Craigslist?
Before heading to Buenos Aires, I spent some time looking for apartments on craigslist Buenos Aires. The posts were mostly in English, the prices quoted in US dollars (and were more expensive than I was expecting), and rent was by the week. Thinking that perhaps craigslist only panders to American tourists spending a few weeks or a month in Buenos Aires, I checked with some Argentine locals who confirmed that craigslist was indeed, one of the best sources to find an apartment in Buenos Aires.
How to rent like a local
Argentina's official laws regarding renting require that a renter has a "guarantor", or a local resident who can use their property as collateral for you to rent an apartment. This is difficult to find even for a local, so we realized that we were going to have to do what everyone else who doesn't have a guarantor does: pay higher rent.
Placement companies
We looked into several apartment placement companies, including Byt Argentina and Way to BAway. Both companies offer websites you can browse by price, neighborhood, or amenities and supply plentiful pictures of the apartments. An apartment we found at Way to BAway was actually not available despite using the calendar of availability, and an employee there was going to email me a list of available apartments in my neighborhood, which I am still waiting on from over a week ago. Byt Argentina doesn't allow you to look at the apartment before reserving it. Supposedly you can meet someone at the apartment and not sign the contract if you end up not liking the place, but you have already given them (on an insecure website) your passport number, your credit card number, your date of birth...plus you have to show up with the entire rent (not just the first month) and deposit in cash.
How much does an apartment cost?
U$S 600-900 is realistically what you're going to spend for an apartment in Buenos Aires, despite what you may have read about renting a luxury apartment for $250 in the Washington Post. Most everything else here, however, really is about 1/3 the US cost, so housing will definitely be a large percentage of what you spend.
In the end, craigslist ended up being the best way to find an apartment. The majority of the placement companies actually have their places listed on their site as well as craigslist, so you're not going to miss anything. We ended up making several appointments with people we found through Craigslist and found a fabulous aparment in San Telmo. Most of the people we met with were owners of the apartments, who were much more motivated and flexible than the placement companies.
Nikki,
I am about to move to South America and teach English there. I am training in Peru and then I was going to try and find a job in Buenos Aires. Your post is really informative. I wanted to ask you some questions since you've already experienced it, about finding housing. The program advisor I've been speaking to told me that there is generally a strong expat community and that whatever school you work at can put you in touch with other teachers if you get a job. She said that this is usually how people find housing in the area. Do you feel that this is true?
Also, was the apartment placement service you used expensive? Would you recommend it to someone else? Also, how much money do you actually make as a teacher? I've been told approximately $500-700, but how realistic is this figure? I plan on bringing approximately $2000 to tide me over for the first 2-3 months that I am there. I really like your blog, its really helpful for someone like me who is in need. I'd really appreciate it if you could get back to me, I would love to hear what you have to say. Thanks!
Priyanka
Hi Nikki! Nice topic, the are a couple of reputable companies that offers temporary rentals. I always use http://www.buenosaireshabitat.com or livinginbaires.com.ar. I tried other companies but the experince was not that good.
We worked with both of those companies and had a horrible experience - they both wanted down payments up front, information from us like social security cards, etc. and the apartments weren't nearly as nice as the descriptions on their sites.
Yes, there is definitely a large expat community living here, and one of the good ways to get involved and meet people is through the South American Explorer's club which has a "clubhouse"/information center where you can get information about all sorts of things you'd want to know about living here.
If you're looking to share an apartment, craigslist might be the best bet or http://www.compartodepto.com/. I found my place through craigslist, as did most people in my program. It might be better to start looking for a place to live through those websites rather than waiting to meet other teachers. Many teachers end up having jobs through various schools and mostly go teach on-site at different businesses, so there doesn't seem to be a big community at a given school because of the way teaching is structured.
I am actually traveling some and then will be teaching in Mendoza so I'm not totally sure personally about how much people make. My TEFL program said $600-700 as well, but other teachers who have started working are definitely not making that much. Supposedly you can make more through private lessons, $35 pesos an hour (about U$S 10) versus $15-$18 (U$S 5-6) people generally make through institutes. The hourly rates are hours teaching, so it doesn't include transportation or prep time. Work is slower in December and January because people travel for the summer, so it may take some time to build up your schedule. The good news is that you'll love Buenos Aires!
Hi Nikki
I'm moving to BSAS with my friend Cory a the end of January. We studied abroad there 2 years ago and have been dieing to go back ever since. We're hoping to find an apt for US$300 a month is that realistic. I'm going down there with $2,000 and we're staying until the end of May so four months do you think that is enough to survive on in case I don't find a job?
Thanks so much!
Erica
How exciting! In my experience everything was a bit more expensive than we had originally planned, so $300 for an apartment seems a bit low, but may be possible. A room for rent in a house/apartment might be the best way to go: http://buenosaires.en.craigslist.org/roo/ versus renting an apartment on your own: http://buenosaires.en.craigslist.org/apa/.
Finding a job is not easy and not very lucrative, so I definitely think it's a good idea to save up in your home country and then not count on getting a job once you get to Argentina. That way, you can really enjoy your time doing what you are in BAires to do instead of stressing about trying to find a job. In my experience working and or volunteering is a great way to meet people and feel more involved in the culture, but not a great way to make money. Teaching English (with a certificate) only pays between $4-10 per hour not including preparation time or transportation, so again, much easier to save in advance and have a little more financial flexibility once you're there.
Mucha suerte!
thanks for the tips - they were very helpful-i also am not comfortable with giving someone all my secure information online and sending cash into some bank account somewhere. I will stay in a hotel for a week and look myself during that time. Best of luck. I am looking for a quiet place - not a party animal by any means-lived in spain last year-
Thank you for all your information about BA. I will be moving there on the 1st May , and like you i am having difficulty finding accomadation for 500us a mth , however i will try Craiglist ,,, so thanks .. I was wondering though , how long did it take you to learn spanish , and what schools could you recommend , i want to study full time their for 12mths , can you recommend any spanish schools
thanking you in advance
cam
How exciting! For private classes, I recommend these Spanish classes in Buenos Aires . I know some people had good luck through Bridge Linguatec. In terms of how long it takes to become fluent, it really varies on the person including your motivation and aptitude. Spanish in Argentina can take a while to get used to since it's so different than what you may have learned in high school Spanish although certainly studying Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country for 12 months will get you pretty far in your goal! Suerte!
Great information, thanks for sharing
I've spend a great time last month in Buenos Aires, i've rented a furnished apartment in Palermo, Buenos Aires (great place to visit!). I suggest that service called ForRent Argentina: Buenos Aires apartments For Rent
Good Luck!
We worked with them trying to look at a few apartments and hated them. The apartments were not particularly good and they wanted all sorts of fees and documentation up front which made the process difficult. I imagine this was posted by someone who works for the company.
Staying in Argentina is not easy. You have to find the right combination: location+affordability. Also, if you are travelling with children, you have to keep in mind millions of things. But you will forget about all this problems once you are there. An atmosphere full of joy, luxury restaurants, nice squares, beaches, landscaes. Last year I decided to rent an apartment in buenos aires and my children are still grateful. Everything is made for tourists, and as you say, an example are menues, which are bilingual.
had the best time!
Tiffany
I had such a great time there that I can say that Argentina is for me one of the top destinations due to thear great places and affordable prices. I was checking for a Buenos Aires real estate blog in order to evaluate a real estate investment.
Hey,
Thanks for sharing so much info, it is hard to know who to trust when you go to a new place, if its ok, i thought i would leave my personal recommendation for renting in Buenos Aires.
My partner and I have been renting apartments in the city for 7 months through Baires Apartments.
After having difficulties with communication, and dissatisfaction with the apartments and agents of other agencies, we contacted Baires Apartments.
From the beginning they were very helpful and informative as we were new to the city. Contracts are legal and all transparent, they are efficient with property maintenance and easily contactable.
We have stayed in two different properties, one near Plaza san martin and the other in recoleta. The apartments are fully self contained, very clean and comfortable and in convenient locations. Also we found them more economic for what we received.
Dealing with this company has been a pleasure and after such a good experience, we couldn’t recommend any other company to organise your stay in Buenos Aires.
Please see their website at http://www.apartmentsbaires.com.ar
I have no connection with this company, other than living in their properties. Good luck :)
Rebecca
We rented an apartment in Buenos Aires. I recommend. There are scores of Buenos Aires apartments to choose. We chose this one, in the Recoleta neighborhood, for its location, style, reasonable price and full services and amenities. Are a good deal, fully furnished, free wifi internet, gym, swimming pool, etc more cheaper than a 3 star hotel. You can Take a look!
bairesapartments.com/apartments-buenos-aires-arenales-and-azcuenaga-vii-2161.html
Is a recomendation no an add
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