I put food prices in perspective by calculating what I pay in dollars. I recently bought two T-bone steaks at COTO for 32 pesos. I get 8 pesos to the dollar in a XOOM transfer. That means that each steak cost me $2 which I ate with a baked potato for a peso. I asked friends if they could eat that cheaply at home in the USA, and they replied, no. I have no complaints.
Yes, food prices are increasing, but it effects Argentines more than it does foreigners with dollars or Euros. Inflation is a fact of life in Argentina, and at one time it was 800%. Foreigners can always return home if they don't like the situation in Argentina.
I shop around these days and compare prices. When I see blueberries at COTO for 26 pesos, and for 6 pesos at the local Chinese grocery, you know where I buy them. COTO has high overhead in big stores, and almost everything is cheaper in independent stores. We have to realize that we are not going to have everything we had in the USA at reasonable prices. The decision to live in Argentina is a big one. We have to accept the way things are here and not complain. It will never be like things are in the USA, and that's fine with me.
Years ago I discovered house sales and resale shops. I had to start over furnishing an apartment here (the first property I've owned in my life!) and bought everything at weekend house sales. I found great bargains. I buy all my clothing and shoes second-hand. I dress better here than I ever did in the USA simply because I buy used Italian and French clothes and shoes for pesos, not dollars. I have 14 pairs of Italian shoes I bought here at resale shops. I manage very well on my modest social security benefits.
What I do not miss about my life in the USA: junk mail, car insurance and maintenance, no public transportation at night, cold winters in Chicago, credit cards, working, television, the constant insanity to have more even if you don't need it.
On August 15, I took the oath of citizenship and applied for a DNI. I am here to stay!