BA Expensive??? - Help!!

[fifilafiloche]

I went to "Café Vicente Lopez" on Maipu on the recommendation of a friend and couldnt believe the incredible deal they are offering on Monday evenings.

When i entered the restaurant i was afraid the bill would be heavy, since the decoration, the waiters and the table settings looked high standards. They have a 59 pesos package with spanish food and flamenco show that specific night.

The food came in quantity, with 5 spanish recipies. Spanish traditional food is not the most sofisticated you can find, but it was exotic. Desserts were extremely good. Liquors served at the end of the meal. You had a variety of different breads served to go with the meals. The show itself was good, dancers really into their art.

I even had to refuse the chocolate sweet proposed while we were leaving, i was stuffed!

I dont know how these guys make a profit on that deal, buying the food in a supermarket would cost more than those 59 pesos.

You can find incredible deals sometimes, and quality is not always related to price.

 

[ssr]

So compared to NYC and the amount you're paying for rent, Buenos Aires will be a joke. Dinners that cost US$150 in NYC will cost about US$40-US$50 here and you will be laughing.

For the average porteño, Buenos Aires is way more expensive than NYC is for the average New Yorker. But for the person coming directly from NYC, living on US dollars, and is used to taking cabs everywhere, Buenos Aires will be like fantasy land.

Um, no. I think some of the earlier comparisons of Buenos Aires to a mid-sized American city are more accurate than "fantasy land." OP, you're definitely going to spend less money down here than you would in New York but don't go believing every bit of crazy hype you may hear about Buenos Aires. You're a New Yorker so you should have a finely-tuned bullshit detector. Well, charge up the batteries because you're definitely going to need it down here.

 

[steveinbsas]

"Expensive" is a relative term. I moved here from L.A. and i pay a little less in rent but I get a fully furnished apt with a 24 hour door man. As far as living, you will be SHOCKED how much food you can buy at the market for not that much money. Restaurants are cheaper as are movies, but if you want electronics or books you'll pay more.

If you ever want to buy furniture and other items at significantly lower prices than in the shops of BA, try www.mercadolibre.com.ar. I have purchased many items on this site and I'm especially happy with this one:

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-63099623-chihuahua-hembrita-unica-de-bolsillo-_JM

 

[arty]

If you ever want to buy furniture and other items at significantly lower prices than in the shops of BA, try www.mercadolibre.com.ar. I have purchased many items on this site and I'm especially happy with this one:

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-63099623-chihuahua-hembrita-unica-de-bolsillo-_JM

I do shop there a lot now. now i know where to get a wiener dog!

 

[thebookcellar]

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We are starting off renting a place with http://www.inmogestionrent.com.ar and will evaluate whether to stay with them or find something else once here after a month or two. They have a decent selection of places and although I am not thrilled at their commission structure (tenants pay letting fee of 20% to the agency), it does seem to be common and their prices seem better than other agencies (saw one same place advertised with another agency at 20% USD above what we found with them INCLUDING their letting fee). But I think it's one of those things that you just live with and negotiate once you have some leverage (ie once there and have more options).

there are plenty of owners who rent places without the 20% - and actually the 20% is designed for the foreign market. When i was renting my apartment i had small and large locally run companies who only added 5-10% on top. I NEVER worked with agencies adding 20% - for me that is a horrifying scam

 

[thebookcellar]

FYI if you know how to cook this place is uber cheap; just bring a spice rack with you from the states and any asian sauces that you prefer

my next visitor has to hook me up with jerk/fajita/italian/thai seasoning, fire-roasted salsa, teriyaki/peanut sauce and a small bottle of decent olive oil

I make my own teriyaki sauce from authentic Japanese ingredients bought in Barrio chino, three blocks from my house. Spices i have bought all over the city whenever i find them - diet/health shops; barrio chino; el gato negro (or something like that) in the centre.
90% of spices can be found - what are hard to find are things like black cardomon, kaffir lime, curry leaves...

Also, i find that on these types of threads that those who love living here, that have good hunting skills and that adapt well are those that speak positivlely about the growing food industry here.

For those with money try Nectarine. Excellent chef, food from an estancia (including their own guinea fowl and quail). Coming from me, a chef, its a compliment. Those who wish to have value for money should try Las Pizarras, Thames 2296; Rodrigo workied for Corrigan in London.


Be positive people. London, New York, Paris are ahead of the rest of the world. But Buenos Aires has a yearning and desire to be the best and move with the times. Give the place a chance, its not easy to find decent staff here.

 

[RobeartoNYC]

Similar restaurant? The absolute best restaurants here are equivalent to mediocre restaurants in New York (and much of the US). For 100-150 pesos (around $25-$40) per person, one can eat very well in New York. You mentioned Europe so maybe you're European and not accustomed to getting much value for your Euro back home, but there really is no place like New York for food and since this thread was started by a New Yorker heading down I gotta fill a brother in: keep those expectations low. They get a few things right down here but screw a whole lot of other things up and beyond beef and wine there really aren't too many great bargains to be found.

Good Looks Bro!

My expectations are low when i leave NYC to go just about anywhere. I'll eat steak everyday, plus I'm a self proclaimed chef, and it sounds like I can get some good grocery down there.

 

[arty]

Good Looks Bro!

My expectations are low when i leave NYC to go just about anywhere. I'll eat steak everyday, plus I'm a self proclaimed chef, and it sounds like I can get some good grocery down there.

produce is a big let down and if you are a pasta snob, brillia pasta is about 10-12 pesos a box when in stock.

 

[HotYogaTeacher]

My turn, I always have to play devil's advocate. Transportation - cheaper. Housing - cheaper if you do it right, no temporary rentals or agencies. Eating out - way cheaper than NYC, though you get what you pay for, there are no world class restaurants here and if you're a gourmand or you're into healthfoods or organics you're going to struggle here. Electricity/water/cable/internet - the same or more expensive with zero service. Beer/alcohol (non-premium) - cheaper, so it rocks if you're a big drinker, unless you like premium booze, great wine, cheap, obviously. If you need to do business down here that can be hard. Groceries I pay more for. Not at the verdureria for veggies and fruit, but everything else at the supermercado, more expensive than in the states.

Here's the thing. If you're looking for a change, something culturally interesting. Great choice. If you're coming here because it's cheap and you want to have anything like the life you have in NYC it is not a choice I would make. No matter what anyone say's BsAs is not NYC. Never will be. It's a great city, for what it is, a large metropolis in a developing nation. It changes every day and is exciting in that way, watching the changes happen, but there is a lot left that would still need to change to make it worth what it costs to live in NYC. I walk past a sink hole in the side walk near my house every day. It's huge and just waiting for the whole sidewalk to cave in on top of the subte below. It's been like that for 8 months. There's nothing marking it, the city just piled junk on it so people wouldn't walk on it. A door from an old oven and some construction site trash, rotted wood and such. It will stay like that a long time. When it finally gets fixed it wont be fixed the way a north american might think it should and if you fall on it you can't sue, nobody would really care. And, that's fine, because I've never needed a sign to tell me not step in a sink hole any way. It's just different...

 

[cosaco]

If you are thrilled to pay 1600-2700 dollars (4800-8100 with a cheap dollar exchange rate), dont think it twice, you can live as a king here.
Besides, BA isn´t just recoleta, palermo, belgrano. It´s a big city and prices change in every location, you can find many nice surprises if you dare to get out the expat ghetto.

Hi everyone,

This is an excellent website... My thanks to whoever put it together. I am planning to move to BA from New York. One of the factors in my decision is the idea that you can live in BA for much less than in the States. However, I keep reading posts from people saying that BA is a very expensive city.
I'm a little surprised to hear that. Can anyone give me the straight scoop on what I should expect? I pay $2700/ Mo. for my apartment in Manhattan. I would be thrilled to pay 1600-2200 in BA, but would like to believe that I would save some expense on everyday life.

Can anyone offer some words of wisdom? Examples? Thoughts?

Thank you so much... everyone seems really great on here. Can't wait to get there.

Best,

Robert