Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed and possible.
Apart from the first five days, when we were still in Chile, Mark, Maya, and I explored Northern Argentina in March with Thirsty Bella. This year, prices in Argentina have doubled if not tripled for gasoline, entrance fees, restaurants,… Mark and I had really looked forward to visiting this country to splurge a bit more, but inflation and the devaluation of the peso make that less affordable.
Driving on the high plains
High-altitude desert route towards the border with Argentina
Crossing into Argentina
Driving the beautiful road between Salta and Cachi in Argentina
Camped by the cactus canyon near San Pedro, Chile
Counting all our bills to write down expenses
March was a very expensive month, but for a good reason. We bit the bullet and bought return plane tickets from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, to Massachusetts and from there to Belgium. We will store our camper for 3.5 months in South America and look forward to seeing family and friends again. The three of us need a break from the road and developing countries. We hope that the high cost for the tickets ($2,300) allows us to save money in fuel and other expenses this summer. There will be another substantial price to pay for Maya’s multiple international health certificates and check-ups.
Pulling up to our last gas station in Chile – for now
Filling up at the first fuel station across the border in Argentina
Filling up with fuel again in Salta
Filling up with fuel on the drive south in Argentina
Fuel prices in March of 2024 – 1,000 pesos is currently a little more than $1.
The car category ended up in second place due to our extravagant spending on flights. We bought about $360 of fuel, with one super pricey fill-up in Chile to reach the border and a few top-ups in Argentina. It hurts to know that the current price of around $1 a liter used to be 50 cents last year. We can save by not eating out or buying expensive entrance tickets, but we can’t get around our need for fuel. The $127 for repairs went to a tire valve fix and necessary car parts Mark purchased on Amazon. They will wait for us in the US.
Getting the valve of our spare tire fixed – again – in Cafayate
Homemade mushroom burgers – my favorite meal by Mark!
American pancakes with different fruit
Pancake breakfast on Sundays – usually only bananas are added
Fresh baguettes from a French bakery in San Pedro de Atacama!
ChangoMas is the cheaper grocery store (as opposed to Libertad) in Northern Argentina
Visiting a tiny store with preserves, beer, and hot sauces in Maimara, Argentina
My favorite bakery in Cachi
Breakfast by a peaceful pond – pastries from Cachi!
Decent produce market in Tilcara
One of my favorite meals at home: spring rolls with omelet, vegetables, and fresh peanut sauce
Around $270 bought us groceries in March and were careful with other expenses, because so much of our budget went to the airlines. We cooked most of our meals at home, as always.
Meagre dinner out on our first night in a new country
Amazing pizza – and night – out in Purmamarca
Wine and lunch out with new friends, Shani and Todd
The menu of one of the restaurants in Cachi. As you can see, new stickers are added as prices keep rising. This place offers a discount for the locals (and for us).
Pizza with fried eggs and French fries, anyone?
Our first parilla – grilled meat – platter in Argentina!
A dozen tasty beef empanadas in Cafayate
The eating out category was $80. It would have been higher, but a nice reader of this blog sent us a donation of $25, which we used for dinner and drinks at the Puna Vinyard in Cachi. Despite very hot, it was a super enjoyable experience.
Puna vineyard
Early dinner and drinks at Bodega Puna, outside of Cachi
Lamb dish for Mark
Local locro (stew) dish for me
The current wine list – with recently changed prices
Alcohol – mostly Argentinian wine – added up to $61 last month and we devoured every drop of it! Eating and drinking out might have become expensive in this country, but we just as well enjoy a good bottle of wine with some tapas at home. And we can honestly say that each bottle in the $3-$4 range that we have opened has been good to excellent. Mark and I kept our drinking out to a minimum: $24; all at vineyards. 🙂
Cheese platter in Bella
Sample platter and a bottle of Torrontes white wine at Bodega Isasmendi
Sharing a bottle of red wine at Bodega Puna in Cachi town
A sampling of cheese with a glass of wine at a goat farm in Cafayate
Our monthly subscription for unlimited Starlink satellite internet fluctuates with a dollar or so, based on the exchange rate. We bought this system last fall in Peru and half of it is paid by our business, hence the reasonable $36 fee.
Belgian beer for Mark and white wine for me
A splurge of a cocktail in Chile: coconut rum and 100% orange juice. We couldn’t find pineapple juice.
A selection of Belgian beers in Northern Chile
I spent $30 on goodies for Mark’s March 1st birthday. This included an array of Belgian beers, which I located in a grocery store in Chile. We had a lovely tapas plate for dinner that day, after a relaxing afternoon in a pretty canyon. Before that, I made him crepes with fresh fruit for breakfast and a goat cheese sandwich for lunch.
Tapas on Mark’s birthday
The entrance fees to parks and hikes added up to $16 for the two of us. I had been interested in a particular museum in Salta, but eventually skipped it as the price had quadrupled from $2 to $8. Maybe another time.
The new rates at the MAAM in Salta
Devil’s Throat hike in Chile
Visit to Salinas Grandes in Northern Argentina
The San Isidro church is only accessible after paying an entrance fee to the canyon.
Walk among colored mountains in Purmamarca, Argentina
While Maya’s three-year rabies shot from the US is still valid, the countries in South America require dogs to receive those vaccines yearly. We had hoped to get her shot in Uyuni, Bolivia (where this costs $4), but the vet didn’t have it in stock, despite us arranging the appointment ahead of time.
We started looking for another vet in Tilcara, Northern Argentina, but only – and with much difficulty – found a shady office on a dead-end alley. This vet had missing teeth and said he didn’t have the vaccine. When I mentioned, “Rabies shots are important to have, no?” he rummaged through a drawer. Not a fridge. Enough red flags had piled up for us to leave.
This is the entrance to the vet office, which was hard to find.
Apparently, the vet is located down this alley somewhere.
The only vet office we could find in Tilcara
So, when we were in Salta, Mark and I stopped our camper along a busy street to get another one-year rabies vaccination for Maya and the accompanying certificate, which we would need at border crossings. The cost for both was $14. Done!
Our campsite for one night in Salta, Argentina
We bought AA and AAA batteries, which belong in the household category, had two loads of laundry done for $6 in Cafayate (super affordable) and paid for one night at a campground in Salta ($5), where I also took a cab to get into the town center and back.
Camped in the dusty town of San Pedro, Chile, for only one night
Camped in Maimara, Northern Argentina, for one night
Our free camping spot in loud and smelly Tilcara for a couple of nights
Looking for an elusive peaceful night, we found this quiet parking lot by hot springs. It was too hot to actually visit the termales.
Camped for the night between Salta and Cachi – still pretty hot
Our hot campsite in Cachi for three nights – we would have liked to stay longer.
The other 30 nights of camping were free, as well as all the potable water we filled our tanks with.
Camped in the desert outside of Cachi for one night
Our free campsite by a pond in Argentina for a few days
Camped near Los Estratos park heading south towards Cafayate
Boondocked by a park in Cafayate for three nights
Camped in an upscale neighborhood in Tafi del Valle for one night, before we were chased off
Topping up our fresh water tanks for free
Our expenses in March 2024 added up to a whopping $3,332 – it was a bad month! But, if you take out the plane tickets, we stayed around $1,000, which is our goal.
