Hey /trv/,
I made a thread months ago about where it would be feasible to eat well and work out. You guys helped me narrow it down to Argentina.
So I want to go live there for like 6 months. Canadians get 90 days so I was wondering if it's as easy as doing visa runs to stay longer? I sort of try to avoid using up WHV's in case I fall in love with someone from that country/I get offered a ridiculously good job.
I figure I can learn there for a fraction of the cost and I was wondering if it's even realistic to find and english-speaking tutor that doesn't charge ridiculous prices for: singing lessons, violin lessons, dance (choreography) classes, learning german and/or Spanish, flair bartending. I'll be working out and eating well the whole time, as well.
What would you recommend budgeting?
I basically want to save up and go there to learn/develop new hobbies full time for a little bit. Can you guys see anything wrong with my idea?
I'd travel through Central/South America afterwards. I also have a job lined up in the United States and I guess I should just keep the American dollars because they're worth more on the black market/I get a discount by exchanging, right?
Sorry for all my questions...I hope you guys don't mind.
Hope you're all well!
The prices in Argentina are high. Money is inflated, but the prices are somewhat like everywhere else, because: import has still the same price, and food produced in the country has to be sold at the same price it would be exported, or the producers would directly stop selling in the land.
>>1037956
But how can it be more expensive than Canada? Assuming I'm not there to work and I'm coming with American/Canadian dollars.... How could my dollar not go way further than it would back home?
Bump because you might be me OP. I've entertained the same idea of staying in Argentina for half a year to learn spanish.
I thought their currency collapsed?
>>1039164
This! Canadafag here who spent a couple months in Argentina. Bring US Dollars especially crisp new 100's and you'll make at least 50% more than the official exchange rate.
I didn't find Argentina expensive regardless, food is cheap (Compared to back home anyway) and it's easy to find a decent apartment with all costs included.
As for staying past 90 days just hop on the ferry and spend some time in Uruguay. You can get more US dollars that way which will pay for the trip itself when you go back to Argentina. The 90 day limit then resets.
>>1039295
>>1037929
At this moment it's 58% higher.
Do not carry cash only, even though it's safer than other countries in the area, you are vulnerable to pickpocketers and scammers.
Having a foreign bank account and travelling to Uruguay to extract currency and reset the visa it's a great idea. (You can also find better weed). The round-trip it's less than 100$ USD.
About prices, I lived in both places so I guess I can compare.
Food prices vary, they could be higher than in the US, and sometimes lower. But organic and fresh food is ultra expensive in the US, while in Argentina is cheap an affordable. (1 KG of Filet mignon ~10$ USD)
Acommodation is really expensive for being a south american/third world country, specially in Buenos Aires and some places in Patagonia. You could choose to live in any other city, and it'll be cheaper. Check Airbnb for prices.
>>1039301
>Check Airbnb for prices
LOL! NO!
http://www.rentinba.com/en/
These are the guys i used and they were great, no hidden fees, no extra charges Wi-Fi,Cable and electricity included and most studio apartments are under a grand US. Which was great when i went 2 years ago, but now will cost us Canucks an extra 25%
>>1039295
>>1039295
Thanks for that, guys. I was planning to hit up Uruguay to visit a friend so that's actually perfect! So you're telling me it still makes sense to withdraw American in Uruguay from my Canadian bank account (ie lose a bit in conversion) and it's still worth it to get it converted at the black market?
My only concern is that since it's sort of third world. Don't they know to follow foreigners who exchanged money at the black market? There's a good chance that there's plenty more where that came from :S
>>1039305
I appreciate the resource, but how is around 1k in Buenos Aires reasonable at all?! What could one expect to pay in a fairly central location? I have a hard time believing that it costs more than Toronto in Argentina. Like of course you can find a nice Western-suited apartment in Thailand for 1k a month, but you could also find a nice place that isn't geared towards westerners for a lot less there
>>1039332
Yes, you can't get US dollars in Argentina from ATM's so Uruguay is the only option. Hell you can't even officially exchange your pesos back to American so don't exchange too much at once. The black market in Buenos Aires is enormous, any street in Centro downtown will have a hundred dudes screaming out to exchange. Most of whom represent legitimate businesses who do the actual exchange.
As for the apartments, these are obviously furnished places with all expenses/bills paid. That's like 30 bucks a night.Good luck finding that in Canada. A hostel room shared with 5 others will be cheaper if you like.
>>1039332
You can sell small amounts to people that you know. I buy/sell USD all the time, most of the time to friends/family, and sometimes I buy from the black market.
At this moment:
1$ USD = 9.42$ ARS if you sell in the bank/exchange
1$ USD = 15.70$ ARS if you sell in the black market
So let's say if you offer your spanish teacher, he/she will probably buy your dollars for 15.5$ pesos.
>>1039751
$15 a day?
LOL! That might get you a 10 person bunkbed room in a hostel.
You might want to rethink Buenos Aires if your budget is limited. No way you'll ever find something that cheap online. Best bet is to book a couple weeks in a local hostel and hope that one of the people there have some contacts with locals who would rent you a room on site.
>>1039927
God dammit. My budget isn't THAT limited...It might just make more sense to live somewhere else, instead. There's nothing specific about Buenos Aires. If another South American country can offer me the same things, I'm more than happy to move there instead.
Are there any better suggestions?
I just looked at Numbeo and I'm actually surprised at how 'expensive' the cost of living is in BA. I thought it was 2nd/3rd world
>>1037929
I will copy what I've told to other guy on other thread just now:
>Tip: on the street, you can get 15-16 pesos per dollar, even if according the government it's 9,50. If you go to a commerce, you'll get 9,50. If you change it to some locals, you'll prolly get 15 and they'll be happy.
I recommend you to go with no more than 50-100usd at a time unless there's some confidence with the people who will trade you.
Prices may vary, meat is relatively cheap comparing with other countries I've been.
As some guy told you, I really recommend you to go to Uruguay. Go spend a night and visit Colonia del Sacramento. The ferry is really cheap (like 30usd) as the two cities are close.
