Can you still afford to live here?

[perry]

There is no doubt that good restaurants are now as dear in Buenos Aires than most USA and European cities . I find 200 pesos a head is an average price to pay with wine in any good restaurant in Buenos Aires . This is close to US$ 50 per head . I am sure that any city in Europe or the USA this same money will buy you the same meal and with more variety.

 

[Quinn]

Really? In a mid-upper end restaurant in one of seattles wealthiest suburbs an 8oz filet mignon with garlic mashed potatos runs 18 dollars and actually has flavor. Wine is a wash, higher base prices in bs as but generally lower mark ups. No cubiertos either.

Most dining here is the same or more expensive. No way in hell its 4 times cheaper to eat here.

We must frequent different places then in our travels throughout the US. Because if you are going to a top-end steakhouse in the US and have a bottle of wine, you're paying more than you would at the best parrillas here, no way around that. Take a relatively less expensive chain like Ruth's Chris where every beef option is over $40US...which of course is $165AR. I understand that people can find all sorts of great options in the US, I have too. But all one needs to do is view through menupages under steakhouses in any of the major cities they include and it's a safe assumption that $30 to $40US is going to be the average cost in the US at a high quality steakhouse. Forget the fact that one can't mention a "filet" in the US and make comparisons to getting bife de lomo here since you're getting twice as much meat per order here.

 

[MizzMarr]

The argument that "restaurants are cheaper in BA" seems to apply to beef and beef alone. The minute you want to eat something that's NOT beef or potatoes -- be it seafood, sushi, salads, Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, vegetarian -- you'll pay as much or more than for the same dish in NYC.

what she said! As one of the rare people here who doesn't eat beef, this is a painful point for me.

 

[dani28]

Most steak places in the US would be considerably higher than even the better parillas in Buenos Aires and offer less quantity. I only eat out and I dont find food in general pricy. Individual sized pizzas can be had for around 20 pesos. Delivery/take out Chinese (appetizer of spring rolls + main dish + 1,5 l gaseosa) for around 30..... Fajita dinner for 2 with margaritas at a nice Mexican place for around 100....Where are you guys eating?

 

[MizzMarr]

Well, I typically cook because I can make MUCH better food at home for a fraction of the cost of eating out. I'll also preface that I'm relatively picky about food and am generally unhappy with the food variety and availability here (I'd probably have left already if it weren't for Barrio Chino. But the lack has made me a damn good cook, so thanks Argentina). For arguments sake:

At most of the take out Chinese places in my neighborhood (looking at a menu I have from a place in Caballito, prices generally representative), an order of 4 spring rolls costs $11 pesos, a chicken dish ranges from $30-40 or pork/beef from 30-45, seafood up to 80, and 1.5 liters of soda another $11. So, while not expensive still $20+ pesos higher than your estimate, not including a tip. Besides that, I think most of the chinese food is pretty awful here (very greasy and loaded with msg). But that's just my opinion.

The fajita plates at Maria Felix/salto de las ranas (chain, same restaurant different locations and what I consider to be some of the better tasting mexican restaurant food here) for two people range from $106-144 pesos, plus margaritas which while I couldn't find on the menus or online, I imagine that if you got a regular house margarita (with Cuervo, which isn't real tequila) it would run at least $30 pesos, where if you substitute in real tequila (sauza, patron, etc.) the price would jump *considerably*. Throw in a tip and you're talking upwards of $100 per person, not per couple.

Asian food, well... two *years* ago (the last time I went to Green Bamboo--found their menu online but of course no listed prices) a spicy curry plate was running close to $70 pesos (portion for one with rice), and drinks were all between 35-40 pesos. The food and cocktails are excellent, but there's no way that anybody can argue the price is lower than any asian restaurant in the States (Thai, Vietnamese or otherwise, even fancy ones--which unfortunately they ALL are here, as any low-end here would be crap but I know I can get a really good plate of pad thai in the States for around $5, curry for 8-10).

 

[French jurist]

Prices go up? Then buy one antique a month & that will balance your budget

(it's at least not a modern repro...).

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ar/MLA-117688643-florero-vidrio-jarron-firmado-antiguo-_JM

Good pictures, good sale !

 

[Philsword]

I actually looked up the prices in Chicago for two steakhouses, The Outback, and Texas Longhorn, you can get the lomo for between about $18 to $22 dollars with a side. My guess is a decent bottle of wine can be had for less than $30. I would say these restaurants are mid-range. You can have lomo in the states for a lot less than has been quoted here.

 

[philamote]

The argument that "restaurants are cheaper in BA" seems to apply to beef and beef alone. The minute you want to eat something that's NOT beef or potatoes -- be it seafood, sushi, salads, Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, vegetarian -- you'll pay as much or more than for the same dish in NYC.

I find Peruvian food still to be a good deal here compared to in the States, but that may be because it's just not that widespread in the US yet.

 

[PhilipDT]

We must frequent different places then in our travels throughout the US. Because if you are going to a top-end steakhouse in the US and have a bottle of wine, you're paying more than you would at the best parrillas here, no way around that. Take a relatively less expensive chain like Ruth's Chris where every beef option is over $40US...which of course is $165AR. I understand that people can find all sorts of great options in the US, I have too. But all one needs to do is view through menupages under steakhouses in any of the major cities they include and it's a safe assumption that $30 to $40US is going to be the average cost in the US at a high quality steakhouse. Forget the fact that one can't mention a "filet" in the US and make comparisons to getting bife de lomo here since you're getting twice as much meat per order here.

To start out a top end steak restaurant in the US is so much more than a "parrilla", its a real restaurant and usually a fantastic one.

And I wasn't comparing top restaurants. TOP TOP is still cheaper here, but not by much. I went out 2 weeks ago to a nice restaurant and it was ~1200 pesos for the 2 of us and that was with me bringing my own wine (corkage was 200 though).

I was comparing upper mid-range restaurants, white table cloth but not real haught cuisine; in this regard the quality : price scale tips heavily towards the states.

 

[PhilipDT]

i mean labels that are made in argentina and cost 4 x less than say Colgate, etc)

I feel as though I am living very very well, at the moment it is affordable in my opinion.

The 90g tube of Colgate I just bought from coto cost 4.45. Do they really sell anything 4x cheaper?