Feel free to comment below with prices you have noticed going up or down, or what your monthly costs are.

EBA Staff

_________________________________________________

It is impossible to give a number on how much you can expect to spend while living or visiting Buenos Aires. It all depends on how you like to spend your money, and how much of it you have to spend. Below are approximate numbers to give you an idea of what your monthly cost of living could be in Buenos Aires. Remember that all prices are in Argentine Pesos. These are current prices as of May 2010. Keep in mind, there is inflation in Argentina of about 2% – 3% every month.

Here is my monthly budget for Buenos Aires – what you can expect to spend in Argentine pesos. For more detailed information, see below.

Monthly Cost of Living in Buenos Aires

Monthly Budget in Argentine Pesos
Apartment	$1,700	(Living in a shared apartment, all inclusive)
Food	$700
Necessities	$200	Things like soap, shampoo, garbage bags, etc.
Transportation	$100	includes the odd taxi ride, but mostly bus and subway
Cell	$60
Entertainment	$1,400	(bars, theatre, clubbing, eating out, etc)
Total	$4,160
Total of what you can expect to  spend converted into major currencies:
US$	$957.22
CAN$	$958.88
EUR €	$725.92
UK ₤	$607.78

Apartments in Buenos Aires

**prices stated are in Argentine pesos**

Variations in cost are because it depends on the location, size, and quality of your apartment. These prices are all based on apartments that you´d find in the most popular neighbourhoods for travellers:  San Telmo, Recoleta, Centro, Barrio Norte, Palermo, Belgrano, Colegiales, Villa Crespo.  Keep in mind though that prices vary depending on which of these neighborhoods you are looking in.  Palermo, Recoleta, Barrio Norte, tend to be the most expensive, with Belgrano right up there as well.

A room in a shared apartment: $ 1350+

**This usually includes internet, phone, cable, condo expenses, etc.

Your own studio apartment, as a temporary furnished rental: $2800 + A decent place will likely cost you around $3100 +

**This usually includes internet, phone, cable, condo expenses, etc.

Your own one bedroom, as a temporary furnished rental: $3000 + A decent place will likely cost you around $3300 +

**This usually includes internet, phone, cable, etc.

Your own studio, renting long term with a garantia: $1800+

**this includes apartment fees (known as expensas). But not things like phone, internet, cable, and electricity.

Your own one bedroom, renting long term with a garantia: $2200+

**this includes apartment fees. But not things like phone, internet, cable, and electricity.

Extras

**prices stated are in Argentine pesos**

Internet: $85 – $145 depending on company and if you can get a special starting offer. This is for 3M high speed cable, DSL or ADSL. Also can depend on the arrangement your building has with the internet company.

Cable TV: $80+

Electricity: $20+  *Much higher if you use electric heat or air conditioning.

Phone: $25+  *$25 gets you a phone line, but you have to pay to make calls to cell phones and of course, long distance.

New cell phone: $140 and up, for an unlocked pay as you go phone (although they are hard to find at that price)

Cell phone monthly payments: $20+  Can be a plan or pay as you go.  $20 would be if you don´t make many calls, only lots of texts.  You can get a decent plan on a smart phone for $80+ pesos per month.

Food

**prices stated are in Argentine pesos**

Food will probably cost you about $600 – $800 pesos a month. If you are very careful about eating cheaply, and don´t eat a lot of expensive meat or chicken, you might be able to keep it between $450 – $600.

Entertainment

**prices stated are in Argentine pesos**

Prices are the usual costs. It can be higher or lower, depending on where you go.

Movie: $16 – $25 in a nice theater

Bottle of decent wine: $12 – $20

Bottle of very good wine: $25 and up

1L beer: $4.70 – $8.00

Entrance to clubs: $20 – $50

Entrance to Milongas: $15 – $35

Bottle of beer in bar/club: $10 – $25

Highball or cocktail in bar/club: $15– $40

Entrée in a nice restaurant: $40 – $70

Dessert in a nice restaurant: $12 – $25

Glass of wine in a nice restaurant: $15 – $25

Bottle of mediocre to decent wine in a nice restaurant: $40 – $60

Dinner for two, incl. 1 appetizer, two main courses, one dessert, and a bottle of wine:

*Cheap restaurant:  $125+

*Nice restaurant:  $200 +

Theater: $20 – $250+ Typical price for a broadway-style show is around $100 – $150

Museum: Free – $25

Live music show: $15 – $100+

Transportation

**prices stated are in Argentine pesos**

Taxi: $7.30+ From Palermo to the Obelisk: $40

Bus: $1.10 – $1.75

Subway: $2.50

Train: $0.80-$4.30 (mainly used to go from the suburbs into Buenos Aires).

**prices stated are in Argentine pesos**

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The crowd tends to be people with money, anywhere from late teens to early twenties, though people in their late twenties are certainly not out of place.   The vibe tends to be quite good, friendly and not snobby as one expect.  There is no dress code, and style is pretty casual, although dressier than most clubs in Buenos Aires.  Nevertheless, jeans and T-Shirts are mainly what you’ll see, and there aren´t many girls wearing heels.  Crobar is known for being frequented by some of the city’s best looking people, so expect to see some eye candy.

Crobar is one of the most expensive discos in the city – cover can be anywhere from $40 to $60 pesos, and drinks have gone up in price again, $25 to $30 pesos for a highball.  They used to make their drinks extra stiff (3/4 alcohol, ¼ mix) but now they measure them, often only 1 ½ ounces.

There is always a large guestlist at Crobar, and it is easy to get onto this list. The disco hires a lot of people to whom they provide a guest list, to try and attract more people to the club.  If you ever meet one of these people, make sure to get their contact info.  The more people they get on their guest list, the better they look, so it’s a win-win situation.

Saturdays are currently the best night for electronic music in Crobar.  The clubs residents are very good, and usually a couple times a month there will be some performances by good to amazing international DJs.  For example, some past shows:  Tiesto, Anthony Pappa, Sven Vath, Armin Van Buuren and Lee Burridge.   Fridays are can be alright as well, they still play electronic music but it tends to be more clubby/cheesy.

Bottom Line: A very nice club, cool crowd, and some of the best electronic music in the city.

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Maybe we should start at the beginning….

1) Open your page to the front index which starts with the obvious letter, “A”.
Wait! Before you get to overwhelmed with the small writing that is blurring together in front of you, remember that this index from A-Z, lists the name of EVERY street in Buenos Aires! How great, right?

2) Flip through to the first “Plano” and notice that there are a total of 36. Each Plano displays a different part of the city. Complete with all the streets and street numbers. Now all we have to do is figure out which Plano to use and when. Easy!

3) Say you want to go to, Balcarce 1073, which is in the neighborhood of San Telmo. Well, flip to the massive front index and go to “B”. Got it? Great. You will see the option of choosing from the address numbers 1-850, and 851-1500 (every street will have a different option of addresses to choose from depending on how far that street stretches throughout the city).

Ok, we want Balcarce 1073, which would be in the 851-1500 category, and we can see that it is listed as “25-C1”.

What is this all about? Stay with me here folks.

Well, it means Plano 25 (go ahead and turn to Plano 25).

C-1 is how you can locate Balcarce 1073 using the grid system that each Plano provides.

Under the letter “C” next to the number “1” on Plano 25, is where you will squint your eyes and search for the street “Balcarce”. There it is! Now check the numbers running along side of the street and locate Balcarce 1073.

4) Ok, so you found the street. Well, now what? As you can see on the left side of the book there are a bunch of random numbers squeezed into little squares. Well, go back to the grid system.

On C-1, on the left side of the book (as opposed to the right side where you are looking at the Plano), you can see all the busses that go to where you want to end up!

O great…. the number 22 goes to this area. To see what busses pass right by you, use the same technique but this time with the address you are starting from.

So, hop on that bus and get going to San Telmo!

But what street does this bus go down? Where is it going to drop me off?

Flip to the back where all the busses are listed by their number and their route. Since we are heading down to San Telmo from, let’s say, Palermo, you want to look under “regreso”. You see a great number of streets this bus goes down, Bolivar is one of them. Hooray! Bolivar is right next to where I want to go. Ok, you are getting off at Bolivar and walking two blocks to Balcarce. Sound good?

Don’t’ worry, you will get the hang of it and you will become one of the many that walk these streets with a little book worn and torn from all the use you will get from it. One fine day, you will put the little GUIA-T down with a map permanently embedded in your brain.

BA Bus Culture

• When you get on the bus you will tell the bus-driver how much money you want to deposit. This depends on how far you are going. The average amount is 1.20 pesos.
• Get on and off the bust fast. It is always surprising to see the things in Buenos Aires in which they take their leisurely time, and the things that they don’t. Getting off the bus would definitely be an example of stop and GO!
• When getting off, stand by the middle door and press the button to notify the driver your stop is approaching. The button may not work, which is fine. The driver will see you and stop.
• If a woman with a child, pregnant woman, older man or woman get on the bus, it is proper to offer your seat if no other seats are available.
• Hold on to your purses and bags while on the bus. It can get crowded and it is better to watch your things closely.

Last but certainly not least….Enjoy the ride!

Ashley Barnes resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a freelance writer, photographer and creator of “Entre Argentina Tours“, a tourism business dedicated to connecting tourists to the best wine tours, art tours, and restaurants in Buenos Aires and throughout Argentina.

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There IS actually a law against jaywalking, but you can do it right in front of a police officer, and they will rarely say anything, let along give you a ticket.  As you become accustomed to this way of crossing the street, keep these safety tips in mind:

As you are crossing the street, especially if you are walking between a line of cars, watch out for scooters.  The tend to zip through impossibly small spaces, and they don´t look for pedestrians.

Just because the person beside you is crossing the street, doesn´t mean you should.  Argentines will often cross when they shouldn’t, or when they are cutting it close.  It is quite common for people who aren´t paying attention to start crossing the street because a few other pedestrians are, not realizing that a car is about to run them over.  If you are going to jaywalk, always look both ways and be alert the entire time.

Cars and especially buses will RARELY yield to pedestrians.  They act as if they have the right of way.   Even if you are crossing with a walk light at a crosswalk, you need to be aware and careful of vehicles turning onto the street you are crossing – this is where people often get hit, or run over by a bus.

If you are jaywalking, don´t be surprised if the car that has the right of way honks, flashes his lights, speeds up, or all of the above.  Motorists don´t like you crossing in front of them, they act as if were an insult.

Want to look like an Argentine and not a gringo?  You will have to learn to cross the street like one.  This means the only thing that should prevent you from crossing the street is a vehicle coming your way….otherwise you are free to walk.   You should do so in a calm and relaxed manner, even if a car is going to miss you by inches.  If they honk, you shouldn´t even flinch.  This is the Argentine way.

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The entire costanera is lined with a nice sidewalk and big leafy trees that arch over the street.   The view of the river is wide open, where you will mainly see sailboats, ferries, and the odd cargoboat.  At different spots along the costanera are clusters of cafes and restaurants, most of them with a view of the water making it an ideal place to have lunch or coffee followed by an afternoon stroll.  If you like to jog, this is also a prime spot for jogging – the air is fresh and there are never that many people.

Getting to the costanera can be a bit tricky, especially the loop at the end, which is the nicest part.  You can either take a taxi, or if you are familiar with the colectivos, the 160 and 37B will get you there as well.

Tierra Santa can also be found in the costanera norte, which is a theme park created to tell the story of the bible.  Although not of much interest for adults, it can be fun for kids, assuming you are somewhat religious.

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Here are a few examples, for Banco Francés debit card holders:

Always – 10% off at Fravega

Always – 15% discount at Moviestar

Mondays at Disco – 15% discount off entire purchase

Fridays at Jumbo – 15% discount off of entire purchase

Other credit cards will get you similar discounts.  Citibank cardholders often get the option to purchase tickets to events before everyone else.

You can find out more about each bank´s offers for discounts by going to their websites. No doubt you will also see advertisements everywhere, including on TV.

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Like most museums, the MNBA has both a permanent collection and a section dedicated to temporary exhibits.  The permanent collection is made up of over 12,000 items, but only 700 are ever on display at any given time.  The permanent display is broken down into a collection of national and international artists.  Some of Argentina´s most famous works can be found here, by artists such as Benito Quinquela Martín, Lucio Fontana, Cándido López Enrique Alonso and Xul Solar, Spilimbergo, Pueyrredón, Fader, Berni, de la Vega, Gorriarena, Segui.  As one would imagine, it is the largest collection of Argentine art in the world.

The collection of international art is mainly from Europe, dating back to the middle ages.  This impressive collection includes such famous artists as El Greco, Rubens, Goya, Boudin, Cézanne, Renoir, and Rodin.

The museum is self-guided, although they have audioguides available for rent, in both Spanish and English.  At 35 pesos each, it is a little pricey, but it the guides are well-done and will ensure you appreciate the art you are looking at.  Entrance to the museum is itself is free.

Bottom Line: This is one of the most important art museums in South America, and the best if you are interested in Argentine classic art.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Av. Del Libertador 1473, Recoleta
Tel. 5288-9900
More information:  http://www.mnba.org.ar/

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Taking place at midnight on New Year´s Eve in La Plata is “la quema de muñecos,” which translated into English means “the burning of the dolls.” Residents get together to burn and watch as their neighborhood’s giant papier machée creature, filled with fireworks, goes up in flames. For a short amount of time, La Plata turns into a smorgasborg of color, noise, and smoke, as the residents of La Plata kick of their new year in style.

Source: Wikipedia

So how did it start? It may not surprise you to hear that it had to do with football….Legend has it that over 50 years ago, the president of the Cambaceres football club built a monument in honor one of the team´s football players, who had been instrumental in his team’s recently won championship. (The idea was most likely based on the burning of the Falles in Valencia or perhaps the burning of Judas, which takes place in many Latin American countries on New Year´s Eve). A good two decades later, this turned into a popular yearly tradition, where residents from different neighborhoods would work together to build their own paper giant, and set it on fire on New Year´s Eve.

As this tradition continued to gain popularity, there surfaced a competitive edge, and it has now turned into a competition to make the best paper giant. There are now over one hundred groups that participate, and there is an official contest for the best creation. Most years have some sort of unofficial theme, often the result of a blockbuster movie. For example, 2009 contained lots of dolls of characters from Harry Potter. In the past, it has also been common to make a copy of a politician or a well-known sports figure.

If you decide to spend your New Year´s in La Plata, it is pretty much impossible to miss the event. The only problem is that there is no central spot where the paper giants are lit on fire – this is performed throughout different parts of the city. One of the most popular is on 77th St, between 13th and 14th, but there are now so many different ones that they are not hard to find.

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The festival is pretty amazing, and definitely one of the most exciting in terms of the energy felt during the event.  Total attendance breaks the 100,000 mark, and the crowd really goes wild, showing their appreciation for the killer shows that tend to be performed.  From a fans point of view, this is the best of live popular music in Argentina, and it is also the most important event for the performers., which is why they tend to put on their best shows.

Some of the most well-received acts in the past include:  Andres Calamaro, Nine Inch Nails, David Matthews Band, Motley Crue, Babasonicos, Megadeth, and The Wailers.

If you only make it to one of the large, multi-day music fests, this is the one you won´t want to miss.  Package deals are available if you want to go to more than one show, and hey, if everyone´s going, why not?

When: October
Where: Club Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Why:  Stellar shows of top national and international bands, performing to an electric crowd.
More info: http://www.pepsimundo.com/argentina/pepsimusic/

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• January 1^st – New Years Day (unmovable)
• March 7^th and 8^th Carnaval (unmovable)
• March 24^th – Day of Memory for Truth and Justice, remembrance for the last coup d’etat (unmovable). This year, the 25th is also a holiday, known as a “bridge” holiday. Thursday is a holiday, and to make it a long weekend, they add Friday as a holiday as well.
• April 2^nd – Veterans day, and remembrance day for the soldiers that died in the Malvinas.  Anniversary of the first day of the Malvinas war (unmovable)
• April 21^st – Good Thursday (Thursday before Easter)
• April 22^nd – Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
• May 1^st – Labour Day (unmovable)
• May 25^th – Anniversary of the first Argentine government (unmovable)
• June 20^th – Flag Day (Third Monday in June)
• July 9^th – Independence Day (unmovable)
• August 15^th – St. Martin Day (3^rd Monday in August)
• October 10^th – Race day/Columbus Day (If the day falls on Tues or Wed, it is moved to the  Monday of the same week.  If it falls on a Thur or Fri, it is moved to the Monday of the following week.)
• November 28^th – Day of National Soberania (moved to the 4th Monday of the month.)
• December 8^th – Immaculate conception of Maria day (unmovable). This year, the 9^th is also a holiday, known as a “bridge” holiday. Thursday is a holiday, and to make it a long weekend, they add Friday as a holiday as well
• December 25^th – Christmas Day (unmovable)

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