Cost of bottled water

[harrisonba]

Can someone help me understand this disparity, please?

I recently purchased a bottle of water at EZE for A$11,00. Upon arrival in Vancouver, Canada, I paid C$1.42 ($CDN is about on par with $US) for the same size bottle -- equivalent to A$5,68... and this was at a CONVENIENCE STORE in an AIRPORT.

So what gives? Are the bottling, processing and transportation costs that much higher here in Argentina? Certainly the labour costs aren't.

The price of bottled water (and Coke) relative to meal costs is puzzling. There is a Chinese restaurant in my neighbourhood with a A$16 lunch special. A bottle of water there costs A$8,50 -- more than half the cost of the meal!

 

[syngirl]

I take it you missed the post on the ridiculous prices at the airports here in Argentina. In Vancouver they passed an action prohibiting price gouging at YVR -- that is not the case at Ezeiza.

In town a bottle costs between 3 and 5 pesos (seems to vary by barrio) -- but if you buy in larger sizes at the supermarket or via a delivery service you will pay much less per litre.

 

[TomAtAlki]

And you don't need to drink bottled water. We filter with Brita, but I really don't think that's necessary either. Also, to keep our restaurant costs down, we skip the water and just order wine.
Nancy

 

[Napoleon]

And you don't need to drink bottled water. We filter with Brita, but I really don't think that's necessary either. Also, to keep our restaurant costs down, we skip the water and just order wine.
Nancy

I haven't found Brita here (except among expats... thanks Mini ), but there is another filtration brand that I've seen in at least one dietetica.

But I prefer the tap water to bottled water accept ECO. And I'd even put ECO at about equal to the tap. (And I'm a bit of a snob about various qualities of tap water.)

So I buy ECO for my clientes, but I always just refill a bottle with tap for myself.

PS- They F you at the airports.

 

[Roxana]

FYI, bottled water at theather's performances is charged $15, and one night at a party at the Planetario, $25.

 

[JoeBlow]

Can someone help me understand this disparity, please?

I recently purchased a bottle of water at EZE for A$11,00. Upon arrival in Vancouver, Canada, I paid C$1.42 ($CDN is about on par with $US) for the same size bottle -- equivalent to A$5,68... and this was at a CONVENIENCE STORE in an AIRPORT.

So what gives? Are the bottling, processing and transportation costs that much higher here in Argentina? Certainly the labour costs aren't.

The price of bottled water (and Coke) relative to meal costs is puzzling. There is a Chinese restaurant in my neighbourhood with a A$16 lunch special. A bottle of water there costs A$8,50 -- more than half the cost of the meal!

The question for me is why is food almost always equally or more expensive here than in the US?

 

[Davidglen77]

Like everything (probably in Buenos Aires more-so) you have to look around. For example, I eat at a Parilla on Av. Alvarez Thomas in Villa Urquiza, called "Lo de Charly". I order a steak (vacio or bife de chorizo), salad, small bottle of wine and a bottle of water. For a grand total of $40,00 pesos (including a $5,00 tip). I don´t know anywhere in the USA where you can eat a meal like this for that price. It´s about $9.00 U$D. In my hometown, New York City, if you go out for pizza and a soda, it's usually about $10-$12 U$D per person. A steak meal with a salad and wine, at a diner or low end restaurant would cost a minimum of $35.00 U$D PLUS a 15% tip. So like everything you have to look around. At my store I sell bottled water for $3,50 (villavicencio), 1/2 liter plastic bottle. I shouldn´t tell everybody this, but the cost is around $2,30 per bottle which leaves a decent 50% profit. (don't forget shop owners have a lot of overhead and taxes to pay before you start complaining!)

 

[mini]

When we arrived 2.5 years ago a bottle of Evian at the hotel cost A$29! I don't even want to know what they are charging now for it.