I am not sure its clear at all. Here they have done a comparison of comparable products. Kind of like a big mac index.
Did you know that the government used to keep the price of the big mac artificially low here so as to perform better in the big mac index?
Yes, I agree that student loans can be a huge burden, but you do realise that many of the better universities here are private? Do you know anyone that goes to the UBA? The standard is really slipping. In addition, its very difficult to get a professional job here (and very very difficult in the interior). Plus, if you do find one you will probably take home about 3k pesos (less than US 400 a month) as a graduate. Thats USD 100 a week!
I think in terms of healthcare you may be getting a bit US specific. From where I come from there is free healthcare available widely and it is fine.
Have you tried the public health care out in Argentina? Private is good but on the public, I think I will pass.
I know a bunch of people who have recently gone to UBA, as well as a lot of professors there. I would say it compares quite favorably to many US state schools- Certainly in the areas I am familiar with, art, design, textiles, architecture- UBA is very good, as good as the best US state schools. I visit and speak in colleges in the USA pretty often, I see declining quality, a move to part time hourly professors, and the closing of departments and workshops everywhere. My wife had an UBA student as an assistant this winter, and she was much better prepared for working in the real world of her field (Indumenteria) than any similar US students we have hired over the years. In addition, I have been meeting more and more people who teach in other Argentine universities, in La Plata, Rosario, and other places- and, again, they are smart, current in their subjects, and produce students who are well educated and engaged. I know less about secondary public education here, but I certainly know lots of adult argentines who went thru public schools here who are literate, educated, and on the ball.
As for health care here- certainly, many people I know have private insurance, but I know of several examples of people who needed immediate care, for accidents or other sudden health problems, and went to public hospitals or clinics in BsAs, and got immediate, free, and quite good care. I have just emerged from the teenage years of my somewhat accident prone son, and spent a LOT of time in US emergency rooms over the last 20 years- and I think that, based on my experience, the Argentine equivalents are just as good, but free. You cannot imagine how much a cut leg or a broken arm costs in the USA- easily several thousand dollars. I had a friend in January have a similar incident here, and his emergency care, and follow up visits, all free, were very professional.
Certainly, certain things in Buenos Aires are priced and must be evaluated by world standards, regardless of local income. There is no question that a new delivery van will not be priced cheaper here, just because wages are less, than in germany, but, similarly, the wages in a west african country are way lower than in Buenos Aires, and the Mercedes van is still the same price.
International commodities are pretty much the same price everywhere.
Buying power locally, however, is pretty good for housing, transportation, and food. Not so good for clothing, although, personally, I have had more Zara clothes fall apart faster than locally made stuff. I find Argentine designer stuff to be better made than global consumer priced clothing, and quite cheap compared to designer clothes in the USA- I wear some of my Hermano Estebecorena clothes daily, and they wear as well, and last as long, as anything I can get in the US. I wear my Portero khakis that I bought in Once, they are similar in quality to Dickies, but much cheaper. I think it depends on what you buy.
