Anyone regret moving to b a

[dani28]

One particularity to Argentina: "middle class" here means you have some access to the consumer culture of the developed world but it is limited, i.e., you have an (old) computer, (cheap) cell phone, decent vacation (that you save all year for). You go out and have one or two drinks on the weekend.

The consumption habits of North America/Europe are for the upper middle class here.

That might be the generalization, however we all know just by looking around us that restaurants are always full (and not just at lunchtime when menus are offered), stores and malls are always packed to where you can barely walk, boliches are packed with lines, movie theaters and regular theatres are always packed and in the latter case sold-out, and its not a rarity to see people walking around with Blackberrys and Iphones, and these masses are NOT ALL upper middle class folks.
While their salaries might be low, many Argentines are generally not savers and spend most if not all of their income, often times being down to the last 20 or 50 the last few days of the month. A lot of expats might not be comfortable with this, but that is the reality of many Argentines day-to-day.

 

[MizzMarr]

Well, on the topic of consumption, we can't forget the 'cuota' culture that exists among the locals here...

many times I'll walk past a restaurant that is full, but if you look at what people have ordered a lot of the time it's just coffee and/or medialunas, and not the $35 peso sandwiches, etc.

 

[jb5]

I am always amazed at the accusations of negativity. it's as though many believe some want to discourage them from coming to keep BA all to themselves. With 13 million already here, the comments referred to as negative are likely not meant to do that.

We've heard the comments of the newly arrived and have had friends visit. My college student daughter recently spent a few months here with a group from over 30 countries.

What we see is people have been reading dated guide books and articles and have a deep misunderstanding of costs.

We have been traveling around LAM for several months recently, and one form of entertainment has been reading restaurant and store reviews we pull up online from publications like the NY Times and chuckling over the prices they list. Reviews from even just a year ago give data that shock today's tourists.

So really, none of us want to be negative, we're just noting our own reactions and those of others we've encountered.

 

[dk2]

jesu mizzmarr u look at what people eat???? you must be realy hungry....

 

[dk2]

im looking at getting a ranch in a place called pilar out of buenos aires....was speaking to a agent 2day....perfect lifestyle for me ,not far fro the city..argentina here i come ...maybe a bar in the city

 

[va2ba]

its been the hardest, craziest, most stressful time of my life. There have been times where I've lost it and thought about going back. I've had my security deposit stolen from me three times. I've had people try to take advantage of me hundreds of times (I wish that was an exaggeration).

There are times where i have regretted how things have gone here.

But I don't for a second regret moving here.

Its been the best two years of my life and I've learned more here than I ever would have if I'd gone to college instead.

 

[steveinbsas]

I don't regret moving to BA five years ago (I actually came for a visit and decided to stay), but I was happy to move to the countryside near the Atlantic coast a year ago. I was tired of the chaos of the city and it was nice to find an much affordable lifestyle and stay in Argentina...in a location where property on the "edge" of a nice town...but within four blocks of the town plaza...can be purchased for $10 US per mtr2 (2500 mtr2 lot) and a house like the one below can be built for about $50K-$60K (U$D).

 

[MizzMarr]

jesu mizzmarr u look at what people eat???? you must be realy hungry....

Not hungry, just observant.

 

[PhilipDT]

I don't regret moving to BA five years ago (I actually came for a visit and decided to stay), but I was happy to move to the countryside near the Atlantic coast a year ago. I was tired of the chaos of the city and it was nice to find an much affordable lifestyle and stay in Argentina...in a location where property on the "edge" of a nice town...but within four blocks of the town plaza...can be purchased for $10 US per mtr2 (2500 mtr2 lot) and a house like the one below can be built for about $50K-$60K (U$D).

Steve, I've been thinking a lot about moving out of the city for a much quieter town. The one thing that has been holding me back is the worry that the miserable grocery selection in buenos aires will look like paradise next to the selection in a small town. Is this more or less accurate or are the shopping options fairly decent?

 

[jb5]

Skip the supermarkets! In small towns across Argentina people have local farmers they buy directly from. They have people selling empanadas from the houses. Lots of small butcher shops. On Sundays people grill chickens in their back yards, put out a sign and sell them. Even people making cheese.

We've eaten much better in smaller towns than in BA in many ways!