Food prices are amongst the highest of the planet

[Macanudo]

Rivaling California prices is Out of wack.

You can compare prices if and only if the day comes where salaries are comparable. Doesn't make any sense comparing prices now.

The premise of this thread is

Food prices are amongst the highest on the planet​

If it had been something like

Food prices in Argentina are among the highest they've been in the last 22 years​

then I would agree that California prices wouldn't be relevant to the discussion. What doesn't make sense to me, is saying comparing prices to California doesn't make sense in a thread claiming food prices are among the highest in the world. There are also places on the planet where food is more expensive than California.

 

[argeiCanuck]

The premise of this thread is

Food prices are amongst the highest on the planet​

If it had been something like

Food prices in Argentina are among the highest they've been in the last 22 years​

then I would agree that California prices wouldn't be relevant to the discussion. What doesn't make sense to me, is saying comparing prices to California doesn't make sense in a thread claiming food prices are among the highest in the world. There are also places on the planet where food is more expensive than California.

Would it help if we can pin down the definition of cheap?

If hourly rate can afford 20 bottles @ US$8 ($100,000 peso) each ,,,, would you agree US$8 is cheap?

 

[Macanudo]

I've been going out walking for exercise lately, three hours a day. To Boedo, Caballito, Almagro, Once, Puerto Madero, Barracas, and all others in between and close to these.

Wow, three hours is quite a hike. Do you have the health app on your cell phone that counts the steps? How many steps is that, 20,0000 ish?

 

[AussieSurfer]

Wow, three hours is quite a hike. Do you have the health app on your cell phone that counts the steps? How many steps is that, 20,0000 ish?

I walk from Almagro to my office in the centro and back every day usually I end up around 18k steps

 

[Quilombo]

I’ve just had a litre of stella, a porción of pizza and an empanada for $9.50.
You would barely get half a litre of beer for that in the states? Especially with the outrageous tipping culture that pervades the place.

But I hear the sky is falling.

$9.50 is 9.34 hours of work at the minimum wage in Argentina, or 0.63 hours in LA County; it's apples and oranges as cheap is again, a relative concept as you must compare it to income.

If we're talking about Argentina's COL only from the POV of wealthy expats and retirees with pensions in dollars then yes, Argentina remains affordable. If we're analyzing domestic conditions for the overwhelming majority of Argentines who aren't remote workers/living on dollar savings/getting a check from Uncle Sam each month, then the cost of living is increasingly exceeding the limits of one's income. IIRC around 1.8 million workers in Argentina earn the SMVyM, so almost 10 hours of work for a beer, pizza, and empanada is insanity to them.

 

[perry]

'Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or entity, in order to gain more power, makes a victim question their reality.' I don't think anyone is trying to gain power over, or make you or any forum member with different opinions victims, or even question their reality. There is no evil hidden agenda. You are free to believe what you want. I believe that some food items are relatively expensive in Argentina and other items are relatively inexpensive here. It's pretty simple really. Apparently one can purchase a very drinkable bottle of wine here for 1500 pesos, possibly close to the least expensive price for wine on

$9.50 is 9.34 hours of work at the minimum wage in Argentina, or 0.63 hours in LA County; it's apples and oranges as cheap is again, a relative concept as you must compare it to income.

If we're talking about Argentina's COL only from the POV of wealthy expats and retirees with pensions in dollars then yes, Argentina remains affordable. If we're analyzing domestic conditions for the overwhelming majority of Argentines who aren't remote workers/living on dollar savings/getting a check from Uncle Sam each month, then the cost of living is increasingly exceeding the limits of one's income. IIRC around 1.8 million workers in Argentina earn the SMVyM, so almost 10 hours of work for a beer, pizza, and empanada is insanity to them.

Quilombo you are 100% right. In 2003 a coffee and three medialunas was 1 dollar or 2.80 pesos now its close to 5 dollars or 5000 pesos nearly 5 times as much . Have the minimum wage gone up since then no . It was higher in 2003 in Argentina than now in 2024 !

 

[antipodean]

If we're analyzing domestic conditions for the overwhelming majority of Argentines who aren't remote workers/living on dollar savings/getting a check from Uncle Sam each month, then the cost of living is increasingly exceeding the limits of one's income. IIRC around 1.8 million workers in Argentina earn the SMVyM, so almost 10 hours of work for a beer, pizza, and empanada is insanity to them.

This is exactly the conversation should be having.

Having a quick look through my rappi orders history, here are some prices I paid for the some menu items in 2023 versus the SMVyM at the time, and what the listed prices on rappi for the exact same menu items from the same restaurant versus the SMVyM today.

16 MAR 23 - $3.630 - x4 Tacos // SMVyM $69.500 = 5.22%
31 MAY 24 - $13.650 - x4 Tacos // SMVyM $234.315 = 5.82%

17 JUL 23 - $4.269 - 1/4 Ice Cream x2 // SMVyM $105.500 = 4.04%
31 MAY 24 - $8.900 - 1/4 Ice Cream x2 // SMVyM $234.315 = 3.79%

It would be interesting to see other examples of historic and actual food prices as a % of the SMVyM to understand what foods really are more expensive in Argentine terms and what things are more or less the same.

There was a good question a few weeks back as to why Argentina has not exploded yet if it is as bad as people are saying, and I would say that it is combination of amnesia and selective doom and gloom as to why people are saying what they are saying, yet for many (not all) Argentines who earn pesos, life is still managing to go on more or less just as crappy, as mediocre or as good as it was already last year depending on one's income.

For food prices for the poor another relevant base is the monthly food card benefit provided by the government - $52.250 for families with one child, $81.963 for families with two children and $108.062 for those with three or more children, which recipients of AUH can receive to supplement their incomes and food budgets if they have household incomes below $2.154.806.

Aumentos para la AUH y la Tarjeta Alimentar | La AUH subirá 41,48%, por encima de la inflación

Son las únicas dos prestaciones que dependen del Estado en las que el oficialismo puede mostrar una compensación contra las variaciones de precios.

www.pagina12.com.ar

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

$9.50 is 9.34 hours of work at the minimum wage in Argentina, or 0.63 hours in LA County; it's apples and oranges as cheap is again, a relative concept as you must compare it to income.

If we're talking about Argentina's COL only from the POV of wealthy expats and retirees with pensions in dollars then yes, Argentina remains affordable. If we're analyzing domestic conditions for the overwhelming majority of Argentines who aren't remote workers/living on dollar savings/getting a check from Uncle Sam each month, then the cost of living is increasingly exceeding the limits of one's income. IIRC around 1.8 million workers in Argentina earn the SMVyM, so almost 10 hours of work for a beer, pizza, and empanada is insanity to them.

It was in a Romario in Recoleta, I don’t think the working class have ever been eating in there at least since the end of the 1:1.

 

[SinPulgas]

Wow, three hours is quite a hike. Do you have the health app on your cell phone that counts the steps? How many steps is that, 20,0000 ish?

I use Google Fit. Today I had 69 Heart Points, 12.58km, 16,800 steps, 191 move minutes. I walked to Constitucion, then Parque Patricios, then Boedo, back to Monserrat, then back to San Telmo.

A couple years ago I had a triple bypass. I was good for awhile, then I started going back to the pub and got back into eating habits and gaining weight, and my blood pressure was way up, despite taking 3 blood pressure medications. So I decided to get serious. And it's fun to see all these neighborhoods, too.

Once in a while, I take the subway out to a distant station and walk back, so I can see how the rest of you live.

I always take the mochila, because you never know what you might find, especially in the way of food items, to bring home.

 

[FrankPintor]

In three months, I've lost 10 kilos (22 pounds). Want to walk with me, Frank?

Definitely not a bad idea but I'm out in Partido Campana now. Walking is excelent exercise, but 3 hours at a time is a lot It's only in the last 2 months or so that I feel there's no limit on how long I can walk anymore. Congrats on losing the kilos.