A coffee for $3.50: Argentina is the most expensive country in Latin America

[QuilmesSlo]

Left Argentina a week ago. Landed in London and first thing I’ve realised was how cheap London is compared to BsAs and how convenient it is as in easy to commute from the airport, access to decent and inexpensive variety of foods.

Let us know how you make out with housing.

 

[FrankPintor]

Let us know how you make out with housing.

That is really the other side of the coin. A friend of mine recently bought a semi-detached house with, I expect, 2 bedrooms, maybe on 300sqm of ground, with a 30-year EUR 500k mortgage (80% if I remember correctly).There is definitely potential for some sleepless nights over the next 30 years (by which time he will be in his 70s).

London is going to be much worse.

 

[FrankPintor]

Yep.
Milei has lost it this week.

Yes, and there will be more to come. Lots of culture battles to distract the masses, provocation, pushing people's buttons, signaling, and dog-whistling. And then, in the manner of a little boy ringing peoples' front door bells and running away, claiming he was misquoted, edited, or whatever, he never said any of that,

Nothing of substance, though, I expect.

Perhaps Milei's signature achievement to date has been to make his vice-president appear to be a normal, well-adjusted, member of civil society.

 

[Che1990]

Left Argentina a week ago. Landed in London and first thing I’ve realised was how cheap London is compared to BsAs and how convenient it is as in easy to commute from the airport, access to decent and inexpensive variety of foods.

I’m a Londoner and left for BA in 2017. In my 8 years here, I have never not missed how EASY it is to eat varied food that’s healthy.

And yes, I can imagine that most “physical products” are way cheaper there now.

Not services. Rent, transport etc are ridic in London.

Anyway, Argentina with Milei is a massive bubble that will soon pop I feel.

It’s amazing how the narrative has quickly shifted from the “wow Milei has bought inflation down” to the “wow Argentina is expensive in dollars”.

 

[Lanick]

Let us know how you make out with housing.

Yes housing is more expensive in London but you can earn a lot more money in London that you can afford renting a decent flat or house. If you go a little bit further out of London just 30 mins train ride then you have bigger properties for less. I took the bus from Heathrow to the city and it was £1.75. And the next ride was free. If you want take the tube. I went to Sainsbury’s and it was cheap like dirt cheap. If you living off of your savings, pension then BsAs might be better than London. But if you need to work in either places then London gets a lot cheaper. If you can’t afford London then go to Spain. Same rent and a lot cheaper living. In BsAs I was food deprived. Trying not to go back. Hopefully I’ll pull that off. It’s disgustingly unaffordable. And that’s really annoying me.

 

[QuilmesSlo]

Yes housing is more expensive in London but you can earn a lot more money in London that you can afford renting a decent flat or house. If you go a little bit further out of London just 30 mins train ride then you have bigger properties for less. I took the bus from Heathrow to the city and it was £1.75. And the next ride was free. If you want take the tube. I went to Sainsbury’s and it was cheap like dirt cheap. If you living off of your savings, pension then BsAs might be better than London. But if you need to work in either places then London gets a lot cheaper. If you can’t afford London then go to Spain. Same rent and a lot cheaper living. In BsAs I was food deprived. Trying not to go back. Hopefully I’ll pull that off. It’s disgustingly unaffordable. And that’s really annoying me.

Best of luck!!!! You’ll make it work and work well, I am sure.

 

[Stafford]

For fun, I've been tracking the per kilo price of Asado in USD for the past few years. I believe I've shared it with this group before, but it's been a while and today I updated it.

Methodology: Always use the same link from Coto Digital for "Asado Del Medio Estancias Coto X KG"
Always use "Compra Libre" rate from DolarHoy.

Anyway, here's the latest! Apologies that the entries are sporadic. I don't have a regular schedule for doing this. But the trend is there.

 

[Quilombo]

It’s amazing how the narrative has quickly shifted from the “wow Milei has bought inflation down” to the “wow Argentina is expensive in dollars”.

The Milei Trollcenters are working overtime as the international normally pro-Milei media is even calling him to task: how can a developing country have the second most expensive Big Mac in the world, and most expensive in LatAm? Turns out "tax pressure" is the reason according to the Mileistas, which is interesting because Milei himself has increased taxes, and is simply choosing to not cut them now as president, even though it would assumingly fly through Congress.

I have a feeling this is the new LLA "ah Pero Macri"/"Inflation is caused by monetary issuance" because inflation doesn't seem to be dropping below 2.5%/month (turns out Argentine inflation isn't solely caused by emission alone) and the dollar is artificially cheap so now they need to explain why everything is going to shit, and it can't be that dear leader doesn't know what he's doing.

But hey, he's got a picture of himself as a lion/wolverine in Olivos, so take that liberals

 

[carride]

From the article that started this thread

Domingo Cavallo, the Economy Minister under Carlos Menem (1989-1999) and the father of convertibility. “He is a disgrace,” Milei said of the man he considered, until just a few months ago, “the best Economy Minister in Argentine history,” and a “hero” whom he dreamed of emulating.

It so happened that Cavallo had committed the sin of criticism. He maintained on his personal blog that, in his opinion, the real appreciation of the peso is around 20%, similar “to that which existed in the last three years of convertibility,” prior to the corralito crisis.

 

[Redpossum]

Well, that's pretty damning.
My LORD the difference in restaurant prices!