What happens if Argentina gets too expensive? What are alternative cities/countries to move to when it's overpriced in Argentina?

[Finance Prof]

Big Mac index 2024 | Statista

Switzerland leads the Big Mac index as of July 2024. The index is a way of measuring whether currencies are over- or undervalued against each other.

www.statista.com

Yes Argentina is only behind Switzerland now! The currency controls making the peso stronger and taxes make it more expensive. And I think the prices even jumped up since this last Big Mac index. I wonder when we will pass Switzerland?

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[Bingo]

I just went to McDonald's today and it's more expensive than the United States! Crazy.

I did not know there was such a think as a Big Mac index. Interesting. So this is concrete proof that BA is overvalued I assume? This is strange. It is not just McDonalds. I got tired of the local food and was craving some fast food and all the places are expensive. Burger King, KFC and all the places are expensive! Starbucks is more than the US.

Forgive me because I didn't do much research before coming here. I just read some blogs from a few years ago that said it was cheap. Had no idea it jumped up so much. Some things are cheaper with is good. Utilities seem cheap. I visited an apartment yesterday and the owner showed me the bill and it was cheap but I don't know if I will use the AC or heat more? It seems like everything is going up in price now,

I have some medications that I take and it is more expensive here than home which surprised me. This is never the case when I travel in Latin America. In Mexico it is always much cheaper than home. I bought some vitamins the other day and it was 3X the cost of back home! 3X. Gas prices seem like they keep going up. Electronics here are nuts!

Some locals I met are all complaining the most about electricity and transportation costs that they say don't stop going up. That will drive the cost of everything else up.

How does this period compare to before when it was expensive?

 

[Sylvia]

I did not know there was such a think as a Big Mac index. Interesting. So this is concrete proof that BA is overvalued I assume? This is strange. It is not just McDonalds. I got tired of the local food and was craving some fast food and all the places are expensive. Burger King, KFC and all the places are expensive! Starbucks is more than the US.

Forgive me because I didn't do much research before coming here. I just read some blogs from a few years ago that said it was cheap. Had no idea it jumped up so much. Some things are cheaper with is good. Utilities seem cheap. I visited an apartment yesterday and the owner showed me the bill and it was cheap but I don't know if I will use the AC or heat more? It seems like everything is going up in price now,

I have some medications that I take and it is more expensive here than home which surprised me. This is never the case when I travel in Latin America. In Mexico it is always much cheaper than home. I bought some vitamins the other day and it was 3X the cost of back home! 3X. Gas prices seem like they keep going up. Electronics here are nuts!

Some locals I met are all complaining the most about electricity and transportation costs that they say don't stop going up. That will drive the cost of everything else up.

How does this period compare to before when it was expensive?

I have been away from the board for a while but I correctly guessed that people would be complaining about the prices. Beef going up last month by so much was too much. These companies are abusing consumers.

I have been in Argentina for decades and during the 1:1 days during the 1990's and it wasn't as expensive as we are now in dollars. I have never seen it like this.

 

[Opera Fan]

I did not know there was such a think as a Big Mac index. Interesting. So this is concrete proof that BA is overvalued I assume? This is strange. It is not just McDonalds. I got tired of the local food and was craving some fast food and all the places are expensive. Burger King, KFC and all the places are expensive! Starbucks is more than the US.

Forgive me because I didn't do much research before coming here. I just read some blogs from a few years ago that said it was cheap. Had no idea it jumped up so much. Some things are cheaper with is good. Utilities seem cheap. I visited an apartment yesterday and the owner showed me the bill and it was cheap but I don't know if I will use the AC or heat more? It seems like everything is going up in price now,

I have some medications that I take and it is more expensive here than home which surprised me. This is never the case when I travel in Latin America. In Mexico it is always much cheaper than home. I bought some vitamins the other day and it was 3X the cost of back home! 3X. Gas prices seem like they keep going up. Electronics here are nuts!

Some locals I met are all complaining the most about electricity and transportation costs that they say don't stop going up. That will drive the cost of everything else up.

How does this period compare to before when it was expensive?

You aren't alone. Many read old blogs that aren't too old or talk to their friends that visited Argentina not too long ago talking about it cheap. I have friends that are in the same boat and they are always shocked here.

Americans might not be as shocked as everything is expensive in America. But even they are surprised on many things. What I complain about is the quality of most things is terrible. Fresh fruits and produce in the store, towels and sheets and bedding, electronics. Don't get me started on the cost of clothing and shoes. Overpriced for what poor quality you get.

I know someone that moved here in 2023 when it was very cheap and they deeply regret it now. They lugged a few kids here when it was cheap and now tuition prices have more than doubled, healthcare prices skyrocketed and restaurant bills have gone up and even grocery bills while slowed down increases are still going up.

If you are on a budget @Bingo you better make sure you have enough. Inflation could go up late this year again however the blue dollar might be higher helping.

 

[Rick]

You aren't alone. Many read old blogs that aren't too old or talk to their friends that visited Argentina not too long ago talking about it cheap. I have friends that are in the same boat and they are always shocked here.

Americans might not be as shocked as everything is expensive in America. But even they are surprised on many things. What I complain about is the quality of most things is terrible. Fresh fruits and produce in the store, towels and sheets and bedding, electronics. Don't get me started on the cost of clothing and shoes. Overpriced for what poor quality you get.

I know someone that moved here in 2023 when it was very cheap and they deeply regret it now. They lugged a few kids here when it was cheap and now tuition prices have more than doubled, healthcare prices skyrocketed and restaurant bills have gone up and even grocery bills while slowed down increases are still going up.

If you are on a budget @Bingo you better make sure you have enough. Inflation could go up late this year again however the blue dollar might be higher helping.

All true. Quality sucks here and locally produced stuff is terrible. Argentina is still much more affordable when you stack everything up including rent and utility bills. The biggest expense back home will probably be rental for where you will live and in Argentina you can find dirt cheap places. You don't have to be in Buenos Aires. Go outside and you can find really cheap places. Also everything is much more expensive in BA vs. other cities like Mendoza, Cordoba, and smaller towns.

Costs might have gone up 3 times but I would bet it's still cheaper than anywhere in the US right now when you factor in all costs.

 

[Tim Joe]

This inflation just isn't limited to Argentina. Many places the same thing has been happening over the years except in different categories. Not as sudden as Argentina but the cost of stuff everyone is more. This is the reason no one seems to want to have kids anymore. They can't afford them. I don't think Argentina will get cheap again. So the new reality is pay up or leave. That simple.

 

[CraigM]

I did not know there was such a think as a Big Mac index. Interesting. So this is concrete proof that BA is overvalued I assume? This is strange. It is not just McDonalds. I got tired of the local food and was craving some fast food and all the places are expensive. Burger King, KFC and all the places are expensive! Starbucks is more than the US.

Forgive me because I didn't do much research before coming here. I just read some blogs from a few years ago that said it was cheap. Had no idea it jumped up so much. Some things are cheaper with is good. Utilities seem cheap. I visited an apartment yesterday and the owner showed me the bill and it was cheap but I don't know if I will use the AC or heat more? It seems like everything is going up in price now,

I have some medications that I take and it is more expensive here than home which surprised me. This is never the case when I travel in Latin America. In Mexico it is always much cheaper than home. I bought some vitamins the other day and it was 3X the cost of back home! 3X. Gas prices seem like they keep going up. Electronics here are nuts!

Some locals I met are all complaining the most about electricity and transportation costs that they say don't stop going up. That will drive the cost of everything else up.

How does this period compare to before when it was expensive?

The Economist created it many years ago as a simplistic way to compare cost-of-living across countries. The Big Mac is one of those rare products that is known and loved around the world and is made with the same ingredients. You could say the same about Coke but taxes on direct-to-consumer products make comparisons very difficult. I remember ages ago when a Coke at the store cost $1 yet in many parts of Europe it was about $4.

 

[Giovanni]

The Economist created it many years ago as a simplistic way to compare cost-of-living across countries. The Big Mac is one of those rare products that is known and loved around the world and is made with the same ingredients. You could say the same about Coke but taxes on direct-to-consumer products make comparisons very difficult. I remember ages ago when a Coke at the store cost $1 yet in many parts of Europe it was about $4.

The margins on Coke are insane! I just watched this documentary on Warren Buffett and he was talking about coke. Staggering how many they sell each year.

 

[Uncle Wong]

I keep reading on various forums and online people moving to Spain. Is it really that affordable? Is it easy on the visas to stay there? I heard they have a digital nomad visa. I always think of Europe as expensive but with so many people moving there, especially from BA it can't be that bad. I would love to be able to travel around to other parts of Europe. There are so many discount airlines. I would like to have a place purchased and real estate there seems expensive. But maybe renting makes sense.

 

[James Bond]

I keep reading on various forums and online people moving to Spain. Is it really that affordable? Is it easy on the visas to stay there? I heard they have a digital nomad visa. I always think of Europe as expensive but with so many people moving there, especially from BA it can't be that bad. I would love to be able to travel around to other parts of Europe. There are so many discount airlines. I would like to have a place purchased and real estate there seems expensive. But maybe renting makes sense.

Spain is great. Rentals outside of Barcelona and Madrid are reasonable. People think you have to have a fortune to live in Europe but that is not the case. You can get a residency visa in France for less than $1,900 per month pension or steady income. Portugal is VERY easy to live in and get a visa. I have friends that only have less than $1,000 USD income per month and they got a D7 visa for Portugal.

Healthcare is very cheap or even free in some cases. Groceries and food are cheap and rentals can be had for not too much.