How's everyone hanging in there with the cost of living these days?

[Che1990]

I am taking a dim view of the likellihood of Milei's reforms working.

Once the high of repatriated dollars is over, Argentina has the prospects of increasing employment in the AG sector short term, increasing employment in Oil & Gas medium term, and increasing employment in Mining longer term.

The problem is, none of this employment will be meaningfully applicable in Buenos Aires. This raises the specter of BA has an engine of discontent beating in the nation.

If that view is correct, I think increases price levels can only run for another year or so.

The supporters say they’ve stopped printing money and have absorbed most excess pesos so that should stop inflation.

But yeah, they have to keep the peso overvalued to avoid inflation and that makes the country expensive and uncompetitive.

Compare to Brazil which has a devalued real and that will hit the economy hard. As it did late 90s

At some point, something has to give.

 

[steveinbsas]

There is a Part B deduction of around $200 for hospital care, so the actual cash amount is less but either way, this is a great deal in Argentina.

Depending on the individual expat's desired lifestyle, the average monthly Social Security benefit of about $1,900 USD could be a relatively great "deal" here, especially if the expat had no desire to travel abroad and stay in nice hotels and enjoy fine dining


As I posted recently, for the past 14 years I have been living in a house on 2.5 acres in the zona de las quintas, one km from the the nearest corner of the plaza in Villa General Arias. As of November 1st, I can live on (paying all expenses and costs as they come due, as well as buying all of the meat and eggs I can eat and all of the bottled water and coffee I want to drink) almost exactly $400USD per month.

Wth the 2.5% increase in 2025, my monthly SS income will still be less than $600. Fortunately, I have some additional investment income ($250USD per month) and I also have no desire to travel or eat in restaurants.

I have experience growing potatoes, corn, and acelga on my property, but I no longer grow or consume them. One of closest neighbors grows a lot of fruits and vegetables and he would be happy to give me even more than I could consumo in exchange for firewood from my property, but thusfar I have just been giving him the leña.

Next year I should be able to extract the oil from the fruits of the 20 olive trees that I planted over 12 years ago. It already looks like it will be a "bumper" harvest. The last time I bought oluve oil (about a year ago), one litro of Laur evoo cost $5000 pesos. Today the price is almost $30.000 for one litro and is the only "plant based" product which I still consume.

I don't know how anyone who lives alone in a monthly income of just over $1000 could pay rent for a barely acceptabe apartment in CF (close enough to socialize with orher expats) and have enough money to eat in restaurants after buying enough food to survive on by preparing and eating almost every meal at home.

 

[sergio]

Depending on the individual expat's desired lifestyle, the average monthly Social Security benefit of about $1,900 USD could be a relatively great "deal" here, especially if the expat had no desire to travel abroad and stay in nice hotels and enjoy fine dining


As I posted recently, for the past 14 years I have been living in a house on 2.5 acres in the zona de las quintas, one km from the the nearest corner of the plaza in Villa General Arias. As of November 1st, I can live on (paying all expenses and costs as they come due, as well as buying all of the meat and eggs I can eat and all of the bottled water and coffee I want to drink) almost exactly $400USD per month.

Wth the 2.5% increase in 2025, my monthly SS income will still be less than $600. Fortunately, I have some additional investment income ($250USD per month) and I also have no desire to travel or eat in restaurants.

I have experience growing potatoes, corn, and acelga on my property, but I no longer grow or consume them. One of closest neighbors grows a lot of fruits and vegetables and he would be happy to give me even more than I could consumo in exchange for firewood from my property, but thusfar I have just been giving him the leña.

Next year I should be able to extract the oil from the fruits of the 20 olive trees that I planted over 12 years ago. It already looks like it will be a "bumper" harvest. The last time I bought oluve oil (about a year ago), one litro of Laur evoo cost $5000 pesos. Today the price is almost $30.000 for one litro and is the only "plant based" product which I still consume.

I don't know how anyone who lives alone in a monthly income of just over $1000 could pay rent for a barely acceptabe apartment in CF (close enough to socialize with orher expats) and have enough money to eat in restaurants after buying enough food to survive on by preparing and eating almost every meal at home.

True but not many expats will be wiling to adopt your frugal lifestyle.

 

[jbeas176]

great conversation, i love the openess and do believe argentina is a good place to be. pacience, its never as bad as you think. abrazos por todo

 

[LuckyLuke]

I read that for 2025, Vaca Muerta is expected to provide USD 8 billion for the state. And the amount can only go up (for the next 5-10 years at least, until the world loses its appetite for petrol).That's where the money will be. Maybe this time next year we'll be camping out in @LuckyLuke's backyard Fire up the BBQ!

Can confirm. Neuquen capital is busy busy busy right now, new towers are going up everywhere. Last I checked a 2 bedroom in one of the towers, which is currently just a concrete shell with windows, is listed at $216,000.

One of my wife's friends is a manager in a petrol company building a new refinery outside of town and says that new production coming on line next year will be bringing in lots of new jobs. My recent property purchase was a lot with 6 apartments in a quiet neighborhood. There are very few affordable units available for rent on the market right now. 1 bedroom apartments are the most sought after by both petrol and construction workers coming from outside provincias.

Would love to try some BBQ on the parilla, anyone got a BBQ sauce recommendation?

 

[DK72]

I can't see CABA being an engine of discontent, it was explicitly gerrymandered to provide a reliable non-Peronist voting base, as well as a safe jurisdiction where court cases against non-Peronists go to die. The conurbation, yes, sure, I'll agree with you there, that could be more volatile. But that will be a problem for Axel Kicillof, so LLA will be happy to point fingers, let prices soar, unleash the rabid Espert, and let Kicillof hang. I think LLA has already written off Sister Karina's chances of being elected there.

Interesting.

How and when did this gerry mandering of CABA happen? As far as I know the city limits are Rio de la Plata, General Paz and Riachuelo. The General Paz was established as the border between province and city well before Perón was even born. And when I look at the city map in the 1880's, it looks pretty much the same as today.

 

[Sojourner]

Speaking of “hanging in there,” from today’s Clarín:

“Basic food basket . In the last month, a family of four needed $986,586 to avoid being poor and at least $434,620 to avoid being destitute.”

Kind of puts things in perspective.

 

[Sojourner]

Reading further, which I finally did, if the cost of rent is considered:

$ 1.400.000 para no ser considerada pobre y más de $ 2.000.000 mensuales para pertenecer a la clase media. ($2004.01 USD to belong to the middle class.)

These are government estimations. How closely they track reality I do not know though it is not hard to imagine.

 

[FrankPintor]

Interesting.

How and when did this gerry mandering of CABA happen? As far as I know the city limits are Rio de la Plata, General Paz and Riachuelo. The General Paz was established as the border between province and city well before Perón was even born. And when I look at the city map in the 1880's, it looks pretty much the same as today.

It was the "Pacto de Olivos", info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pact_of_Olivos and here https://www-ambito-com.translate.go...=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

And certainly, yes, the basic outlines and limits of the city were established long ago, but administratively it's a different story.

 

[MarshallE]

Reading further, which I finally did, if the cost of rent is considered:

$ 1.400.000 para no ser considerada pobre y más de $ 2.000.000 mensuales para pertenecer a la clase media. ($2004.01 USD to belong to the middle class.)

These are government estimations. How closely they track reality I do not know though it is not hard to imagine.

For a single person or for a family? Even on $1400 a month you can rent your own place in a nice part of the city and have a lot leftover. I'd expect those at/near the poverty line to be living in non prime neighborhoods, perhaps with roommates, and that can be done on less than $1400 monthly for sure