Buenos Aires most liveable city in Latin America

[FrankPintor]

From The Economist (so you know I'm not making it up ): https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/06/22/the-worlds-most-liveable-cities

It might be behind a paywall, I think it was mentioned here that if you search via Google you should be able to read the article. Or download the original report here: https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/global-liveability-index-2022/



Despite all the problems, it's still a very nice place to be.

 

[lunar]

It's very difficult take seriously people, who think that Tashkent is in Eastern Europe.

 

[dsp27]

It's very difficult take seriously people, who think that Tashkent is in Eastern Europe.

Eastern Europe and Central Asia, aka ECA is what they mean. It's the regional classification used by the UN and many think tanks including EIU.

 

[dsp27]

From The Economist (so you know I'm not making it up ): https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/06/22/the-worlds-most-liveable-cities

It might be behind a paywall, I think it was mentioned here that if you search via Google you should be able to read the article. Or download the original report here: https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/global-liveability-index-2022/

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Despite all the problems, it's still a very nice place to be.

Saw that too. BA has been on top of the list in Latin America for at least the last 4-5 years. Maybe even more...

 

[carride]

here is the archive without paywall https://archive.ph/1wZ7s

 

[Reply Guy]

I've had extended stays (over a couple months) in several large Latin American cities....Rio, Sao Paulo, Lima, Santiago, Bogota...Buenos Aires is definitely the most livable in my experience.

 

[Moe]

I've had extended stays (over a couple months) in several large Latin American cities....Rio, Sao Paulo, Lima, Santiago, Bogota...Buenos Aires is definitely the most livable in my experience.

I've been to Santiago, Chile and Montevideo before but just for a visit. What would you say makes Buenos Aires more liveable than Santiago or Montevideo, besides costs?

 

[FrankPintor]

I've been to Santiago, Chile and Montevideo before but just for a visit. What would you say makes Buenos Aires more liveable than Santiago or Montevideo, besides costs?

For my part, this is what I've experienced:

Santiago disqualifies itself because of the air quality, almost all year round, but particularly in winter, the city is blanketed in a layer of smog. If you stay in Las Condes or anywhere closer to the mountains, you can see the smog layer come in like a dirty tide in the afternoon, pushing up against the mountains. In winter it causes epidemics of respiratory diseases (check their COVID figures, they never got it under control, and winter will make it much worse). The other problem with Santiago is the commuting, and the resulting traffic congestion, most workers live in the west (Maipu), and work in the east (Providencia, Las Condes), and the rush hour traffic all across the city is memorable, to say the lease.

Montevideo seems nice enough, there's a very nice esplanade, but the rest of the city seems run-down and uncared for. I can't say much more since I never lived there.

I've lived all the places Reply Guy has (with the exception of Rio, which my manager owes me), so we can compare opinions.

 

[Reply Guy]

For my part, this is what I've experienced:

Santiago disqualifies itself because of the air quality, almost all year round, but particularly in winter, the city is blanketed in a layer of smog. If you stay in Las Condes or anywhere closer to the mountains, you can see the smog layer come in like a dirty tide in the afternoon, pushing up against the mountains. In winter it causes epidemics of respiratory diseases (check their COVID figures, they never got it under control, and winter will make it much worse). The other problem with Santiago is the commuting, and the resulting traffic congestion, most workers live in the west (Maipu), and work in the east (Providencia, Las Condes), and the rush hour traffic all across the city is memorable, to say the lease.

Montevideo seems nice enough, there's a very nice esplanade, but the rest of the city seems run-down and uncared for. I can't say much more since I never lived there.

I've lived all the places Reply Guy has (with the exception of Rio, which my manager owes me), so we can compare opinions.

Well said, I agree with Frank's take on Santiago.

In regards to Rio, the two main quality of life items that make BA better in my opinion are crime and traffic/ public transportation. What makes Rio gorgeous the green hills and lagoons also complicate traffic. Traffic has to go through tunnels under the hills or around lagoons. The bus system isn't nearly as good. They have a subway that's fairly nice, just not as extensive.

I know BA isn't perfect on the safety front, but Rio is on another level. More petty and violent crime. You feel the energy in the air at times. Police drive around with the tips of their rifles out the windows of their vehicles. You see military style police more often.

I didn't have much experience with the healthcare system there, but I think Buenos Aires has a better reputation for high quality and affordable healthcare.

So that would be 3 points. That being said, overall I do like it there.

Montevideo I haven't spent more than a few days at a time. Carrasco is beautiful, the downtown area is a bit run down as are other parts of the city. It's expensive compared other to Latin American cities. Sometimes you need to spend a couple of months in a place to appreciate its charms, so I don't discount that I missed something.

I acknowledge that there is a large element of personal taste when it comes to these discussions. I'm sure someone here could tell me why they prefer Montevideo, Rio, or Santiago to BA.