I know that place on Azuenaga. I like the crust on that. Very good quality. Yes about 2k pesos for an empanada. It used to be 900 pesos last year.
Larry it sounds like you were only in BA because it was cheap. Like @Betsy Ross BA is home. Not leaving. CFK was a disaster for Argentina! Fernandez too. Just printing money and not a sustainable path. Sure you could live cheap but the country was suffering. Things are still tough but fixing their mess will take time.
I like Milei and what he is doing but the inflation in dollars is concerning. The Kirchners lied with their inflation numbers and so is this government too. Inflation is through the roof. I agree that this mess was caused by others but saying inflation is only 2% a month I don't think is accurate either.
Love this place. I go there all the time. I haven't been there in a while but it is near one of the apartments that I own and I would walk by there all the time. Great they are still going.
@Larry, you can't really compare this with Martinez de Hoz or Cavallo. They didn't do the structural reforms needed. It's a different situation. Just posted this on X but you can see it's a different situation.
Well salaries are much higher in Uruguay vs. Argentina. Seems like that is Argentina's direction for salaries to go up. That is the only way to justify these high prices of things here. I avoid Uruguay. As you said it's expensive there. Better to go to Brazil which is super cheap now! The Brazil Real is falling off a cliff!
It seems like more and more expats are moving out of Argentina. My friend who lives in BA is also leaving at the end of January when his lease ends. He has rented for 2 years and now the owner wants to jack up the rent. Previously the owner has paid for the monthly expenses but now they are making him and it is very high.
The same thing happens in other periods when BA became cheap and then prices went up. The problem is that expats think that it is normal when Argentina is on sale and then when it gets expensive they get shell shock. I know a few that are also going back to their home countries. BA will always be home for me. Owning my own place helps. What most of my friends leaving have in common is they are renting and it is quite a hassle here moving around or dealing with adjusting prices every few months.
I left earlier this year. I saw prices getting so out of control. I do like the changes the president is making but it is going to get even more expensive probably. I am not sure if they can control inflation. Got handed over such a mess I don't see any easy or painless way forward.
I heard the same from some friends from Europe living here. They aren't just here for cost of living but it was a big part of the equation for them living here. I think for most people cost of living is a factor. For them it was too stressful seeing their bills rise each month with no control over when it will stop.
What irks me is companies that overcharge for things. It can't be possible that some of these companies are charging more and more and more even though inflation is slowing down. Some just want to keep increasing prices and making more.
It has always been like this. Sure we have massive inflation but many companies always use that as an excuse to price gouge consumers.
Excellent point @Vince - its absolutely crazy!
It is crazy. I think many companies just take advantage of the fact that inflation has been so crazy so they can do whatever they want and blame it on inflation or taxes. Well inflation is coming down and import taxes are also getting reduced so let's see what excuse they come up with next. Local companies need to learn to price fair because they will be in a world of hurt if they don't. Once people can just order things on Amazon and other vendors without paying import taxes and only IVA local companies better be competitive or they will go out of business.
This is one of the places I enjoy. They were only 800 pesos last year. Like everything else they went up.
This is one of my biggest frustrations. Companies here do not price rationally. In good times they are expensive, in bad times they are expensive. I believe we will finally see a situation where the companies that do not price reasonably will go out of business. As consumers we must just stop buying.
Nothing or almost nothing started the year with the same prices as now. Coffee prices are outrageous. That is actually not a bad price for 2 medialunas and a coffee now. Yes salary prices have gone up but so are prices. Argentina is the only country in the world where the price of something can double and they only talk about real prices.
🤣
This is one of my biggest frustrations as well. There are really really bad business people there that don't operate on a framework of logic and supply and demand. I almost exclusively just work with the same people that I've worked with in Argentina for 22+ years. (lawyers, Escribanos, accountants, bankers, etc).
