Fuck apartment hunting in Buenos Aires. Along with dentists, annoying jam band sessions with mediocre musicians, riding the bus, and watching Sex and the City, it's one of my least favorite things to do. If you're a foreigner living anywhere near downtown BA, there's a 98% chance that you're getting ripped off. Don't believe me? Look at craigslist:
"Beautiful furnished 2br apartment, great barrio, all expenses included, safe, clean, blah blah blah, pictures included below. Price: $600 U$D p/m or $250 U$D p/w."
If you're from New York, SF, Boston, or Chicago, you're probably laughing. Cheap right? Wrong. Because this is Argentina, and with an exchange rate of 3.7 pesos to 1 US dollar, it's a fucking disaster. If you translate that rate into pesos, and take account for the average salary in this city, you're most likely looking at paying slightly more than you make per month. That's right chicos, a middle class Porteno makes around $500-$700 US dollars per month.
Here's the catch, though. The online ads, listings, facebook groups, and "I gotta friend who knows someone" sales pitches are not meant for locals. They're meant for gringos. They're published in English, for Christ's sake. And from a business perspective through the eyes of the property owner, it's genious. Here's the problem. I don't make dollars, or anything close to what it would take to rent an apt. for $600 US. But I am a gringo (yeah, yeah, tough life, I know), and in this city, being a gringo is akin to walking around with your Visa pin printed on your t-shirt, coughing up stacks of Ben Franklin's like you're an NFL player at a strip club. The short explanation, gringo=Money, period.
And I'm not the only one out there with this problem. There are literally thousands of wide-eyed recent college grads from the US, Oceana, and Europe schlepping their way through shitty hostel jobs, inconsistent English teaching gigs, or extended traveling, who really can't afford the same prices that a long-term tourist or semester abroad kid can. Now, this sounds a bit whiny considering that most of the aforementioned group will go back to their countries to bigger jobs with adequate salaries, benefits, etc. But it doesn't take away from the fact that it sucks, and that the practice is dishonest.
There's a way around it, oh yeah, but good luck working this out. You can do what most Argentines do and sign a 2-year lease for a place at non-inflated local rates. Sounds easy, right? Well it is...if you can find an Argentine who currently owns a house, and is willing to co-sign an apartment lease with you, putting up their assessed property value as collateral. So in a country where less than 10 years ago there was a complete financial breakdown, and half the middle class lost their homes, you're supposed to find a homeowner who trusts you enough to risk potentially losing the only stable investment they have. As I said before, good luck. You can bypass this whole mess by paying the entire amount of the 2-year lease in advance. But if you had that kind of cheddar, you wouldn't be worried about cash, and the inflated gringo rate would probably suit you better.
So what's the solution? Truth is, I have none. The rates follow the market. And if there's a market for big US $$$ apartment rentals, it's not going to change. I guess the trick is to share a room, date a local, or pony up and pray you have a decent savings account. Me, I'm moving out on Thursday and staying with my girlfriend until I find a reasonable place. Gringo. Out.
