Rising Prices And Other Things: Time To Leave Bsars

[mariano-BCN]

I came end 2012 and just left back to Amsterdam. The mala onda porteña, the filthiness of the anywhere the city, the cuts of electricity, water during the summer and even in the winter, the overflows when it rains, the overcrowded subte and specially the fact that you as half Argentinean but with a foreign accent (as I've been living in the Netherlands since I was 12 y) are target of many many attempts of getting screwed made me take the plane back.
And here in Amsterdam, I'm amazed about how expensive is BsArs compared to north-european prices. Usually prices were here always much higher. Now that's the case in some extends: public urban transport is far more expensive than the colectivos, cinemas and tango lessons too, culture in general is cheap in Bsars. But daily costs like food at the supermarket, clothes, flights within Europe (certainly compared those of AA within Argentina), internet and mobile costs, even rents (specially in the gringo alquiler temporario-sector), health plans (1900 pesos, 120 blue euros, at the HA while here it's 100 euros), are here far more cheap and better of quality.
I'm lucky I work online so I may live here and there -i'll stay every year weeks or months there- but I stop looking for ways to settle there. Take alone the bubble of prices of flats in bsars: I saw so many crap flats for ridiculous high prices!
Anyway...this may sound familiar to many, isn't it?

 

[Girino]

I am with you on this! BsAs is no longer a deal as far as money goes. I am too getting pissed pretty often about the attempts to screw me because I am a foreigner. I still have many places to visit in SA, but then I will be done. Argentina is writing her future, and it's a dark one.

 

[nikad]

I am sorry to hear about your frustration Mariano and Serafina, however if you came to Argentina thinking it was going to be a cheap deal, I think you were 10-13 years late...

 

[semigoodlookin]

Coming here because it is an affordable lifestyle is not going to get anyone far. The cost of daily things is a lot higher, I think it is common knowledge by now. Yeah, culture is cheaper, but then the options are less than in most European capitals (museums are free in the UK though, better, and there's many more) and I would rather pay a bit more occasionally for those things than pay more for day to day goods. I hate going to buy something (clothes, shoes, electronics, etc.) and knowing how much it costs somewhere else. It makes me a cheapskate who won't buy anything, my family must hate me for always says "we can't get that, it is X amount in the UK, we'll wait until I go back next".

 

[Rich One]

Supermarket prices in BA higher than Madrid, London and NY. Madrid 20 % cheaper....!!

http://www.latercera.com/noticia/negocios/2013/07/655-533021-9-supermercados-en-buenos-aires-son-mas-caros-que-en-londres-madrid-y-nueva-york.shtml

 

[mikic007]

It was not cheap already 2 years ago, now is just worse. Inflation do 5hat usually. Still, for people who aren't earning pesos can't be that bad just now,the problem are expectations. You believe prices should be lower, considering the circumstances, and at the same time quality and availability is low.

If you are lucky not to pay the rent and your lifestyle is cheap in general, it's still good though. Basic living costs are low, at least for me. I'm applying every possible way to buy cheap dollars (which is fairly easy for foreigners), paying low electricity, transportation and buy food that is cheap (but not bad at the same time;raw food is not more expensive, you just have to invest time to make something good out of it).

But, having children, car, travelling around, technology ... put you in minus in no time. If you have or want this, you should move for sure.

 

[camberiu]

Argentina (and Latin America) explained.

http://youtu.be/kmmASTHz1h0

 

[mikic007]

Argentina (and Latin America) explained.

http://youtu.be/kmmASTHz1h0

3 minutes explained it to the core. I loved it

 

[TomAtAlki]

Choosing a home based solely the cost of living seems a bit bizarre to me. There must have been other reasons for a person to move to a new country.
I just can't imagine. One of the reasons in consideration yes, BUT the only one?
Nancy

 

[RichardP]

It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.