South Africa Living Expenses

[chileno 777]

Dear Aviation Enthusiasts:

Hi I am from Chile and my girlfriend and I are planning to go to South Africa during the first semester of 2008. I am going to start a CPL/ME in Port Elizabeth and my girlfriend will enroll in an English course. How much budget do we have to plan to spend monthly? Is it possible for a couple to live with 800 USD (5600 ZAR) per month? We are planning to rent a small flat/garden cottage (one bedroom) for 2600 ZAR (more/less) per month, is it reasonable to plan to live with 3000 ZAR? We are a young budget-oriented couple but we would like to going out sometimes (cinema, restaurants…).


Your comments will be highly appreciated,
Thanks.:ok:
Chileno 777

[chileno 777]

suitcaseman,

Thanks for the reply. We are planning to buy a used car so I hope that we will not have too much problem regarding transportation (just gas cost). Assuming that flat rent would cost 2600 ZAR + 2000 in groceries will live us with 1000. Do you think that 1000 ZAR for the remaining expenses (water, electricity, gas etc..) is enough?

[south coast]

If you were to put your girlfriend out to work you may be able to have a better lifestyle.

I know of a place on Govan Mbeki avenue, its called, Klub Erotica, she would make a few Rand there.

Good luck!

[chileno 777]

south coast,


just a question...do you dance there?

[JetPark]

I agree with you - a very strange comment indeed. Hardly makes a fellow feel welcome in this country.

[chileno 777]

plane4sale and JetPark thanks for your support . I do think that it was a very rude comment but do not worry I have been in South Africa twice (Durban and Cape Town) in vacations and think it is a nice country with wonderful people. I am aware that in every place you can find nice people but also rude/stupid/ immature human beings. I feel confident because I do know that in S.A (and in this forum) fortunately there are more of the first types of people than the second one.

[south coast]

Shame these days that people no longer have a sense of humour...

It was a joke and not to be taken seriously, derh!

Come on people, have a laugh, its ok to do so now and then!

[dynamicd]

Its doable on your budget.I suggest you invest btw 10 to 15k in a small car if possible.it will save you a lot on transport costs as public transport in SA is not well developed you may have to depend on cabs mostly.

You and your partner can get a decent job if you are interested in supplementing your income.There is a lot of opportunity in SA go there first explore the area and identify a job or a business you guys have a talent for go for it.A mate of mine earned about 3k rand as a bar tender per month at a bar in an expensive resort in George while training!
You will enjoy your time in SA was there for about 18mnths for my comm. awe well

[Flintstone]

This place is almost as touchy as the Ozmates forum:\ Fortunately chileno got the joke and good on him for the comeback.

Hey chileno. south coast does indeed dance there and is known as 'Big Bunty'.

[chileno 777]

Dinamicd
Thank you for the advice. I thought it was not allowed for student visa holders to work in S.A. If it is legal to do so we definitely will try this option.

South Coast I do have a sense of humor but I do not think that people are allowed to disrespect others (especially women). By the other hand I made a serious question (we are careful planning this trip) and I expected to receive a serious advise/reply.

For those who replied seriously thank you very much to all. I really appreciated your replies and comments.:ok:

Chileno 777.

[heliroger]

dynamicd,
was ur training(comm) fixed wing or rotary,cos that seems kinda long to me.
i should be in PE for my PPl and CPl Heli in April and i hope to finish up in 6 to 9 months as i'm eager to start working as a heli pilot and i hear the waether is generally good in PE except for wind gust:8

[putt for dough]

6-9 mths for a full comm?
Seems like you are totally unaware of what the course will involve!

[heliroger]

putt for dough,
what makes u think that doing a rotary comm in 6 to 9 months is impossible.i'm not going there to spend my time clubbing or drinking,etc as i have a family and i'm quitting a good paying job to live as a bachelor once again. ur views are welcome

[putt for dough]

Heliroger

It doesn't matter if you are gonna live a recluses life
besides flying during your training.
It will never happen! Any reputable school will spend time
in every phase of your training, ensuring legal and safety standards
are met.
This is aviation mate, not a quick joke of a degree that you
can quickly pay for over the net.
Are you just taking the piss? :=

My advice to you would be to rather stick to your good paying job
until you are aware of what professional aviation entails. :yuk:

Don't mean to sound to harsh, but some times you gotta
be hard to be kind.

[126,7]

Do you think that 1000 ZAR for the remaining expenses (water, electricity, gas etc..) is enough?


I don't think thats enough money. How close to the airport are you planning on staying? 3 tanks of fuel is already close on R1000 (depending on the car you're getting).....So you might want to consider that job where "big bunty" is working :E

[cavortingcheetah]

:hmm:
Should have thought that it would be next to impossible and if you did it at all, that you would be quite miserable.
Transport is the biggest problem. Unless you can safely (!!!) walk where you want to, a car is amost an absolute necessity in South Africa.
Total budget is R5,600 per month. You propose to spend R2,600 per month on rent, exclusive of utilities? That's 46.5% of your total budget allowance allocated for rent. That's much too high a percentage. Budget a mximum of 33.3% of your total monthly expenditure for rent, in this case R1,860. You probably will not find a little garden cottage for that little amount of money.
Work in South Africa will, in reality, probably not be a problem except that you might not be treated exactly fairly if the employer knows that you are an illegal. If your girlfriend is caught working illegally, the authorities may well deport her and you as well?
That's all pretty negative. It's not meant to be anything other that realistic. Doesn't the EL school have single accomodation you can use in the beginning?
Perhaps your girlfriend could organize a job teaching Spanish in SA before you leave? Possibly a temporary work permit could be arranged that way? Perhaps a cultural exchange might help her find a footing in South Africa although she might not be with you in EL in the beginning.
Have no idea of the cost of living in El Chile although have been looking quite carefully at Argentina recently. Should have thought that Argentina and South Africa were actually quite similar but could be off target in that assessment. In any event, don't think that your budget is quite sufficient and think too, that it is unbalanced.
Getting around really is going to be a very big problem for you if you have no easy access to safe and sensible public transport. Minicabs, for foreigners, female and of fairer complexion than that generally found locally, would not usually be an ideal form of transport.
Being a great believer in the unconventional and always being prepared to seek advice, I would write to the air attache at this site,
http://www.embchile.co.za/embassy.htm
and ask him for any advice and information he might be able to give you. You will probably need to be very, very polite. Pretend that he is Bachelet Jeria!
Suerte hombre!!:)

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Bring plenty of mate' pots to swop. Bring plenty of mate' for those who will soon be addicted.:E:ok:

[TerminalVelocity]

I have to agree with plane4sale.

I don't think that R5600 per month is going to cover your expenses. Especially when you count in the cost of transport.

I'd also be inclined to say R9000 is more realistic. Any less than that and you're not going to have any perks at all. Not to mention the difficulty in affording the basics.

[chileno 777]

126.7 and plane4sale
I will train at Algoa. This flying school offers guesthouse accommodation with competitive prices to their students but as a couple we will prefer to rent a place. My girlfriend’s prospective English school (Bay language institute) is assisting us to find a place to rent and we are looking for a place located in Walmer or Summerstrand.

cavortingcheetah (http://www.pprune.org/forums/member.php?u=45053)
1200 to 1300 USD (9000 ZAR) per month!! :eek:.It is incredible how things have changed in S.A. since 2000-2001. I have some friends who studied there (JHB) in those years and said that they used to live with 600-700 USD per month. Chile currently is one of the most expensive countries in Latin America, (a young couple living with middle class standards require with at least 1500 USD per month). Thanks for the Embassy –email advice, to be honest we haven’t thought about that and we will give it a try.:ok: Regarding Spanish lessons do not think as possible due to the fact that she will be quite busy studying English.
Correct me if I am wrong but with current prices S.A is becoming (for flight training) almost as much as expensive as Florida (training in a small FTO as Dean International)?


One more question to everybody: how about crime in P.E? I am aware that crime stats are rising in JHB and Pretoria, but I am not quite sure about P.E. I do know that every city has dangerous areas but what about Walmer and airport surrounded areas in P.E?

Chileno777

[chileno 777]

Happydays,
Thank you very much for the PM.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

http://www.iafrica.com/news/sa/index.htm

[putt for dough]

Be aware of it, be defensive and minimise your exposure to crime.


And how exactly do you do that?

[George Tower]

You definitely need a car in SA. There are no two ways about it. If you're here for an extended period it is defintely cheaper to buy one, than rent:( - chances are you won't lose out on the deal either as when you leave you can sell it for what you bought it for...........strange thing the used-car market in SA:E

[chileno 777]

You live like the average South African, dont go into bad areas, leave lights on, live behind burglar bars, travel in groups, dont act like a tourist, you can stop me anytime.....?

If you cant figure it out, dont come to SA!


Suitcaseman
Those procedures are the same precautions that we currently follow/take in Latin America.

So I think it will not be a problem at all.

[chileno 777]

You definitely need a car in SA. ......when you leave you can sell it for what you bought it for...........strange thing the used-car market in SA

George Tower
That is very good news. :)Is it possible to buy a nice (without too many mechanical problems) second hand car for +- 30000 ZAR? Could you suggest a web page link in order to search for a used car in P.E?

[126,7]

Try this one

http://www.autotrader.co.za/

[chileno 777]

126,7
It is a useful web page. Thanks a lot.