Buenos Aires Is More Expensive Than New York, London, Madrid

[scotttswan]

http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/Buenos-Aires-Nueva-Londres-Madrid_0_954504611.html

 

[internationalguy]

http://www.clarin.co..._954504611.html

By no means am I a big fan of CFK, but it seems to me that Clarin (which is the paper I normally check out) selected those products specifically because they, well, are in fact more expensive here. I can't imagine the effect that inflation has on people earning pesos and it must be really tough if you have to deal with it, but it really doesn't help to have so many biased arguments on both sides. The govt says everything is perfect, the opposition blows everything out of proportion. I wish people in general could try to reach an understanding somewhere in the middle. That article doesn't take into consideration everything it should.

 

[MikeB12]

Maybe a bag of chips is cheaper in NYC, but most other things are more expensive save clothing and electronics. I was paying $2500 for a one bed room in Manhattan, for 20,000 pesos here I could rent something 5x the size. Most restaurants are a lot more expensive in NYC, public transport, bars, etc.

 

[scotttswan]

By no means am I a big fan of CFK, but it seems to me that Clarin (which is the paper I normally check out) selected those products specifically because they, well, are in fact more expensive here. I can't imagine the effect that inflation has on people earning pesos and it must be really tough if you have to deal with it, but it really doesn't help to have so many biased arguments on both sides. The govt says everything is perfect, the opposition blows everything out of proportion. I wish people in general could try to reach an understanding somewhere in the middle. That article doesn't take into consideration everything it should.

Bread, coffee, sugar, wheat flour, dehydrated mashed potatoes, eggs, chicken nuggets, burgers, ham, chips, water and soda.

Damn you Clarin with your selective products!

Buenos Aires was the cheapest in fruits and vegetables (potato, onion, tomato, apple and bananas), dairy (milk and yogurt) and toiletries (soap and shampoo).

Comprarla acá demanda el 7,6% de un sueldo medio, cuando en las otras tres ciudades implica menos del 3% del ingreso.

 

[internationalguy]

Bread, coffee, sugar, wheat flour, dehydrated mashed potatoes, eggs, chicken nuggets, burgers, ham, chips, water and soda.

Damn you Clarin with your selective products!

Buenos Aires was the cheapest in fruits and vegetables (potato, onion, tomato, apple and bananas), dairy (milk and yogurt) and toiletries (soap and shampoo).

Remember I clearly stated I'm no fan of CFK and I actually like Clarin. Just to make sure you read that and not only the part you disagree with. Now sugar... that's like poison, you're better off without it. Wheat and flour is a political issue as far as I can tell. Eggs, I don't know. The rest are processed foods that require imports one way or another. Instant coffee? Who even drinks that anymore? As far as cost of living goes, you can get most stuff much cheaper. Rent is way cheaper (unless you want Palermo, Recoleta...) public transport, restaurants (steak dinner for 160 pesos (30 bucks) tip included, where else?

I'm on your side of the argument, I can't stress that enough but going into the debate with extreme biased arguments is going to help no one.

 

[scotttswan]

Remember I clearly stated I'm no fan of CFK and I actually like Clarin. Just to make sure you read that and not only the part you disagree with. Now sugar... that's like poison, you're better off without it. Wheat and flour is a political issue as far as I can tell. Eggs, I don't know. The rest are processed foods that require imports one way or another. Instant coffee? Who even drinks that anymore? As far as cost of living goes, you can get most stuff much cheaper. Rent is way cheaper (unless you want Palermo, Recoleta...) public transport, restaurants (steak dinner for 160 pesos (30 bucks) tip included, where else?

I'm on your side of the argument, I can't stress that enough but going into the debate with extreme biased arguments is going to help no one.

Pretty sure the processed foods here are made here. What imports are required for them?
Are they workers here paid more than in the other countries?
Where is the added cost going to?

 

[citygirl]

It's only cheap if you have dollars and think in those. For most of us that live here, we earn and live in pesos. Not only are things net/net more expensive, they are also a much higher percentage of your salary.

 

[NYKate]

I was renting a true one bedroom apartment with eat in kitchen in Brooklyn for the same price as my two bedroom here, however, our salary is a lot less (executive salary), this is NOT NYC. To even think about comparing any of these cities is foolish. Not to mention, not many NY'ers drink instant coffee.

 

[Ries]

I dont eat any of those things. Nescafe? really?
I do know that, when I am in Buenos Aires, I spend less on many things than I do in the USA.
And I spend more on other things.

Its impossible to compare standards of livings without using absolute prices- that is, prices in dollars, or euros. If you try to say, percentage of salary, you must include too many variables- it becomes completely subjective. For instance, Argentines who went to UBA have no student loans, so, even though their imported potato chips are a higher percentage of their peso earnings, their overall standard of living may be much higher, or lower, than an equivalent NYC resident- particularly one who has $200k USD worth of student loans, and pays $2000 a month for a one bedroom apartment.

The fact is, by world standards, you can still live more cheaply in Buenos Aires than you can in NYC, whether you are spending dollars, pesos, or rubles. If you want to price everything in pesos, fine- a slice of pizza in NYC can cost 23 pesos at Famous Original Rays- and I can get a whole pizza for that at Pizza Boom. About the same quality, too..

Eat local. Its always cheaper and better wherever you are.

 

[Borracho Britanico]

So me being a bit of a geek was working some of these things out as part of my crazy Friday night. I did these very basic crude calculations. Its a bit of guess work and I'm sure some of you'll disagree on the numbers.

% cost of items after taking away cost of rent and travel from your salary.

Buenos Aires
Av Salary 9000
Salary minus rent 7000 (-R)
Salary minus rent & travel 6700 (-RT)

Rent = 28% of salary
Transport = 3.3% / 4.3% (-R)
Bread = 0.22% (-RT)
1 lrt Milk = 0.09% (-RT)

London
Av salary per month £2300
Salary minus rent £1550 (-R)
Salary minus rent & travel £1425 (-RT)

Rent = 33% of salary
Transport 5.4% / 8.0% (-R)
Bread = 0.1% (-RT)
Milk 1Lrt = 0.06% (-RT)