Buenos Aires is As Expensive as Usa

[ramon]

I just came back from a trip overseas and visited 16 countries and guess what Argentina is as expensive as most of them and dearer than the majority.
Portenos have the silly idea that for Europeans it is a bargain , Just because we can get close to 5 pesos for an Euro does not make it cheap. I can get 120 Japanese Yen for a Euro or over 1000 Russian Roubles.
When you have inflation of over 30 percent per it will be as dear as Russia soon I guess.
I notice that most products for the house ie Furniture, Electronics and anything else including packaged food is as dear as North America and dearer in most cases when you consider the small sizes .
There seems no shame in making a quick Buck now . I dont know about you guys but I am thinking of hanging up my boots and returning home to the Good ole Usa.

 

[VMSmith]

If living inexpensively is the most important thing for you, then yeah, perhaps you'd better move on.

 

[TatanBsAs]

I just came back from a trip overseas and visited 16 countries and guess what Argentina is as expensive as most of them and dearer than the majority.
Portenos have the silly idea that for Europeans it is a bargain , Just because we can get close to 5 pesos for an Euro does not make it cheap. I can get 120 Japanese Yen for a Euro or over 1000 Russian Roubles.
When you have inflation of over 30 percent per it will be as dear as Russia soon I guess.
I notice that most products for the house ie Furniture, Electronics and anything else including packaged food is as dear as North America and dearer in most cases when you consider the small sizes .
There seems no shame in making a quick Buck now . I dont know about you guys but I am thinking of hanging up my boots and returning home to the Good ole Usa.

you do that ramon. you will be doing us a favor. For those that appreciate Argentina for what it is (third world country with pros and cons), you are welcomed to stay.

 

[tangobob]

True there is raging inflation, but I have yet to pay four pounds for a coffee as I would at home that would be $24 pesos.
Come on guys get real.

 

[Matty]

You go ramon. I think your observation is very "right on the nose".
But the word expensive is a relative term, don't you think? What might be expensive to one is "still affordable " to another. But there is undeniably a spike in the cost of everything here in BsAs. Those that still hold on to the "this is heaven here... la la la" idea is delusional. Living in the city is really costly now. But fortunatley outside the city of BsAs things are still "the same" for now.
One thing I noticed is that now only the real rich in BsAs travels Business Class or First. Before almost anybody can afford to go do Europe during summer - but now the wannabes stick out like a sore thumb amongst the old "monied" travellers. Inflation does that.

 

[igor]

I can get 120 Japanese Yen for a Euro or over 1000 Russian Roubles.

1 Euro = 35.6 Roubles nowadays.But anyway, I find it is absolutely amazing how many people have this illusion that "3:1" peso to dollar ratio makes a difference and use it as an argument all the time to prove that BA is cheaper. As a purely hypothetical example. What if government would say: we decided to introduce a currency reform and issued a new peso bill that will be worth 3 old pesos. Starting tomorrow all the prices will have to be listed in new pesos. Next day prices in stores will be 3 times lower in new pesos and salaries will be 3 times lower. Dollar to new peso will be about 1:1. Would it make anybody's life any easier?

 

[G]

Igor, this "new" peso will not address the shortage of moneda problems, will it? Coz if it does, it will surely make my life a whole lot easier.
Igor for President!!

 

[perry]

I love Buenos Aires and beleive that its a great city to be in expensive or not . I would still live here even if it was dear as Paris.
Prices here are very dear for locals and are getting worse unfortunately . We are living in changing times.
Igor I fully agree with this idea that the 3 peso to one dollars has many fooled beleiving that it is cheap. In the days of one to one everything was cheaper in Real terms than now. For example a rental of an apartment was around 300 to 500 dollars a month furnished nowadays it is around 800 to 1000 minimum. Most ticket items are dearer here than your home countries ie Whitegoods, Clothing and Electronics.
Food is still relatively cheap that is if you buy from supermarkets fresh Produce . You will notice though some items are outrageously expensive ie. canned Products from overseas, nuts, asian foodstuffs which are very cheap elsewhere.

 

[ReemsterCARP]

When i arrived here in Buenos Aires about half a year ago, I was suprised by the low prices. But soon I realized that the prices weren't that low at all. For me as a European they are (minus imported goods), but for the locals the aren't... And I simply couldn't understand how they'd cope...
But I guess it's just like in every other (big) city. If you need to live on a somewhat tight budget, you just have to know where to shop. And remember: everything in Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, Microcentro and Retiro is overpriced.

 

[cbphoto]

Rent of flat
Bus/tube ticket
Music CD
Intnl paper
Cup of coffee
Burger meal

Moscow
€3,037/
£2,057
N/A
€18.85
/£12.77
€4.78
/£3.24
€4.64
/£3.14
€3.65
/£2.47

London
€2,952/
£2,000
€4,43
/£3
€19.17
/£12.99
€1.77
/£1.20
€2.95
/£2
€5.74
/£3.89

Tokyo
€3,115
/£2,110
€1.95
/£1.32
€12.00
/£8.13
€1
/£0.66
€3.44
/£2.33
€4.08
/£2.77

Copen
hagen
€1,745
/£1,182
€2.55
/£1.73
€20.66
£14.00
€2.40/
£1.64
€3.76
/£2.55
€7,36
/£4.99

Dublin
€1,200
/£812
€1.51
/£1.02
€20.00
/£29.50
€2.10
/£1.40
€3.00
/£2.00
€6.50
/£4.40

New York
€3,037/
£2,057
€1.52
/£1.03
€13.22
/£8.96
€1.24
/£0.84
€2.85
/£1.93
€4.32
/£2.93

Beijing
€2,156/
£1,461
N/A
€16.66
/£11.29
€3.04
/£2.06
€3.42
/£2.32
€2.00
/£1.36

Sydney
€1,547
/£1,048
€1.48
/£1.01
€14.83
/£10.05
€2.67
/£1.81
€2.08
/£1.41
€3.84
/£2.60

Vancouver
€1,033
/£700
€1.50
/£0.98
€14.85
/£10.06
€2.40
/£1.64
€2.09
/£1.42
€3.22
/£2.18

Johann-esburg
€723
/£490
N/A
€16.52
/£11.19
€2.50
/£1.68
€1.46
/£0.98
€2.07
/£1.40

Buenos
Aires
€1,063
/£720
€0.25
/£0.18
€8.58
/£5.81
€4.40
/£2.99
€1.34
/£0.91
€3.30
/£2.24

Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting