[Mrs. Chocolate]

IP: Even for less you can find. It depends on were do you want to live and how.. a R$2000 rent means that you will spend around 30% of supermaket, and other facilities. SP is huge. Anyway, I have a friend who today is in Brasilia, that paid around R$1500 in rent + water + condo living close to Helio Pelegrino St in a 2 dorms place. It was an old building, not trashy nor fancy but cool enough to bring someone over with the right furniture. To think about live in SP by yourself in a decent situation, going out only once maybe twice a week, having a good meal...hun... I would say... R$ 2000 per month.

[InternationPlayboy]

(12-11-2010 12:41 PM)Mrs. Chocolate Wrote:  

IP: Even for less you can find. It depends on were do you want to live and how.. a R$2000 rent means that you will spend around 30% of supermaket, and other facilities. SP is huge. Anyway, I have a friend who today is in Brasilia, that paid around R$1500 in rent + water + condo living close to Helio Pelegrino St in a 2 dorms place. It was an old building, not trashy nor fancy but cool enough to bring someone over with the right furniture. To think about live in SP by yourself in a decent situation, going out only once maybe twice a week, having a good meal...hun... I would say... R$ 2000 per month.

Yeah, I know you can find it cheaper. My friends live in a real nice neighborhood next to two universities and they pay around R$1600 on the 13th floor for a 2 br. I was just highballing because some of these guys can't seem to grasp the concept you can find a bedroom for under $1000 a month in Sao Paulo, which is just OBSURED. Shit, I know you can find a place for under $500, in a nice neighborhood, decent appartment and all. I just moved from probably one of the most expensive places in the country, probably top 100 in the world, and still you could definitely find rooms for under $1000, no problem. Actually, the most expensive house ever on the market in the US, maybe even the world was there. Prince Bandars estate, it was going for something like $150 mil.

[Vacancier Permanent]

IP,
More power to you if you can have your fun in an economically way in Sampa. But do keep in mind that there are people at different stages in their life, at different financial levels as well and that there are no one way to do things. I'm at a stage where I value my time more than money. Money comes and goes and can be made relatively easily speaking, while every minute that passes by is gone for ever and no one, not even the wealthiest person in the universe can buy that minute back again. When I gave that so called high figure, it was based on me or someone like me, wanting to stay in the best part of town, near the action like in Itaim Bibi, Jardims or even Morumbi (in case of SP) and that my friend, is going to cost you accordingly. There is no way in hell you'd be able to find a good crib in these areas under at the very least $2k/month, even more so as a gringo on a short term.

Now, looking back at my initial post in the other thread about having a budget of $5-8k/month in SP to have a good time may have been a bit high for the average reader of this forum. I give you that and I acknowledget that it was a mistake on my part and that I should have given a figure in line with the average poster in here. For the average reader of this forum, I'd guess that a realistic/reasonable budget to have a good time in SP for a month to be at around $2-4K. Sure a Brasilian might need a lot less but as a tourist in town, he'd want to have his fun without worrying too much about spending, hence the $2-4k figure for a younger buck in SP may be a more accurate figure. So my bad.

The example of your friend that you cite is exactly what I'm saying: they are able to get those deals because a) they live there full time and b) perhaps even more importantly, that they're brasilian. Even your own example of getting a good deal in Miami, $500 that's mainly because you live there. Now, try getting a similar deal on a 1 month stint and I'll bet you anything that you or anyone else won't be able to pull that off. Can a foreigner there for a month get the same apart as you who will be commiting to a longer term contract for 500/month? Can you, as a short timer gringo, get a 2 bedroom house 2 blocks from Copacabana beach in Rio like your brasilian friend who lives there full time? for what was it? $400 per month for one month? I highly highly doubt that.

Look, I'm not trying to diss you or anything, absolutely not, and quite the opposite. More power to you once again for getting those deals and for having your fun in an economical way. Can Sampa be done in a cheap way? Absolutely. Can aparts/rooms be found for $1K/month or less? Yes again. Now, will these be in the best areas of town? In 99% of the time, no, unless we're talking about a local who commits to a long term contract, not some joe shmoe gringo who's just passing in town for a couple of weeks or at month a most. This is the point that seems that you're having a hard time grasping and realizing. Also that there are people out there who are willing to pay for the convenience and comfort to be in the best part of town and that will take considerably more than 1k/month. And there is nothing ABSURD about paying fair value/market value for the high end stuff for people who appreciate them, want them and can afford them.

[InternationPlayboy]

I got what you're saying man. But the answer is yes, you can find short term places for cheap here in Miami. My agreement for my place was 4 months, without any actual paper work signed or anything, just a verbal agreement. If I really wanted to be a dick, I could have lived here for a month and told my roomate to fuck off. I wouldn't do that, but it's very possible. And I personally wouldn't be looking to live in an appartment for only a month, it would probably be a little longer term than that. I guess it's kinda hard for me to talk from just a normal tourists perspective in Sao Paulo because I was staying with kids going to school and living there most of their lives, so I have more of a local perspective as far as these things go. But I think that if you really go out there and try, it wouldn't be too hard to find someone to rent you out a room in their house for a month for $4-500 if you speak decent Portuguese. It's all a matter of getting out there and putting in the work. That is if you are on a budget travel, as I believe a good portion of people that come to this forum are. I will tell you this though, my friends in Sao Paulo lived in a very nice neighborhood. There was plenty to do in the neighborhood, and plenty more to do just a short taxi drive away. I'll have to ask them which neighborhood it was they lived in. Any given night you walk to a certain street, a 5 minute walk from their house, and the whole street is full of kids in their 20's. Cars rarely try and go down the street because it's so packed with people. Plus, I know of 3 good clubs that are all within walking distance of their house.