Cost of Living in Buenos Aires 2009

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 October 2009. Remember, 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. For more detailed information, see below.

Apartment: $1000 (Living in a shared apartment)
Food: $400
Necessities: $60 Things like soap, shampoo, garbage bags, etc.
Transportation: $80 – includes the odd taxi ride, but mostly bus and subway
Cell: $40
Entertainment: $800

Total: $2360 pesos (approximately US $625 CA $640 Euro €415 Pounds £375)

Apartments in Buenos Aires
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 common neighbourhoods: San Telmo, Recoleta, Centro, Barrio Norte, Palermo, Belgrano, Colegiales, Villa Crespo.

A room in a shared apartment: $800 +
Your own studio apartment, as a temporary furnished rental: $1900 +
**This usually includes internet, phone, cable, condo expenses, etc.

Your own one bedroom, as a temporary furnished rental: $2100 +
**This usually includes internet, phone, cable, etc.

Your own studio, renting long term with a garantia: $900+
**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: $1200+
**this includes apartment fees. But not things like phone, internet, cable, and electricity.

Extras
Internet: $65 – $145 depending on company and if you can get a special starting offer. This is for 3M high speed cable, DSL or ADSL. Also depends on the arrangement your building has with the internet company.
Phone, DirectTV and High-Speed Internet with Telefonica: $199
Electricity: $30 – $80  Could be much higher if you use electric heat or air conditioning.
Phone: $16 – $60 $16 gets you a phone line, but you have to pay to make calls. $45-$60 gets you a phone, and free calls to fixed phone lines. For calls to a fixed line, not to cell phones and not including any long distance.
New cell phone: $150 and up
Cell phone monthly payments: $20 – $80 Can be a plan or pay as you go.
Laundry Detergent: $6 for 500g
Body Wash: $8-$10 for 250 ml
Shampoo: $10 250ml Pantene shampoo
Clarín Newspaper: $2.50 during the week
Toothpaste: $3 – $10
Internet Cafe: $1.50 – $3.00 per hour

Food
Food will probably cost you about $400 – $600 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 $300 – $350.

Cheap cuts of meat: $10 – $16 per kilo
Good cuts of meat: $16 – $60 per kilo
Full Chicken: $12 – $16
Skinned and boned chicken breast: $18 – $22 per kilo
Salmon filet: $40 – $75 per kilo
Hake: $16 – $22
500 ml extra virgin olive oil: $15 – $25
Can of tuna: $3 – $6
500g Rice – $3 – $5
1KG bag pasta $3 – $5
Jar of Jam: $6 – $10
6 eggs: $2 – $4
1L Milk: $2.60 – $3.80

Fruits and Veggies (per Kilo)
**The variation is how the price per kilo varies throughout the year, and also depends on where you buy your produce.

Red Pepper: $4 – $14
Avocado: $8 – $14
Carrots: $3 – $5
Zucchini: $2 – $5
Tomatoes: $3 – $6
Potatoes: $2 – $4
Onion: $2.50 – $4

Bananas: $4 – $5
Apples: $4 – $7
Plums: $4 – $8
Strawberries: $5 – $14
Kiwi: $8 – $12
Mandarins: $2 – $3
Lemons: $3 – $4

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

Movie: $16 – $23 in a nice theater
Bottle of decent wine: $7 – $20
Bottle of very good wine: $20 and up
1L beer: $2.40 – $5.00
Entrance to clubs: $20 – $40
Bottle of beer in bar/club: $6 – $15
Highball: $12 – $25
Entrée in a nice restaurant: $30 – $60
Glass of wine in a nice restaurant: $12 – $25
Bottle of mediocre to decent wine in a nice restaurant: $30 – $60
Dessert in a nice restaurant: $12 – $25
Theater: $20 – $250
Museum: Free – $20
Live music show: $15 – $100

Transportation
Taxi $3.80 and up
Bus: $1.10 – $1.75
Subway: $1.10
Train: $0.80-$4.30 (mainly used to go  from the suburbs into Buenos Aires).

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