These prices are killing me

[sergio]

This year I've found the price of things really expensive in Buenos Aires. The increases at the supermarket never end - and they're dramatic. It's not just food that is soaring: Health insurance went up 22%, etc. One week a restaurant charges 18 pesos for a lunch menul; the next week 20; the next month 22! It's like this everywhere and it's started to affect me. Is this affecting all the expats or do you all still find Buenos aires a cheap place to live?

 

[JG]

Theres no doubt that prices are soaring. When I buy something, the next time I go back, its more expensive.
It might sound silly to some to talk about the high prices here, but it isnt unless you are really well-off. Id say to anyone just arriving or thinking of coming here, that prices are rising. Many things turn out to be the same price as back home, but since we 1. earn much much less here and 2. the present exchange rate of 3 to 1 could disappear in the blink of an eye, there is reason to be concerned.
Apt. rentals, and real estate purchases are less and probably will continue to be so, although prices are much high, double or more, than they were a few years ago.
But for me its the little things that add up and the generally low quality of goods in argentina. Food is full of artificial flavorings, shampoo and stuff like that are junk, clothes often fall apart the first time you wash them. The examples could go on.
Heres one from my day today. went to buy juice. its very hard to find juice that isnt loaded with high fructose corn syrup and sugar here. often they have both sweetners, so i went to the place where i can find Citrus, one of the very few brands you will find in all of argentina that isnt sweetened and actually has some quantity of fruit juice in it. 1 liter cost me about 4 dollars.
back home there are sales all the time, i often would buy 2 large cartons for 5 dollars.
Then i walked to a small bakery, muffins are a dollar each, bread is 2 dollars. Not more than back home, but these purchases of juice and muffins added up to over 10 dollars.
When i was home in Aug., i bought 2 liters of Listerine for 7 dollars. here the small bottles cost about 5 dollars each and its made in Arg.
The final point is noone knows when this inflation is going other than up and up. Also the exchange rate could change and a cup of brown weak not tasty coffee could cost up 4 dollars or more.

 

[rmartinbuenosaires]

Yes prices are getting outrageous. But its not only the prices but the availability of basic things that just seem to never be in stock or dissapear. I went to look for Pro-Plan diet catfood today and the store said that they haven't had any in 15 days and didn't know when they would get it. I finally found one bag at another store and they had raised the price of it AGAIN by another four pesos. It is just getting completely out of hand. Strangely none of the Argentines complain about it. Only the other foreigners are complaining which is ironic. If I go to the supermarket, as I did yesterday, and they wanted 4 pesos for a handful of wilted parsley and I said no it was too much. They look at you like you are crazy. Imagine paying $US 4 for a bunch of parsley! In reality the only things cheaper here than in the U.S. are real estate (still cheap by U.S. and European standards) and medical care. Other than that, your selection and quality of items in the U.S. are far superior to here where all of the clothes, if imported, are two or three years behind the U.S. (I use Nike as an example) and cost the same if not more.Another crisis is coming soon.....

 

[Elpanada]

A couple of things 1. Inflation is hitting many parts of the world heavily not just Argentina. 2. The Argentine Peso is currently 1:39.7 with the Japanese Yen and that does not mean that the people of Argentina can go to Japan and have a huge dirtcheap holiday. That 3:1 exchange rate and any other exchange rates don't mean nothing, the primary question is how much of the currency you actually have and how much are you getting. 3. Using Nike and clothes as an example of quality goods not being available does not come out well. 4. Neither the availability nor the inflation problem mean that there is another crisis coming soon and it is unfair to sow doubt in peoples minds by saying those things and only giving those reasons.

 

[rmartinbuenosaires]

Elpanada-How many reasons do you want? I can go on for days but I just used those as an example. Thanks for believing that my comments can "sow" doubt in people's minds. As if I had control over the pathetic economic situation I SEE in Argentina. If only...To entertain you....I will give you another example: Say you are looking for a basic product indigenous to a particular country...I will use JIF Peanut Butter as an example.....It doesn't and hasn't disappeared off the shelves in the U.S. supermarkets probably in the last 50 years and then miraculously reappear only to be doubled in price.Often you can go to supermarkets and look for a basic staple (forget about a shopping list or recipes because that is compltely futile here) such as broccoli. Not available or you can run around to ten different places all afternoon looking for it until you find it. Broccoli is not a rare, exotic fruit imported from Japan. Its a basic vegetable.
The point is....a poor infrastructure without the ability to foresee problems. Look at the current shortage of oil/gas in Argentina. P*** poor planning + greed + inflation+ corruption = third world. Enough said..

 

[Elpanada]

Man First of have you stopped to consider that broccoli might not be so popular here in Argentina and that might be the reason why the grocery stores don't care if they have it or not?

Second fuck peanut butter next you'll be asking for Buenos Aires shelfs to be stacked with Malaysian eye pudding.And regarding the coming crisis, if one was to make a dedicated effort then sure it could be reasonably argued that a Argentina financial crisis is probable. But you aint done that, far from it. I'll assume that you're one of these "It's a popular saying therefor it must be right" kind of guys. Go ahead and believe that a crisis is just around the corner based on the limited insight you seem to have into Argentina and the world economy. It's all good.

 

[rmartinbuenosaires]

Your response is lacking any knowledge and fails to address mine. Where in the world did I say they should be stocking peanut butter in Argentina? If you can comprehend English, you will see that I used that as an example for the U.S. Don't respond because it is clear you have no idea what you are talking about. Your opinion is obviously "different" than mine. Lastly, calm down. If you can't discuss a situation constructively instead of attacking someone else's view, then don't bother.

 

[Elpanada]

Your response is lacking any knowledge and fails to address mine. Where in the world did I say they should be stocking peanut butter in Argentina? If you can comprehend English, you will see that I used that as an example for the U.S. Don't respond because it is clear you have no idea what you are talking about. Your opinion is obviously "different" than mine. Lastly, calm down. If you can't discuss a situation constructively instead of attacking someone else's view, then don't bother.

You dare accuse me of not discussing something constructively? Here you have been writing line after line of pure moronic bullshit and you come up with that. I may not want to invest a great deal of time in leading you through the truth of this matter from A to X but I will however point the BS finger at BS when I see it.Fuck your remarks about my english that's a very cheap and powerless shot you're throwing there. You mentioned imported clothes, you mentioned Broccoli, you mentioned Peanut butter and you mentioned Nike. If one tries to make a point about Argentina lacking something then one should surely give good examples and if one gives pathetic examples then one can not expect people to skip pointing that out.
You're both a "It's a popular saying therefor it must be right" and a "His opinion is different than mine, he can't know what he's talking about" type of guy.I'm done schooling your young ass go back to kindergarten where you belong

 

[rmartinbuenosaires]

Elpanada (or whatever it is)Your lack of comprehension and grammar in English, your lack of common courtesy to others and your lack of knowledge based on the ORIGINAL topic borders on stupidity. The more you write, the more you degenerate yourself. All one has to do is look at your chain of argumentative comments and its pretty clear what type of individual you must be. Perhaps some anti-depressants would be of help.....
I innocently commented that prices were rising and you verbally attack. It is sad....No more from me. I cannot argue with ignorance. Enough said....

 

[perry]

Yes its certainly a urban myth that Buenos Aires is a cheap city these days. Yes in 2002 it was cheap and meals were at least 50 percent cheaper back then. Rents now are equal to most american cities except New York or California.
Prices have risen in my area Palermo this year alone 30 percent . I keep very clear records of everything I buy and have noticed this trend with most products.
Saying this I am very positive about Argentinas future for many reasons . I beleive when the exchange rate is adjusted and a few more years of growth at rates of 9 percent continue . A period of long stability is in store for us all