Job Discussion Forums

[Guy Courchesne]

Has anyone here taught EFL or travelled through a number of Latin American countries in one go? I would be interested in the quickest of cost-of-living comparisons between the cities/countries you were in.

[MixtecaMike]

Why not come up with a Canasta Basica list of essential goods and services for the ESL teacher and get people in different places to fill in the prices. Not the quickest solution but probably the best low-cost solution available.

And it would be of immense interest to people thinking about moving.

[Guy Courchesne]

That's exactly what I'm doing. We have a database of such things, but it needs an update and some checking.

If it helps...

Rent with a description of where you stayed
Eating out
Transportation around town
Things that stood out as expensive/cheap

I didn't want this too be a questionnaire...

[Paulie2003]

Guy,

Good to hear from you - One question: Are you utilizing this forum space for expansion of teaching knowledge or purely business purposes?

I checked out your website and found it to be all business...

[gambasbo]

Ok I will start.

Cochabamba Bolivia

Two bedroom house, large kitchen and a largish living room, bathroom, small garden, 230 dollars a month. (prices have since fallen)

Luxury 2 bedroomed apartment, large kitchen, large dining room big enough to have a separate living room, 3 bathrooms, outside swimming pool, 300 dollars a month. (again prices have fallen since)

Eating out. Almuerzo no more than a dollar, can pay less. In the evening you can get an excellent meal for 3 to 4 dollars.

Transport - Buses just increased to 20 cents to most places in the city. taxis about 50 cents to most places. Gringos ususlly have to pay 65! No fixed taxi prices here, but they are fixed at about 30 cents to anywhere in Sucre.

Books and magazines are expansive compared to other things. Clothes very cheap but finding right size can be a problem. (I am 6 feet 2 inches)
Unlimited time local calls for about 12 cents. Internet cafes 25 to 40 cents an hour.

The most I have been paid as an ESL teacher was 4.2 dollars an hour.

Pretty much everything is available to buy here and all money quoted is North American. Hope that helps as a start.

Mike

[Cheza]

I pay about $80 per month rent for a 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment, with a garden, and storage area, in a nice neighborhood.

Utilities are dirt cheap. I pay about $15 per month for electricity, water, phone, and garbage combined.

Food is pretty cheap too. I cook most my own food, and it costs me about $50 per month, including all other misc. groceries. And I eat pretty well too.

As for transportation usually $1 to get to any place in town by taxi, but I usually walk. When I need to take a bus, it will be about 20 cents in town, or about 50 cents to any nearby towns.

These are the prices of living in a small town, I know it costs a lot more in the big cities. I make about $3.20 per hour for my classes, and about $4.40 per hour for private lessons

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Guy Courchesne]

[Guy Courchesne]

One item to add to the cost-of-living list. Don't laugh.

Shaving cream or gel.

In Mexico, the imported type costs up to 5 times the CDN or US price. Razor blades too. Is it expensive where you are?

[Paulie2003]

Why, I'm not looking for atheists either, Guy...I'm searching for 'seekers'
(wise men still seek Him)...now does your adding the cost of shaving cream and razors speak to any specific gender...?

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[matttheboy]

Don't get me started on the price of razor blades. I feel bad paying �1 in the UK (US$1.85) a blade for Mach 3 but the same price in Argentina where the cost of living and basic wage is around 4 times less????

-2 bedroomed flat + service charge + utilities in decent area in Buenos Aires= $200-400/month. But getting someone to be your guarantor is a bit of a 'mare and i know people who paid someone $200 to produce a fake guarantor's reference.

-Eating out-the best steak in the world + salad for lunch=$3 (set menu). For dinner $5-6.

-1L bottle of beer in supermarket=45c, in a bar $1-2
-Cuba libre (v strong) in very very fancy bar in central BsAs/Palermo/Recoleta=$2.50-4
-Expensive coctail (very strong, very nice) in very swanky bar $4-5

-Transport-25c buses and subte (underground). Taxis-$3-4 for about 20minutes which is a pretty long way in BsAs.

-Expensive-imported clothes and technology

-Cheap-very good quality industria argentina clothes and shoddier quality industria argentina electrical goods

-Cheap-museums-some free, some around $1

-Internet cafe-30c-60c/hour

-Local calls 7c per 120/240 seconds (off/on peak)

-Pack of cigarettes-85c

-Cable TV $16/month

-New (not pirate CD) $6-10

-Pirate CD $1

-A night with my girlfriend $10 million

[Guy Courchesne]

[Twisting in the Wind]

In order of cheapest to most expensive, here goes:
(Spanish-speaking countries)

Bolivia (cheapest)
Peru
Paraguay
Ecuador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
CR
Venezuela
Colombia
Chile
Argentina

Did I leave any countries out? In my opinion, in the middle they all sort of meld together--it's hard to figure out exactly which is more expensive and which is less--but this list is based on my experiences, which were several years ago

It's pretty much without a doubt that Bolivia, Haiti and Paraguay are the cheapest countries in the hemisphere--I see them popping up on lists over and over....but sometimes Honduras makes it on the odd list and I hear it mentioned as one of the cheaper costs of living countries....

I found Colombia to be pretty expensive when I was there. Have never been to Chile or Argentina, but have heard from others that they're pretty consistently expensive

And why would you be needing this information, O Sir Guy?

[Guy Courchesne]