Not a place to drop dead

This just out — though not news for anyone who has looked for a place to dwell: rents are sky-high! According to a survey by an independent organization led by Rosario councilmember Nire Roldán, renting an apartment or a house is on average 35% more expensive than last year. If you have to renew a 2-year contract you signed in 2005, you should expect paying 87% more. And if what you're looking for is a commercial spot, you can expect to pay 3 times what you paid in 2006.

As I said, this is not news. That's partly why I'm paying for my own apartment. I'll have to wait at least a year and a half to move out, but the installments I'll have to pay will be much below any rent. In fact, the monthly cost of renting a 1-bedroom apartment like the one I'm buying, in a comparable location (20–25 minutes from downtown), would be enough for me to buy a fancier, 3-bedroom apartment in the city center's busiest area.

Back in March, this same organization conducted a study that showed that 7 out of 10 businesses in the downtown area which were renting a shop space said they wouldn't be able to renew their contracts. A premium space in a commercial corner in Rosario (for example, the intersection of the pedestrian-only Córdoba St. and San Martín St.) can be worth more 12,000 pesos a month. If this goes on, some say, by mid-year the commercial downtown will begin to look empty.