Ok Buenos Aires here we come...

[perry]

I really don't understand the comments about Bs.As being an expensive city. United States is a very cheap place and who knows how the businesses make any money by selling goods cheaper than places like Turkey or Greece. I had two friends visiting London from Argentina recently- and sterling is the weakest it has been in a long time, they thought UK was 10 times more expensive- even though it is a bit of an exaggeration.

Yes we know about the annual inflation rate of 20-30% and I checked every single forum and blog on information on life in Argentina and the cost of living and asked a couple of portenos if those prices were accurate so that I am better prepared, yes they are accurate and the prices are still 1/2 to 1/3 of London on average, public transport being probably 1/10- a single metro ticket is about 12-20 pesos in London. A movie ticket costs £2.50 to £3.50 there when we pay £7.50-10 in UK. I look at the rentals, rooms cost about £500 in an average suburb- nowhere near the centre- in London, sharing the flat with 3 others, check Craigslist Buenos Aires- the flashiest rooms in the best parts of the city- that would cost £800-1000 per month are about £200-300. Yes it must be very expensive for an average porteno, but for someone that has USD or GBP income?

There was a comment about Colonia being 1/3 more expensive than Bs As and Montevideo even more, that is another third world country. I have never been to US but wondering how cheap it must be outside New York, to be cheaper than some third world countries where people are earning £2 an hour.

I do not believe that anyone would need to spend 4k a month if they got out of Belgrano or Palermo , stopped eating in restaurants every day. I could spend that money in Ethiopia easily too if I tried, it depends on how one lives. From what I understand, Buenos Aires is a great city despite the rising crime, so there must be a lot to do or stuff to spend your money on, not some boring small American or English town. And electronics and imported goods are usually very expensive in third world countries.

To me this is very cheap even if the prices are 10-20% more now - and apparently they are not:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=United+Kingdom&country2=Argentina&displayCurrency=USD

Judging a city by bus and train fares is the height of friviolity . Yes they are cheaper than London or Sydney or New York but what about sheets, towels, jeans, shoes, food, restaurants, and a myriad of other products that are way dearer. If you want cheap here you will get cheap with a capital C meaning that the life of the product is very short. I buy good quality clothing and shoes and nice towels and double ply toilet paper and twice a week I go to a asian restaurant and catch taxis 10 times a week . I do not have a luxurious lifestyle but a comfortable lifestyle that was similar to my home country in Sydney Australia. Everything that I can compare with there is cheaper now except taxi fares and buying properties which are ridicously overpriced in the harbour city. Rentals are cheaper in Buenos Aires but not by a lot.

To say that this is much cheaper than Europe is a myth . I have many friends of mine from London who live here fulltime and are not on holidays and they all say its the same over a year . Remember a holiday is not living here and creating a life and the costs involved in that . There are so many products here that are seriously overpriced that would be considered cheap in most societies and these are not luxuries . I can send you a detailed list if you PM me and will compare the costs .

Some Items outrageusly priced are Rice, All Nuts, dried fruits, Fruits like raspberries and cranberries which are local and in huge abundance as Argentina is the world leader in raspberry production. Spices, cakes and most food products are dearer here than Europe . I have not mentioned cheese which is so dear to be laughable in cow country.

Good quality Clothing and jewellery is way dearer and electronics is so expensive that you would be unwise to purchase.

I love Buenos Aires but it is damn expensive .

 

[anatolie]

Hi pericles,

I am half Australian and lived in Sydney for a few years, Australia has one of the highest standards of living in the world but in my opinion it is 'dull'.. that's why I wouldn't want to go back there and the main reason for me is earning an income in USD and having savings in sterling, and the cost of living in Sydney becoming way out of control- almost equal to London or Tokyo, as Aussie dollar and economy are very strong right now...

Shopping in Australia? Shoes, shirts and everything else... even when I left 3.5 years ago when AUD was weak.. rather tacky and very hard to find anything that looks good that would compare slightly to European stuff, was very expensive, now about 30% more expensive. I lived in eastern suburbs of Sydney and know Westfield Bondi Junction well.

I am referring to basic necessities such as rent, restaurants, metro/bus tickets, supermarket prices etc. When I visit Istanbul, I notice how luxury items cost more there than they do in London... but if we are talking about basic survival items, and I believe there is a long list of that on that link.. prices are very accurate for London, Paris etc.

You are never going to find a massive nightclub in London that charges 60 pesos with all drinks included'.. that 50-60 peso will be the price of a single drink in a Central London night club.

Try living in Chelsea (your Belgrano equivalent), room will cost you 1200-1500 USD , sharing the flat with another person.

If we put the purchasing power parity into equation, earning pesos, yes Buenos Aires is extremely expensive. Who would actually want to take that challenge of moving there from USA, work there earning 3 dollars an hour and then complain about prices. Nice one.

And if food and restaurant prices are more in Buenos Aires than in Europe, I am gonna jump off a cliff : ) Average food and restaurant prices are on that list, and they are accurate.

I wonder what sort of drug these people were on when they ranked Buenos Aires as the 120 something most expensive city out of 150 in the world for expats in 2010 (and several of these rankings out there, not just one), come on, there must be a little bit of truth to it.

 

[steveinbsas]

I am half Australian and lived in Sydney for a few years, Australia has one of the highest standard of living in the world but in my opinion it is 'dull'.

I would move to Sydney in a heartbeat if the women weren't so "dull" compared to Argentine women ( not that they're worth the effort, either).

 

[katti]

To say that this is much cheaper than Europe is a myth . I have many friends of mine from London who live here fulltime and are not on holidays and they all say its the same over a year . Remember a holiday is not living here and creating a life and the costs involved in that . There are so many products here that are seriously overpriced that would be considered cheap in most societies and these are not luxuries . I can send you a detailed list if you PM me and will compare the costs .

Sorry Pericles but it is not a myth. Life is defenitely A LOT cheaper here then it is in Europe!!

Ok, Nutela costs 3 times the price, but that does not make up for the electricicy, water, bread, meat, clothes, restaurants,...

True that European designer clothes (Zegna eo) or other European made luxury goods are a lot more expensive here, but then prices of that are also ridiculously high in Europe.

Even American products (like Nike/Ralph Lauren) are cheaper here then in Europe. With Europe I mean the Eurozone, not UK (which right now is also a lot cheaper then it used to be, and I suppose London must be the most expensive place in UK). I only go to UK on holidays so I could not tell...

Some things are a lot more expensive here (like Apple), but I can live with that. These are not the things you need daily.

All this does not mean that we moved here because life is cheaper here, but it is nice to be able to spend less. It has even come this far that when I go to Europe for holidays, I can not bring myself to buying clothes I used to buy all the time. I can't imagine I have ever paid 500€ for a pair of jeans!! Gee I must have been crasy!!! I was convinced nothing fits as good as a Seven, but to pay 500€... I must have been out of my mind!!! Even my 14 year old daughter was shocked about the prices when we were in Geneva last month. I suppose that can tell?

 

[jp]

I have many friends of mine from London who live here fulltime and are not on holidays and they all say its the same over a year

I can't understand how that is possibly true.

 

[citygirl]

To Anatolie:

You're right - IF you have dollar/Euro income, it is still a livable city. But how many people that LIVE here (not visiting or on vacation) earn in dollars or euros? That's a bit of a ridiculous argument.

Do you live here? It sounds like you are not here from your posts.

Those of us that have been here for a while have a slightly different perspective on prices.

 

[SaraSara]

I don't know about Europe, but the cost of keeping a house and a car here are higher than keeping a house and a car in the States. Even though the house there is larger and far more comfortable.

My nephew recently visited from Pelham, a NYC suburb, and commented that everything was more expensive here: groceries, gas, movies, ice cream cones, etc.

I hope this year's inflation is not as bad as predicted, as I'm running out of places to cut down expenses.

 

[steveinbsas]

Sorry Pericles but it is not a myth. Life is defenitely A LOT cheaper here then it is in Europe!!

OK, Buenos Aires is the Paris of Latin America.

Actually, at best it is the Latin American version of Paris.

After the impression of the faux-French facades of the buildings of Recoleta fades what is left?

France has 30 million tourist a year.

Argentina has three million.

Living here is much cheaper than in France, but certainly not by a factor of ten.

The quality of life here isn't nearly as good, either.


If I could afford to live in France, I would.

 

[SaraSara]

I could not live in France, nor in Europe either - much too cramped, with too many people all bunched together.

There are no wide open spaces like there are in the States, Argentina, or even tiny Uruguay.

Thank goodness Argentina has only three million tourists a year - still to many, in my view.

 

[anatolie]

Hi Steve, I think there is quite a bit of xenophobia in many parts of Europe and they are not particularly in love with Americans or non-French, non-whatever, I will include non-Aussie too... I love France and many nice people in Paris too but the 'genuine' friendliness I find in some poor countries of Latin America or Asia, that ain't in wealthy Europe or Australia. No offence intended!

It is usually the people that make the place.

I am also looking forward to amazing landscapes of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.