Coffee and cake prices

[Lanick]

I don't know where you are from either but i will tell you this, if you think you have the same rights here as ,say, United States, you are very confused(not wrong) just confused about what this country is about, go ahead and raise your voice all you want , assuming justice will prevail.
To give you an idea , i recall the price cap peron put in place back in 74 creating the biggest and quickest black market in recent history of this lovely country, oh and by the way peron won that election with almost 62% of the votes, so yeah i understand your point also i understand no one took me seriously when i mentioned a revolution , the powers that be know it all too well, we'll bitch about it maybe even protest out on the streets but nothing will change because people here can't or won't risk taking actual actions to change things, and this include the return to a democratic regime after the military government, in that particular case democracy was handed back by the military when they were good and ready to give up power, perhaps because they ran out of things to screw up.

Here you can raise your voice about inflation and prices also. It is a democracy here and you were telling to keep quiet and adjust. Companies ripping people off and there’s no adjusting to that in thinking societies.

 

[Rich One]

Comparing consumer prices in Argentina with the US make little or no sense,
Without taking into account the difference in hourly wages and median income of both countries.
Unless we compare Purchasing Power Parity.


In the Big Mac Index Argentina ranks Second After Switzerland

Google Search

Argentina ranks second in the Big Mac Index 2025
The latest report from The Economist magazine showed that the Argentine peso ranked second in the index, with a value 20% higher than that of the United States.Feb 11, 2025

 

[chris]

I have just returned after spending a month in the US ( FL and NC ). Like everybody else, I had been adjusting here, witnessing some obscene price increases, complaining, and again, adjusting. When we decided to go visit DHs family, I was somehow convinced that it was all going to be much cheaper/affordable in the US, only to come to the conclusion that prices are the same for basic groceries, maybe gas, and the most basic clothes ( not brand names ). The rest I have found it all to be expensive. Especially eating out, entertainment, hotels, utilities. For some items quality is higher and there is certainly a huge variety of items everywhere. I noticed that most people there complain about how expensive everything is. Last time I visited was before the pandemic. an 80k income certainly will not take you very far, especially if you need to save towards retirement. I am not exactly sure how retirees manage to live there, but I am starting to understand with some try retire and move abroad. I am not an expert in economy, but something is very off in Arg. I am anything but pro K. Argentina was very expensive in the 90s, but many foreign companies invested in the country, and even though imports killed the local industry, at least the services industry was booming. This.... this is something else that honestly cannot figure out. As for the US, while I wait for USCIS, etc, I am somewhat worried, I simply don't understand how you make ends meet, save enough towards retirement and not fall into huge debt, and have a good health coverage during your lifetime for yourself and your family.

Health care is provided by employers, otherwise it is extremely expensive. Few people can afford early retirement because of the cost of health care. Prices in the US have soared since the pandemic. The WSJ reports that the top 10% wealthiest people are responsible for 50% of purchases. Others are faced to cut back or go into debt with credit cards. Restaurants are extremely expensive. Tax and tip can easily come to 30% of the bill, at least in big East and West Coast cities. Food has become expensive but there is competition and you can shop for items on sale. Retirement: If you have a good income Social Security will pay well but you will need additional savings if you want to live comfortably. Medicare will cover most health care.

 

[Konner_Long]

I have just returned after spending a month in the US ( FL and NC ). Like everybody else, I had been adjusting here, witnessing some obscene price increases, complaining, and again, adjusting. When we decided to go visit DHs family, I was somehow convinced that it was all going to be much cheaper/affordable in the US, only to come to the conclusion that prices are the same for basic groceries, maybe gas, and the most basic clothes ( not brand names ). The rest I have found it all to be expensive. Especially eating out, entertainment, hotels, utilities. For some items quality is higher and there is certainly a huge variety of items everywhere. I noticed that most people there complain about how expensive everything is. Last time I visited was before the pandemic. an 80k income certainly will not take you very far, especially if you need to save towards retirement. I am not exactly sure how retirees manage to live there, but I am starting to understand with some try retire and move abroad. I am not an expert in economy, but something is very off in Arg. I am anything but pro K. Argentina was very expensive in the 90s, but many foreign companies invested in the country, and even though imports killed the local industry, at least the services industry was booming. This.... this is something else that honestly cannot figure out. As for the US, while I wait for USCIS, etc, I am somewhat worried, I simply don't understand how you make ends meet, save enough towards retirement and not fall into huge debt, and have a good health coverage during your lifetime for yourself and your family.

I am very much an outsider here but my wife and I are moving to BA in July 2025. When comparing the prices from South Africa to BA (for our budgeting purposes) shows that while food will be more expensive, most services and utilities will be cheaper. The crazy thing here at the moment, EVERYTHING is increasing in price. Fuel, food, services, medical, electronics etc. are all seeing massive increases. Electricity and fuel are the worst offenders which drive other costs.

We had someone visit from UK a few years back as well and the common theme was that bedding, clothing, electronics, goods and some types of food were more expensive in South Africa than in the UK. The issue is that prices have always been rising since covid. Nothing is "cheap" here anymore.

I think Arg may just be feeling the sudden increase in prices that the rest of the world has been feeling for the past five years. The rest of us are slow boiling, but Arg is like a flash fire. Far more noticeable when it happens over a few months vs a few years.

 

[sergio]

I have just returned after spending a month in the US ( FL and NC ). Like everybody else, I had been adjusting here, witnessing some obscene price increases, complaining, and again, adjusting. When we decided to go visit DHs family, I was somehow convinced that it was all going to be much cheaper/affordable in the US, only to come to the conclusion that prices are the same for basic groceries, maybe gas, and the most basic clothes ( not brand names ). The rest I have found it all to be expensive. Especially eating out, entertainment, hotels, utilities. For some items quality is higher and there is certainly a huge variety of items everywhere. I noticed that most people there complain about how expensive everything is. Last time I visited was before the pandemic. an 80k income certainly will not take you very far, especially if you need to save towards retirement. I am not exactly sure how retirees manage to live there, but I am starting to understand with some try retire and move abroad. I am not an expert in economy, but something is very off in Arg. I am anything but pro K. Argentina was very expensive in the 90s, but many foreign companies invested in the country, and even though imports killed the local industry, at least the services industry was booming. This.... this is something else that honestly cannot figure out. As for the US, while I wait for USCIS, etc, I am somewhat worried, I simply don't understand how you make ends meet, save enough towards retirement and not fall into huge debt, and have a good health coverage during your lifetime for yourself and your family.

I was in Argentina throughout the 1990's. It was not nearly as expensive in dollar terms as now.

 

[LuckyLuke]

... I am somewhat worried, I simply don't understand how you make ends meet, save enough towards retirement and not fall into huge debt, and have a good health coverage during your lifetime for yourself and your family.

Like in many other developed nations, people in the USA are slowly discovering the secret to retirement is both spouses working and no children. Population decline is coming for all of us.

 

[Lanick]

I am very much an outsider here but my wife and I are moving to BA in July 2025. When comparing the prices from South Africa to BA (for our budgeting purposes) shows that while food will be more expensive, most services and utilities will be cheaper. The crazy thing here at the moment, EVERYTHING is increasing in price. Fuel, food, services, medical, electronics etc. are all seeing massive increases. Electricity and fuel are the worst offenders which drive other costs.

We had someone visit from UK a few years back as well and the common theme was that bedding, clothing, electronics, goods and some types of food were more expensive in South Africa than in the UK. The issue is that prices have always been rising since covid. Nothing is "cheap" here anymore.

I think Arg may just be feeling the sudden increase in prices that the rest of the world has been feeling for the past five years. The rest of us are slow boiling, but Arg is like a flash fire. Far more noticeable when it happens over a few months vs a few years.

You will be in a for a shock here. It’s not cheap. Not expensive either. Way overpriced and the quality is far worse. Overpriced for cheap stuff. It was my decision to live in Argentina for a year and it was a big big mistake that I regret everyday. I got newborn twins so my situation might be different. At least you will not have to fork out usd 300 for diapers per month. If you can change your plans, think again. Medical insurance will be very expensive also. Food is outrageously expensive. Is that a joke kinda expensive. Clothing, bedding, electronics. Bring all your small appliances with you. Bedding with you. Pay extra luggage if you have to as it’ll worth it. OTC medication. Sunscreen. Loads of clothing. Learn how to make cheese and yogurt at home.

 

[steveinbsas]

Most people wanna complain because now they have to pay real prices instead of what they used to pay in the golden era of the kirchners.

I'm starting to suspect that all those Argentina lovers didn't love Argentina that much and were here for the ridiculous low prices.

I don't have to dig very deep into the past to remember what I can now regard as "ridículos low prices."

Fourteen months ago, my daily cost of living was between $5.50 and $6.00USD per day (not including rent, which I don't pay).

Now it's between $16.50 and $18.00USD per day

The COL does not include rent (which I don't pay), but includes everything else that buy and/or pay for.

I have been living in my present location for almost 16 years and, although I have never said that I love Argentina, I can say, without any hesitation, that I love the life that I have created for myself here.

PS: Even with the recent increase in my COL, Argentina is still significantly cheaper than the only other country I could move to.

 

[Konner_Long]

You will be in a for a shock here. It’s not cheap. Not expensive either. Way overpriced and the quality is far worse. Overpriced for cheap stuff. It was my decision to live in Argentina for a year and it was a big big mistake that I regret everyday. I got newborn twins so my situation might be different. At least you will not have to fork out usd 300 for diapers per month. If you can change your plans, think again. Medical insurance will be very expensive also. Food is outrageously expensive. Is that a joke kinda expensive. Clothing, bedding, electronics. Bring all your small appliances with you. Bedding with you. Pay extra luggage if you have to as it’ll worth it. OTC medication. Sunscreen. Loads of clothing. Learn how to make cheese and yogurt at home.

Thanks for the advice. We do have some distant family in Arg so it's not a total shock and in reality we are pretty well prepped with extra luggage in the plan as well. BA is not the only horse in the race either.

 

[nikad]

Comparing consumer prices in Argentina with the US make little or no sense,
Without taking into account the difference in hourly wages and median income of both countries.
Unless we compare Purchasing Power Parity.


In the Big Mac Index Argentina ranks Second After Switzerland

Google Search

Argentina ranks second in the Big Mac Index 2025
The latest report from The Economist magazine showed that the Argentine peso ranked second in the index, with a value 20% higher than that of the United States.Feb 11, 2025

I was comparing the cost of goods and services based on US income and found it to be pretty expensive.