Is Life Now With The Blue Dollar/euro Really Cheaper?

[mariano-BCN]

I was in BsArs just before the dollar-blue was a reality and now coming in May for at least a year and wondering if life is really cheaper then last time. Is it?
When I was there the prices of food, restaurants were amazing high, and those of clothes (very bad quality by the way) and electronic devices far more expensive than in Europe. How is it now?

 

[mariano-BCN]

And I mean if it's cheaper if you change your dollars or euros at the black market of course.

 

[expatinowncountry]

In my case, I earn and use euros (around 11 pesos per euro).

My lunch today was 50 pesos (4.50 euros), my monthly phone bill 100 pesos (9 euros), movie ticket 50 pesos (4.50 euros), my bus less than 20 cents of euro. But if your consumption basket is heavy on imported or "expat" goods then it is still very expensive.

We spend here half than home (Paris). My wife and I are applying for Argentine citizenship to vote for "Cristina eterna" ;-)

 

[Raymond]

In my case, I earn and use euros (around 11 pesos per euro).

My lunch today was 50 pesos (4.50 euros), my monthly phone bill 100 pesos (9 euros), movie ticket 50 pesos (4.50 euros), my bus less than 20 cents of euro. But if your consumption basket is heavy on imported or "expat" goods then it is still very expensive.

We spend here half than home (Paris). My wife and I are applying for Argentine citizenship to vote for "Cristina eterna" ;-)

Mariano you must be the most money obsessed person in the world . 99% of your posts are about money and the expense of Buenos Aires and how to not pay for services from others !

 

[citygirl]

Costs have gone up probably 30%+ since you were here a year ago but you have a 60% increase in the value of the dollar if you have access to it. So yes, net is probably cheaper than last time you were here but I wouldn't call it cheap and your selection of stuff is even more limited than last time.

For those that live in the peso world - it sucks and is getting more and more outrageously priced by the day.

 

[JamesKTusa]

For what it's worth, my overall costs (in dollars) have been roughly level over the last year, thanks to the (blue) peso depreciation vs. the dollar which has nicely offset the peso inflation. (The two are distinct although somewhat related). For me, housing costs here always eat up a higher proportion of my budget, compared to my "lifestyle-equivalent" living costs in N.America and Europe. Also higher are my airfare expenses to/fro Northern hemisphere. But (for me) food, local transportation, entertainment, medical, etc. are all much cheaper, ONCE YOU LEARN THE TRICKS. But that's just me--it's a very personal/individual thing, depends on one's lifestyle: size/location of depto, eating habits, use of taxi's vs. colectivo, entertainment, vacations, taste for expensive electronics, etc., (but usually dominated by housing).

All that aside, it has obviously become increasingly difficult for those 'living in the peso world', as citygirl so aptly put. I fear for my friends who don't have strong unions arguing for pay increases to match the peso inflation, and I fully expect to see more peso depreciation shocks in the near future. Fasten your seat belts!

- Jim

 

[mariano-BCN]

Raymond, so what? relax and get a life u loser!
thanks citygirl and Jim

 

[DerAchtundzwanzig]

Raymond, so what? relax and get a life u loser!
thanks citygirl and Jim

Wow, it's so sad to see someone so full of anger at 48... Hope I'm not anywhere near like that in 21 years' time.

 

[Yogur griego]

Wow, it's so sad to see someone so full of anger at 48... Hope I'm not anywhere near like that in 21 years' time.

So, shouldn't you be called DerSiebenundzwanzig? ¡Qué nickname misleading!

@JayKTusa: I agree with your opinion on certain types of expenses in Buenos Aires. If you spend your money strategically, Buenos Aires is in the end still a cheaper place than most comparable cities in the first world. That's still a kind of pathetic outcome, if you look at the differene in average salaries. I don't understand this eternal curse of high prices, Argentina was already an amazingly expensive country before 2001 and I am, cynically, just waiting for the next disaster to relieve my purse a bit.

 

[DerAchtundzwanzig]

So, shouldn't you be called DerSiebenundzwanzig? ¡Qué nickname misleading!

Achtundzwanzig does not refer to my age, but thank you for your interest.