How many of us are still here?

[Johngwyn]

I’m a long term expat, married a Colombian Argentine here.

My other half earns in pesos, and while their salary has substantially improved in USD, it still buys the same as before in the days of Fernandez.

I earn self-employed in USD, EUR, GBP and earn a good wage by UK standard (where I am from), but it’s so demoralising whats happening here now. My efforts are worth less every day and many things cost more than they do in my native UK, which is an expensive country.

We spend 3 months a year during the winter in Medellin and luckily our visit is fast approaching, we leave mid-May and so can see out the next few months there. My other half will at least enjoy the overvalued Arg peso there!

While I generally prefer BA to Medellin, the economic situation here is making us question things. Cost of living is much cheaper in Colombia than here, even in very touristy Medellin.

It’s also an open economy with cheap technology, clothes and goods. They have international brands like Apple, Ikea, H&M and Decathlon with prices as cheap as in Europe.

Plus, traveling is cheaper there. Low cost airlines are actually low cost, and you’re close to the Caribbean, US.

So leisure purchases are very accessible. Buying clothes, technology or traveling here is ridiculous.

We are about to renew our rental contract here for another year and we have set that deadline—if things are still expensive this time next year, we’ll move to Colombia and come and spend a few months here per year.

My heart is in Buenos Aires, but the situation is unsettling here and the benefits of Medellin are beginning to massively outweigh here.

I know at least 3 expats who have left in the past 6 months due to cost of living.

Maybe the four seasons weather in BA is something to consider. I've never been to Medellin, would love to at some point. But long time ago, I used to work in Barbados, Bridge Town, for whole three years, the weather was none stop summer, lots of spicy food on top and dengue fever. Personally I would not move to Carribean again, lots of people from Carribean moved to the north, Canada eh.

But I agree BA is getting insanely expensive on a slow pace, but one thing I wonder and spoke shared riddle sign with my Argentine friends is that why restaurants like the one offers Vietnamese pho for 28K pesos are always packed at night with no seat... who is dinning there? I hardly spend any money dinning out unless my gf ask for, simply too expensive.

 

[rdino]

I just spent a few months in Buenos Aires ( after living for a year overseas), and I was stunned at the prices, I felt like on average, the prices at restaurants/bars had tripled for me.

So then I asked my in-laws how they were doing, and it was so interesting, that for the ones that had decent jobs eg banking/big industries, they were saving more money (in usd) than ever and didn't feel the price increases like I did.

I guess it's these people filling up the restaurants!

 

[Che1990]

Maybe the four seasons weather in BA is something to consider. I've never been to Medellin, would love to at some point. But long time ago, I used to work in Barbados, Bridge Town, for whole three years, the weather was none stop summer, lots of spicy food on top and dengue fever. Personally I would not move to Carribean again, lots of people from Carribean moved to the north, Canada eh.

The seasons are possibly an issue.

The temperature is actually great in the Medellin, thanks to the altitude. They call it the city of the eternal spring, it’s neither hot nor cold - though down in the bottom of the valley (centre of town) on sunny days it can get up to 30º in the sun. But at night it gets down to 15°, no where has AC, with a fan you’re fine.

What I found challenging was the “short” daylight hours, which would be the same as in the Caribbean.

12 hours of daylight from 6am - 6pm, which isn’t ideal for a busy self-employed/workaholic person like me who has hobbies like going to the gym etc.

I found by the time I’d done my business for the day it was night time and I’d only see daylight on the weekend.

Growing up in the northern hemisphere and spending 10 years here in BA, I’m accustomed to long days when it’s nice out, and being able to get some vitamin D in the evenings.

It was very weird seeing nice weather out while I was in an office working and by the time I finished the it was night time.

But we’ll see - I hate the winter and the cold and Medellin certainly solves hat. I guess need to be stricter with my schedule this year.