I'm cutting and pasting and slightly editing a post of mine from Trip Advisor:
I believe Macri is working to make
Argentina a better place for those who reside there. The jury is out on his effectiveness. However, the cost of "tripping" in Bs As is definitely more expensive than it has been since I first started coming here in 1975.
Owing to high import duties, clothes and electro-domesticos have always been equal to or more expensive in Bs As than in the US. However, historically, the things tourists spend money on e.g., taxis, restaurants, and lodging (except luxury hotels), have usually been comparatively inexpensive. That is no longer true.
In Bs As I live across the street from La Exposicion bakery in the
Recoleta. It used to be a bargain to buy media lunas, sandwiches, pastries, etc there. Now these items sell for about the same or just a bit less than I would expect to pay in a decent bakery in
NYC (where I recently also resided). Last night I went to
La Biela, an upscale bar/café adjacent to Plaza Francia in the Recoleta. A common cocktail (Margarita, Bloody Mary, etc ) costs 260 pesos. At current rates of exchange, that equals about $15 - without tip. That is typical of pricing at upscale Bs As spots and pretty close to NYC rates.
My downstairs kiosk charges 65 pesos ($3.50+) for a 1 liter bottle of Coca Cola light. My cablevision (TV/local phone/internet) bill is over 1400 pesos/mo. My light and gas bill remains compatively low, but that reflects minimum usage owing to little time spent in my apt. Even my favorite neighborhood restaurant (Bar Norte) has lost its bargain status - a main dish that used to cost $8 up until 3 years ago now cost $20+. It's not that this pricing is "expensive' in relation to NYC, however it is no longer inexpensive.
I would estimate that cops, firemen, teachers, restaurant workers, etc in Bs As earn salaries on the order of 1/4 or less than their counterparts in NYC. What I find curious is that, despite this huge discrepancy in the salary structure between Bs and NYC, the upscale restaurants that I have the good fortune to afford are filled with Portenos late into almost every night. Go figure.
That Bs As has lost some of its charm and tourist attractiveness because it is no longer a bargain destination is, I think, reflected in the decrease in activity in this forum (TA). The nature and number of posts reflects, in my opinion, the downturn in Bs As tourism. Moreover, it also portends a decrease in the number of expats drawn to Bs As to establish an alternative life style. I'm sorry to see this trend, not only as it personally affects my purse, but because tourism has heretofore been a major industry benefitting a large part of the local population. Mr Macri has serious challenges ahead of him.
