembled. Grand Vitara 2.0L 4 door $22.000. Ford Explorer V6 $49.000. Chevrolet Spark 1.0L 4 door $9.500. Insurance about $90.00 a year. Gasoline is $1.00 per gallon for diesel, $1.95-$2.25 per gallon for super.
Mobile: 3 mobile providers, Allegro being the cheapest with $0.14 a minute, incoming calls are free. I talk all I want for $40-50 a month.
Food: I buy in a supermarket once a week for $60-80 for 2 people, and we eat meat or fish every day. Beer in a supermarket: $0.60 local but decent, $1.00 Bud or Heineken.
Restaurants: The most expensive in the Swiss Hotel is the same as a very nice one in NYC. A decent one - $40.00 for a dinner for 2 with vine. Breakfast and lunches around the city can be bought for $1.50-$3.
Medical: there is insurance but I found it very non functional - runs about $30 a month for a male of 35, they will only admit you in one hospital and will end up paying only some part of your bill. For cash it is cheap: appendix operation $2.500 in a decent place. dental services are decent and cheap, fixed all my mouth for $5.000 with 2 implants, 4 bridges, crowns cosmetics etc.
Hope it will be helpful to someone.
Good luck.