Foreigners Complaining about Higher Prices

[anabeeare]

Was reading Clarín this morning and came across this article.

Quejas turisticas.

After reading that and thinking back on it, how often are we (as foreigners) really ripped off?

I didn't live in a touristy part of the city and made it a point to get to know the people working in my local kiosk, pharmacy, etc etc and was never ripped off (too much).

However, I would go to visit a friend in Palermo near Plz. Italia and often ended up asking people in kiosks with unmarked prices: ¿eh, seguro que me sale tanta plata?' They usually fixed it after that.

 

[JHB1216]

That is one reason that I try to make some sort of connection with the vendors that I do business with on a regular basis. But I have developed the DTA (Dont Trust Anyone) attitude in my interactions with those vendors that I do not know. It is necessary to ask the price of things to catch the fluctuating pricing and short changing that is an art form in the city. It is very subtle to those that are not exposed to it on a regular basis.

Was reading Clarín this morning and came across this article.

Quejas turisticas.

After reading that and thinking back on it, how often are we (as foreigners) really ripped off?

I didn't live in a touristy part of the city and made it a point to get to know the people working in my local kiosk, pharmacy, etc etc and was never ripped off (too much).

However, I would go to visit a friend in Palermo near Plz. Italia and often ended up asking people in kiosks with unmarked prices: ¿eh, seguro que me sale tanta plata?' They usually fixed it after that.

 

[expatinowncountry]

The article makes some good points but why why why why there is this thing that everything is better abroad.
I copy and paste " Igual, comer en Buenos Aires es caro. En París comés bien por 15 euros”. We moved to Buenos Aires from Paris and eating out in Buenos Aires (except for sushi) is way cheaper than Paris. My daily lunch in the bar close to my office is 50 pesos or 8.50 euros. How many places you can find in Paris where you eat for that (besides "la formule" in a boulangerie)? A bife de chorizo never goes below 30 euros (175 pesos) in Paris and they are smaller than in BA so you cannot share it like here.
It would be nice to see a more balanced piece of journalism from time to time.

 

[Davidglen77]

The article makes some good points but why why why why there is this thing that everything is better abroad.
I copy and paste " Igual, comer en Buenos Aires es caro. En París comés bien por 15 euros”. We moved to Buenos Aires from Paris and eating out in Buenos Aires (except for sushi) is way cheaper than Paris. My daily lunch in the bar close to my office is 50 pesos or 8.50 euros. How many places you can find in Paris where you eat for that (besides "la formule" in a boulangerie)? A bife de chorizo never goes below 30 euros (175 pesos) in Paris and they are smaller than in BA so you cannot share it like here.
It would be nice to see a more balanced piece of journalism from time to time.

This argument about things being cheaper in Buenos Aires not accurate if you look at people's personal economy in REAL terms. You can not base purchasing power on people who come to Buenos Aires with a stronger foreign currency or people who live here who earn their salary in dollar or euro terms.

For example in New York City where I come from let's say someone earns $4000 U$ per month. To eat lunch out can cost you $15 U$. Here let's say someone earns $4000 pesos per month. Their lunch will easily cost $50 pesos. That's a lot bigger hit %wise to their salary. Another example a nice refigerator in New York will cost you $800 U$, here that refrigerator will cost you $5000 pesos, more than an average month's salary. So look again at these examples of REAL economy. You have to spend a more than an average month's salary for a basic appliance and in the USA it would cost you 20% of a month's salary. That is why you can't compare. You can't say things are cheaper if you are not dealing in the local currency on both the credit and debit side. That is why things are so up in the air here. They base economy on numbers that are totally disconnected from the true straight line method. Sorry to bore you but these are facts.

 

[mulderfox]

yes david i`ve seen that with powertools several times. a good driller can cost about 200 u$d so it is affordable in the us, the same machine here is more than half a minimum legal month`s wage in pesos

 

[expatinowncountry]

This argument about things being cheaper in Buenos Aires not accurate if you look at people's personal economy in REAL terms. You can not base purchasing power on people who come to Buenos Aires with a stronger foreign currency or people who live here who earn their salary in dollar or euro terms.

For example in New York City where I come from let's say someone earns $4000 U$ per month. To eat lunch out can cost you $15 U$. Here let's say someone earns $4000 pesos per month. Their lunch will easily cost $50 pesos. That's a lot bigger hit %wise to their salary. Another example a nice refigerator in New York will cost you $800 U$, here that refrigerator will cost you $5000 pesos, more than an average month's salary. So look again at these examples of REAL economy. You have to spend a more than an average month's salary for a basic appliance and in the USA it would cost you 20% of a month's salary. That is why you can't compare. You can't say things are cheaper if you are not dealing in the local currency on both the credit and debit side. That is why things are so up in the air here. They base economy on numbers that are totally disconnected from the true straight line method. Sorry to bore you but these are facts.

Thank you for your class on PPP but I have a Ph D in Economics from an University in New Jersey (and it is not Rutgers or Rider)
Now, the point that I was mentioning in the article was the claim that in absolute terms Buenos Aires was more expensive than Paris to eat out what is not true at all (my point).
Of course I agree with you with your general point about purchasing power and with the specific point when you look to the price of appliances, or cars, or many other things (except maybe for health care)

 

[Ashley]

I have seen tourists get overcharged occasionally (though, yes, if you eat in a tourist place at La Boca, the menu prices are ridiculous - but pretty obviously so). I think the article fails to highlight that many of the examples mentioned (Mcdonalds prices, sandwich prices etc) are suffered across the board and don't really have anything to do with tourists getting ripped off. That's just what things cost here now! I think foreigners just notice it more because they have something to compare it to. I was in Paris last year and we ate very well in cafes and small restaurants for between 25-60 euros (for two, per meal). This included a fondue meal, sea-food, pasta, etc. We pay similar prices to eat at a similar level here...and as local workers (in pesos), earn much less than your average Parisian. So % wise, most local prices eat up a significantly higher proportion of your wage than anywhere else I've been.

 

[willwright]

All the points are valid but everything is relative. Probably an average meal in a modestly priced Paris restaurant (food capital of the world in my opinion) is probably far better than what you will get at a very expensive eatery in B.A. Of course the steaks are better in B.A. but that's about it.

 

[Davidglen77]

All the points are valid but everything is relative. Probably an average meal in a modestly priced Paris restaurant (food capital of the world in my opinion) is probably far better than what you will get at a very expensive eatery in B.A. Of course the steaks are better in B.A. but that's about it.

Restaurant food here is generally bland and poor quality and that goes from very inexpensive to high end restaurants. Steaks here were excellent up until just a few years ago, when you know who's politics took over and destroyed the 150 year old traditional industry of cattle farming.

There are some good restaurants in the newer neighborhoods like Palermo, Belgrano, even in the center, but the owners are either foreign, or foreign trained and the food is not at all "Argentine". And you pay DEARLY for going to them. Not to mention the usually poor service, however a FEW times I have been pleasantly surprised.

For example, when I was in New York City last year, I went to a greek fast food shop in Astoria, Queens. I ordered a Gyro platter, a pita bread loaded with sliced lamb, pickled vegetables, salad with feta cheese, tons of tahini sauce, french fries and a 16oz ice tea. Cost: $5.99 U$D. Here they call Gyro sandwiches "shawarma". In Palermo near plaza italia the other day I walked by a shop selling "shawarma". I ordered one, it was a skinny rolled up thing in a super thin "pan arabe" which was more like a flour tortilla than any pita bread I have ever seen. Had a very small amount of sliced beef, (good tasting, well seasoned), a few shreds of lettuce and a few shards of onion and a sprinkle of tahini sauce. Cost: $22 pesos, of course NO salad, NO fries, NO drink included. Adding those other food items in would have cost about $40 pesos more! Oh, and when I asked for a napkin they told me they didn't have any left!!

 

[JoeGillis]

I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment, Davidglen77. As a frequent visitor to BsAs for roughly 33 years prior to moving here 8 years ago (thus, 41 years of eating experience in this country), the quality of food in this city (and country) is at an all time low, particularly if one takes into account the price, and this includes grocery shopping for home cooking as well as dining out. A real shame.