daveholman
Well-known member
Ojo de bife was, I think, ARS21000
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A coffee for $3.50: Argentina is the most expensive country in Latin America
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RN in BA
Well-known member
This isn't too bad. I think that is about what I paid for a rib eye when I went but what I noticed is prices wildly vary between one place and another in BA.
Uncle Wong
Well-known member
I went to that place and it was ok. I didn't think it was over the top or anything as far as quality. I found a lot of places not bad but honesty I think the reputation of the best steaks in the world are exaggerated. Don't get me wrong some places had great steak but before I came to Argentina I thought it would be every single place would have great quality steaks and that was not my case at all.
I thought coffee was way expensive in BA. I am not sure how the locals do it and how all of these hipster places in Palermo stay in business. Many times I didn't see them all full or too busy. Coffee places in the US are jam packed with people and people are on the go more. When I would go to cafes I would see people sit for hours and just talk and not get much so limited turn over. Are cafes and restaurants very profitable in BA?
Glad all went smooth with your move. Are things as you imagined they would be Dave? Any downsides or negatives that you see so far?
daveholman
Well-known member
Pretty much as expected. Thanks to these forums, I was prepared for the downsides. Even with those, it's still a beautiful city. The parks, the cafes, everyone out walking their dogs, the architecture downtown...fabulous.
And the weather has been great.
And the weather has been great.
daveholman
Well-known member
I've found a little cafe where a cafe con leche and two medialunas is 4500. I've seen the same thing for 8000 a block away.
Same with bottled water. The Jevi on my corner charges 900. Another store I went to charged 3000 for the same brand and size.
earlyretirement
Moderator
That's the beauty of these forums. The goal is to help one another and share valuable information on Argentina. I've been posting on Buenos Aires online on forums for 23 years. It is wonderful when people share information with one another. Most people just consume information and don't share which is ok too but the real beauty is when people contribute and share. Thanks @daveholman for being part of the sharing community.
I totally agree with you @daveholman that even at the more expensive prices Buenos Aires is a fabulous city. Prices can swing up and down. I love it no matter what the prices are. I always thought it was strange that people base their experience of a city based on cost of living alone. That is wrong to me. It's a world class city that anyone would be fortunate to call "home".
The quality of life and cultural activities is simply unmatched anywhere in South America. It's a great city to live or visit.
Betsy Ross
Well-known member
Prices can vastly change even on the same block! Some stores are figuring out the only way they will stay in business is deflating their prices. I noticed the exact same thing as you Dave with bottled water. You can pay 1k pesos in one store and then it can jump up for the same exact bottle a block away. Sometimes it makes sense to walk down a block. For example, if you go on Santa Fe to a busy kiosko it could be up to 3k pesos for a fairly small "sport bottle" water bottle with the pull up lid. Then walk down a block and it is 1k pesos.
Same thing with many other things. I believe the stores changing 3k will eventually go under if there are enough sensible stores charging sane prices. Same with restaurants and everything else.
That is what my sister says about living in Santa Barbara. I visit her each year and I almost choke when I see the price of everything. You can spend $12 bucks just getting a juice or smoothie there. What she pays in property taxes each year I can live on my entire annual budget. But she says it is worth it to her and it is home.
Uncle Wong
Well-known member
Thanks. I like those same characteristics of the city. How is your Spanish Dave? Mine is ok so that makes it easier but even my friends that don't speak any get around ok in BA. That is one of the things I like about BA. In some countries with no Spanish you are totally lost but it is manageable to get around in BA with no Spanish.
I also experienced that. Prices for the same thing are so different. I was staying in Palermo Soho first and everything was more than when I moved Airbnb over to Recoleta. Probably where there are a lot of tourists matters. Soho had tourist prices almost everywhere.
VINO
Well-known member
Companies will charge as high a price as they can it seems like. Many ultimately go out of business. The sad thing is that many can't seem to find that perfect middle ground where they are charging less money and getting more business. Because inflation is so high they think it will come back and constantly charging more and more. It is still happening today in restaurants.
earlyretirement
Moderator
Ha. So true. I don't think it gets much more expensive than Southern California. I almost never have sticker shock on restaurants anywhere I go. I was in London the past few days and now I'm in Paris and just about no where I go are prices as high as back home.
Santa Barbara is beautiful and a very affluent community. Prices are high on everything. There are some people that will never leave California but others just get sick of the "sunshine tax". It's crazy but places like McDonalds and other fast food places in Southern California have to pay $20 USD minimum /hour. Places like InNOut are paying up to $24/hour to kids flipping burgers. All of that gets priced into the cost of everything.
I think there are a lot of people that bought real estate a while ago and it just keeps skyrocketing up in Southern California. Many of those people won't leave but people trying to enter California won't due to the high prices. When I moved out of Buenos Aires in 2010 I moved to San Diego. I bought a house there in 2011 and it has tripled in value from the price I paid back then. No way I would move here now if I had to pay what properties are going for now. It's not only the increased cost of the housing but property taxes and everything else with inflation.
Blockchain
Well-known member
What downsides or frustrations have you dealt with? Do you think the food is overrated there? That was one of the things I thought would be much better. Everyone raved about having the best steaks in the world and I thought they were just meh at most places. I had to really hunt and search around for variety. Stuff like sushi there is really expensive.
I am curious what downsides you experience in BA?
I don't understand instead of going out of business why don't they just price fair to begin with like anywhere else in the world? Supply and demand. Some places seemed to have an IG following or reputation like Don Julio which I thought was overvalued and overrated. But many places seem like they don't and would be empty with higher prices. I don't understand why they don't drop their prices to get more volume? Makes no sense to me.
Wow. Fast food minimum wage is $20 bucks an hour in California? No wonder everything is expensive there. I knew real estate was a lot there but didn't know it had that kind of appreciation. 200% appreciation in that time? But do they kill you on property tax bills then?
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