Quick Question - The Golden Age For Expats In Ba

[malthus101]

Howdy


Long time since I've been on here - I actually moved to Thailand instead of Argentina as everything sounded so bad around 2012. I still have a dream to live in BA, it will happen one day...

Anyway, question:

When would you guys consider was the "golden age" for expats to live in BA? The time of cheap wine, cheap steaks, blah blah blah.... before the crime took off and price started rising again.

That's it.

Thanks.

 

[Ries]

Personally, I follow the advice of Ram Das.
Be Here Now.

NOPLACE is ever as good now as it was in the memory of bitter expats.

things are still quite reasonable here, by world standards. I feel safer on the collectivo in BsAs today than I would on the bus in Seattle- a buddy of mine up there got violently jacked for his smartphone last week.

Everything is relative.
And I like it when my relatives are a long way away...

 

[TomAtAlki]

Ries said it well.

Because of the dollar blue prices are dropping for me, I don't see crime on the rise, a good bottle of wine is under $10 and a great bottle is less than $15 and I had a steak (that we shared) at my favorite Parrilla for $83AR. It's pretty darn good here for an expat (on US dollars).

Tom

 

[Ceviche]

The best ever time to be here in say, last 5 odd years.

But you need the blue dollar.

 

[French jurist]

2002/2003 was incredible in terms of prices. Now it's becoming cheaper too but not as cheap as 10 years ago (now it's 3 times more expensive than 10 years ago, using the Blue/informal dollar).

 

[arlean]

I was not here as early as you were (about 2004) and it was insanely inexpensive. But it looks to me like it's on the way back down. What do you think? In 2004 I think it was similar to now in that it was not cheap for Argentinians but it was for people with the dollar.

 

[ARbound]

Now is great if you have dollars, but if you work en blanco and get paid in the nuevo Australs then it's getting worse in my opinion.

I regret moving here and am saving up to move.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

I was having coffee on Av. Santa Fe with my friend Jorge Luis in December 1940. We had just received word of our friend Scott's passing and agreed that the Golden Age for expats in Buenos Aires was 1931-1937. We lamented not joining Scott and Ernest in Paris in the 20's. Now THAT was the Golden Age of expats!

 

[khairyexpat]

now it's 3 times more expensive than 10 years ago, using the Blue/informal dollar.

True.

 

[Crema Americana]

I'm not sure about the idea of a "Golden Age." There are times when the dollar goes further, but those also tend to be times of economic trouble and crime. Right after the 2001 collapse, Argentina was incredibly cheap (for foreigners) - and also dangerous. I don't think there's ever a 'perfect' time to be in Argentina because it's always in a state of flux.

Right now it's getting "cheap" again only because of the exchange rate on the black market. I went from thinking 5 pesos to the dollar just a couple years ago, to now thinking in terms of 10 to 1... but for those who don't earn in dollars, such as myself, this doesn't really matter - it just shows how overvalued the peso is according to the government. Crime seems to be mostly stable, at least for now. In terms of pesos and local wages, life is expensive. Also in terms of quality of food (meat, etc) I think it was better 10 years ago, but that may be nostalgia speaking.... there is less grass fed beef to be found compared to a decade ago. Everything is 'cheaper' and more processed now, but that's a global issue.