Economy Argentina isn't the affordable option

[Larry]

Every day with the weak blue dollar and getting weaker, Argentina gets more and more expensive. In Europe it is very inexpensive in many cities in Spain. It's cheaper in Spain vs. Argentina.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7338080651633020203

 

[HannibalLector]

How about short term 1 - 3 month rentals though? Still amazingly cheap here. I imagine it costs a fortune to rent a place in Barcelona for 3 months

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Barcelona

$1496 to 1998 USD per month in March, yep: https://www.airbnb.com/s/Barcelona-...e&room_types[]=Entire home/apt&price_max=2056

@Larry is a well-known liar around this forum, @HannibalLector - best bet is to mute him.

$482-531 USD for apartments in CABA, same filters:

Airbnb | Buenos Aires Province - Vacation Rentals & Places to Stay - Argentina

Rent from people in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina from € 18/night. Find unique places to stay with local hosts in 191 countries. Belong anywhere with Airbnb.

www.airbnb.com

 

[Avocado]

$1496 to 1998 USD per month in March, yep: https://www.airbnb.com/s/Barcelona--Spain/homes?tab_id=home_tab&refinement_paths[]=/homes&flexible_trip_lengths[]=one_week&monthly_start_date=2024-03-01&monthly_length=3&monthly_end_date=2024-06-01&price_filter_input_type=1&channel=EXPLORE&query=Barcelona, Spain&place_id=ChIJ5TCOcRaYpBIRCmZHTz37sEQ&date_picker_type=calendar&checkin=2024-03-01&checkout=2024-03-31&adults=1&source=structured_search_input_header&search_type=filter_change&price_filter_num_nights=30&ne_lat=41.43139333879556&ne_lng=2.240807594396017&sw_lat=41.355688644885525&sw_lng=2.143288322383029&zoom=12.769769813440751&zoom_level=12&search_by_map=true&room_types[]=Entire home/apt&price_max=2056

@Larry is a well-known liar around this forum, @HannibalLector - best bet is to mute him.

$482-531 USD for apartments in CABA, same filters:

Airbnb | Buenos Aires Province - Vacation Rentals & Places to Stay - Argentina

Rent from people in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina from € 18/night. Find unique places to stay with local hosts in 191 countries. Belong anywhere with Airbnb.

www.airbnb.com

Barcelona and Madrid are very expensive for nice apartment rentals in the city center. But I agree with Larry that you can dine out very affordable in many parts of Spain. But accommodations are definitely more expensive there. My family lives there.

 

[fetch rover]

My family dined out quite a bit during our 2 week trip. All the places we went I did not think prices were too affordable. Cheaper than the USA to be sure in some places. But some restaurants were more than the USA. Larry is right we spent far less in Spain vs. Argentina.

Our most expensive meal was at a restaurant called Don Julio and it was quite expensive. Very good but we went with my family and a few of my husband's co-workers and their family and I was shocked with how expensive the meal was. We went to several other beautiful restaurants in Palermo but I wouldn't call them cheap.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

I agree with Larry that you can dine out very affordable in many parts of Spain

of course you do, you're both local Peronists on an Expat forum. do you realize you can say "you can dine out very affordable in many parts of [any country]"?

no sh*t, Sherlock. there are cheap places to eat everywhere in the world, and expensive ones. the overall ratio and averages say otherwise, though. people on this forum are not going to go to rural Basque Country and find deals on dinner. so it's irrelevant; the cities in Western Europe are overwhelmingly more expensive than Argentina, and it's crazy anyone has to point that out.

accommodations are definitely more expensive there

1000-1500 USD more expensive per month according to my links, or 300% more expensive.

All the places we went I did not think prices were too affordable

like what? i've been here, and move around a lot more than you, for over 3 months now, and i say you're full of sh*t and went to touristy places. do you know what touristy places cost in Phoenix? Chicago? Los Angeles? NYC? Zurich? Stockholm? give numbers, or non of this is helpful to anyone on this forum.

Cheaper than the USA to be sure in some places

Cheaper than the USA in all places other than Don Julio and La Cabrera, is what you meant, right?

But some restaurants were more than the USA

i challenge you to post one single link to a menu where an Argentine restaurant is more expensive than a comparable USA restaurant. i'll wait @fetch rover

Larry is right we spent far less in Spain vs. Argentina

no, you didn't. housing is 3x more expensive, and (i haven't been to Barcelona/Madrid/Basque since 2016 but...) all the results here say food is more expensive than in BsAs: https://www.google.com/search?q=cost+of+dinner+in+Spain+2024

what did you pay in Spain, for what, versus the same meal in Argentina? numbers, or GTFO out of here.

Our most expensive meal was at a restaurant called Don Julio and it was quite expensive. Very good but we went with my family and a few of my husband's co-workers and their family and I was shocked with how expensive the meal was.

the fact that you went to Don Julio means you are the top 5% of tourists in Argentina. you have a very posh life, and you should appreciate how you are the 0.1% of the world population, financially. i have tons of cryptocurrency and am retired early, and i saw the $100 price of Don Julio and said "nope, too expensive" - so even i am in a tier below you, and i'm not exactly hurting on money. you can't possibly know the realities of the economies of Argentina and the USA if you're the wife of a $300k+ USD breadwinner husband - you're just too sheltered from everyday life.

We went to several other beautiful restaurants in Palermo but I wouldn't call them cheap.

again, you went to the creme de la creme of restaurants, in the most-expensive and chic area of Argentina. of course you paid a premium. did you ever sit outside at a regular neighborhood parilla and order some bife chorizo and have to say "no, gracias" to street beggars? this is what normal people do. what was the cheapest place you ate at? please post a link.

i genuinely hope you realize you are in a very niche category of tourists; here's a menu from a place that i loved eating at the past month, where big burgers and fries are $6-9 USD: https://www.cervelar.com.ar/Cervelar/pdf/carta_menu.pdf

this is a a craft brewery, so pretty upscale and not a typical local restaurant. these would be $14-18 USD in a restaurant where i used to live in Arizona: https://qrco.de/bbWFGA

plus 10% sales tax, and way more of a tip expected. so, 2.75x more expensive. see the trend? the USA is 2-4 times more expensive than CABA. people like you posting these strange stories are going to dissuade people from coming to Argentina, but very few people live the luxurious life that you live, @fetch rover

awaiting your response. this isn't meant to be hateful, but i think you have blinders on...like, really bad.

 

[fetch rover]

of course you do, you're both local Peronists on an Expat forum. do you realize you can say "you can dine out very affordable in many parts of [any country]"?

no sh*t, Sherlock. there are cheap places to eat everywhere in the world, and expensive ones. the overall ratio and averages say otherwise, though. people on this forum are not going to go to rural Basque Country and find deals on dinner. so it's irrelevant; the cities in Western Europe are overwhelmingly more expensive than Argentina, and it's crazy anyone has to point that out.






awaiting your response. this isn't meant to be hateful, but i think you have blinders on...like, really bad.

I am not sure what is going on. I was just posting on my experiences. I did mention we went to touristy places to eat and it was my first trip. I was expecting it to be very inexpensive in all places. It was in many places but many meals we went to were pricey for the 4 of us. We went to Don Julio, Chila, Osaka, SottoVoce, Fogon Asado, A Fuego Fuerte, Aramburu, Cabana Las Lilas, Elena, El Preferido, La Mar and a few other places that I can't remember the names. These places were recommended by my husband's company or my husband visited when he lived here before.

I am not claiming to be an expert on dining in Buenos Aires. And I am not saying it is more expensive than the USA. I am only stating the facts that some of these places were not as affordable as I believed they would be. I am not stating that you can't dine out in BA for affordable prices either. I am not sure the reason for hostility as I am just stating my opinion on prices at the places we dined out at.

One thing that we found much cheaper vs. the USA and other places we have visited is high quality wines. They were much cheaper in Buenos Aires vs. other places we have visited. Street food or simple food like empanadas and such were very cheap. I am not arguing that Buenos Aires is not an affordable place as many things were very affordable. It was very affordable getting around town in Ubers. I don't remember ever paying less to get around a major city vs. Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires was a very nice city and I hope my posts don't persuade people not to visit. I admit we stayed in a very nice hotel and dined out at nice restaurants. I believe most tourists will have a great time and there were many restaurants that I am sure are available at all price levels.

 

[MikeYoung]

I am not sure what is going on. I was just posting on my experiences. I did mention we went to touristy places to eat and it was my first trip. I was expecting it to be very inexpensive in all places. It was in many places but many meals we went to were pricey for the 4 of us. We went to Don Julio, Chila, Osaka, SottoVoce, Fogon Asado, A Fuego Fuerte, Aramburu, Cabana Las Lilas, Elena, El Preferido, La Mar and a few other places that I can't remember the names. These places were recommended by my husband's company or my husband visited when he lived here before.

I am not claiming to be an expert on dining in Buenos Aires. And I am not saying it is more expensive than the USA. I am only stating the facts that some of these places were not as affordable as I believed they would be. I am not stating that you can't dine out in BA for affordable prices either. I am not sure the reason for hostility as I am just stating my opinion on prices at the places we dined out at.

One thing that we found much cheaper vs. the USA and other places we have visited is high quality wines. They were much cheaper in Buenos Aires vs. other places we have visited. Street food or simple food like empanadas and such were very cheap. I am not arguing that Buenos Aires is not an affordable place as many things were very affordable. It was very affordable getting around town in Ubers. I don't remember ever paying less to get around a major city vs. Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires was a very nice city and I hope my posts don't persuade people not to visit. I admit we stayed in a very nice hotel and dined out at nice restaurants. I believe most tourists will have a great time and there were many restaurants that I am sure are available at all price levels.

I am glad you had an enjoyable trip. There is something for everyone in Buenos Aires. All of those restaurants are very nice. Probably the nicest restaurants in Buenos Aires. I have been to a few of them and as you mention, they aren't cheap. You can spend as much in them than American restaurants. But they aren't the norm on pricing. Same thing with your hotel you stayed at. The Park Hyatt is very nice in the nicest neighborhood in the city.

 

[Larry]

I am not sure what is going on. I was just posting on my experiences. I did mention we went to touristy places to eat and it was my first trip. I was expecting it to be very inexpensive in all places. It was in many places but many meals we went to were pricey for the 4 of us. We went to Don Julio, Chila, Osaka, SottoVoce, Fogon Asado, A Fuego Fuerte, Aramburu, Cabana Las Lilas, Elena, El Preferido, La Mar and a few other places that I can't remember the names. These places were recommended by my husband's company or my husband visited when he lived here before.

I am not claiming to be an expert on dining in Buenos Aires. And I am not saying it is more expensive than the USA. I am only stating the facts that some of these places were not as affordable as I believed they would be. I am not stating that you can't dine out in BA for affordable prices either. I am not sure the reason for hostility as I am just stating my opinion on prices at the places we dined out at.

One thing that we found much cheaper vs. the USA and other places we have visited is high quality wines. They were much cheaper in Buenos Aires vs. other places we have visited. Street food or simple food like empanadas and such were very cheap. I am not arguing that Buenos Aires is not an affordable place as many things were very affordable. It was very affordable getting around town in Ubers. I don't remember ever paying less to get around a major city vs. Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires was a very nice city and I hope my posts don't persuade people not to visit. I admit we stayed in a very nice hotel and dined out at nice restaurants. I believe most tourists will have a great time and there were many restaurants that I am sure are available at all price levels.

Indeed many of the restaurants of Buenos Aires have raised their prices to match or rival American restaurants. Typical bodegons are getting more and more expensive these days. Go into places like El Preferido that were decently priced and they are sky high now for the same exact food as before. I am not saying all of Buenos Aires restaurants are all expensive but the trend is not our friend in many nice places.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Like most major metropolitan cities, there is something for everyone at every price range. I don't think anyones experiences should be criticized as wrong at any level. I have friends when they come visit me stay in hostels and I have others that have tons of $$$$ that stay at the Four Seasons or Faena. Same thing on dining out and same thing on many other things.

 

[BuySellBA]

I am glad you had an enjoyable trip. There is something for everyone in Buenos Aires. All of those restaurants are very nice. Probably the nicest restaurants in Buenos Aires. I have been to a few of them and as you mention, they aren't cheap. You can spend as much in them than American restaurants. But they aren't the norm on pricing. Same thing with your hotel you stayed at. The Park Hyatt is very nice in the nicest neighborhood in the city.

This is absolutely correct. These restaurants that the OP mentions are the cream of the crop restaurants in Buenos Aires. We have dined at all of these restaurants many times and they are more expensive vs. other local options. Some of them are mentioned in Michelin Guidebooks. They are definitely wonderful restaurants but also on the more expensive side. Same with the Park Hyatt hotel. It is one of the best hotels in Buenos Aires. Especially the rooms on the Avenida Alvear side.

Like most major metropolitan cities, there is something for everyone at every price range. I don't think anyones experiences should be criticized as wrong at any level. I have friends when they come visit me stay in hostels and I have others that have tons of $$$$ that stay at the Four Seasons or Faena. Same thing on dining out and same thing on many other things.

Exactly correct. Buenos Aires has something for everyone just like most major cities around the world. We have dealt with many clients that only want a certain level of experience and people should just be aware that this type of experience will cost more money vs. more affordable options. There is something for everyone in Buenos Aires!

 

[FuturoBA]

This is absolutely correct. These restaurants that the OP mentions are the cream of the crop restaurants in Buenos Aires. We have dined at all of these restaurants many times and they are more expensive vs. other local options. Some of them are mentioned in Michelin Guidebooks. They are definitely wonderful restaurants but also on the more expensive side. Same with the Park Hyatt hotel. It is one of the best hotels in Buenos Aires. Especially the rooms on the Avenida Alvear side.


Exactly correct. Buenos Aires has something for everyone just like most major cities around the world. We have dealt with many clients that only want a certain level of experience and people should just be aware that this type of experience will cost more money vs. more affordable options. There is something for everyone in Buenos Aires!

100%. There's varying degrees of price points. The problem is I see most posts complain about the upper echelon of a Don Julio or something similar. High end is high end for a reason. It would be similar to someone complaining about the price of cars stating a 350K Lamborghini as outrageous, conveniently leaving out there are much cheaper affordable options. Not all price increases rise at the same rate.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

I was just posting on my experiences.

i'm used to a select few people on here posting lies, and your claim of:

All the places we went I did not think prices were too affordable

...made me think you were intentionally trying to convince people CABA is expensive. what seems to be the case is that you're so disconnected from reality, due to your husband's immense wealth, that you somehow took a millionaire's trip to BsAs, had no clue you were going to the literal best hotel/restaurants, and left without even having a single normal-person's experience. i suspect this is more due to sheltering than ill-intent now, but you're still implying Buenos Aires is even remotely expensive, which isn't true. you could go to Bali or Thailand and stay at the top-tier hotel, eating Michelin-Star-level food, ad have had the same experience; what bothered me is that you went onto an Expat forum and posted about prices, when there are maybe 3 out of 500 people here who would be able to pay for those things you did :0

i may be harsh or "hostile" but would-be travelers aren't going to realize that you stayed at a hotel costing over $500 USD/night. i pay 500 for 20 nights in a nice apartment, and i'm in the top 10%...you gotta keep in mind that you went to the creme-de-la-creme of restaurants; El Preferido and DonJulio are upscale. it would be like saying all dinners in New York City are expensive, because you got the $240 USD wagyu steak at this steakhouse:

Hours + Location | New York | Mastro's Steakhouse

Mastro's Steakhouse New York offers live music, seafood and steaks in a sophisticated environment. Upscale dress code enforced. Menu | Reservations

www.mastrosrestaurants.com

Buenos Aires was a very nice city and I hope my posts don't persuade people not to visit. I admit we stayed in a very nice hotel and dined out at nice restaurants. I believe most tourists will have a great time and there were many restaurants that I am sure are available at all price levels.

agreed, i just hope you realize the absolute lavishness of your trip! and i'm not dissuading anyone from doing that; you earned it. i'm glad you had a good time, just like @MikeYoung, but the fact that you have no clue what a normal coffee costs, or a normal parilla meal, is something that is very strange and disconnected to me. it's just not how i travel, but i wouldn't criticize anything about your style; it's just the statement that you thought prices were higher than planned...and you went to the top 1% of retaurants and hotels imagine what that would cost in Geneva or Oslo!

I don't think anyones experiences should be criticized as wrong at any level

right, which i clarified; it's not wrong, but it would be a stupid thing for someone like Paris Hilton to say that 'prices were higher than expected' after she took a weekend of luxury in Palermo Hollywood or Puerto Madero

@earlyretirement is spot on, and as usual @FuturoBA explains things much more clearly than i could ever hope to

 

[Jenn]

I am not sure what is going on. I was just posting on my experiences. I did mention we went to touristy places to eat and it was my first trip. I was expecting it to be very inexpensive in all places. It was in many places but many meals we went to were pricey for the 4 of us. We went to Don Julio, Chila, Osaka, SottoVoce, Fogon Asado, A Fuego Fuerte, Aramburu, Cabana Las Lilas, Elena, El Preferido, La Mar and a few other places that I can't remember the names. These places were recommended by my husband's company or my husband visited when he lived here before.

I am not claiming to be an expert on dining in Buenos Aires. And I am not saying it is more expensive than the USA. I am only stating the facts that some of these places were not as affordable as I believed they would be. I am not stating that you can't dine out in BA for affordable prices either. I am not sure the reason for hostility as I am just stating my opinion on prices at the places we dined out at.

One thing that we found much cheaper vs. the USA and other places we have visited is high quality wines. They were much cheaper in Buenos Aires vs. other places we have visited. Street food or simple food like empanadas and such were very cheap. I am not arguing that Buenos Aires is not an affordable place as many things were very affordable. It was very affordable getting around town in Ubers. I don't remember ever paying less to get around a major city vs. Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires was a very nice city and I hope my posts don't persuade people not to visit. I admit we stayed in a very nice hotel and dined out at nice restaurants. I believe most tourists will have a great time and there were many restaurants that I am sure are available at all price levels.

Thank you for posting the places you went to @fetch rover. I will do a few splurge restaurant visits. I will mostly be on a budget but my friend there now told me she has gone to La Mar and Osaka and raved about it. @fetch rover what was your absolute favorite meal of the trip? Thank you for sharing about your trip. No Park Hyatt hotel for me but my girlfriend told me that you can have tea there and she ate lunch there and said it was beautiful in the outdoor garden.

 

[earlyretirement]

Thank you for posting the places you went to @fetch rover. I will do a few splurge restaurant visits. I will mostly be on a budget but my friend there now told me she has gone to La Mar and Osaka and raved about it. @fetch rover what was your absolute favorite meal of the trip? Thank you for sharing about your trip. No Park Hyatt hotel for me but my girlfriend told me that you can have tea there and she ate lunch there and said it was beautiful in the outdoor garden.

@Jenn you will enjoy La Mar and Osaka. Yes, you can have afternoon tea at the Park Hyatt. I lived on that same block when I lived in Buenos Aires for a decade and you will really enjoy having tea there or lunch. Beware it's not cheap however. Quite pricey. Although I lived on the same block my wife and I once a year would stay over at the hotel. Just fabulous.

 

[Surfer]

The one thing that scares me is the drastic increase of healthcare costs. And I wonder if everything can follow that trend. But I guess I can follow @HannibalLector's approach and just not get insurance and pay as I go if I get sick.

 

[import export]

Argentina compared to most world capital cities is very cheap. Granted yes it is getting more expensive but where else you gonna go and have compatible lifestyle? If you are making pesos it is tough. If you have USD pension/savings it is still not bad. Try living in USA. Very expensive.