Banking Credit Card real-world rate "MEP" transaction repo (Dec2023)

[earlyretirement]

I just had a nice lunch with a close friend and my architect in Buenos Aires. Prices definitely seem like they have gone up in peso prices since I was here 2 months ago. Back when I was here in November I got 1,000 pesos to $1 USD at the cuevas. It's about the same now. I got 1,060 pesos to $1USD the other day.

We had 2 Tira de Asado Centro, french fries, salad, water, Aperol Spritz, Coke Zero, Chorizo appetizer, 2 cubiertos of bread, and a coffee and it was 78,200 pesos. I was charge to my USA Visa card $76.84 US dollars for this 78,200 pesos for an effective rate of 1,017.70 pesos to $1 USD.

You can see the receipt below for how much each individual item cost. We went to Happening

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[TripMe]

I just had a nice lunch with a close friend and my architect in Buenos Aires. Prices definitely seem like they have gone up in peso prices since I was here 2 months ago. Back when I was here in November I got 1,000 pesos to $1 USD at the cuevas. It's about the same now. I got 1,060 pesos to $1USD the other day.

We had 2 Tira de Asado Centro, french fries, salad, water, Aperol Spritz, Coke Zero, Chorizo appetizer, 2 cubiertos of bread, and a coffee and it was 78,200 pesos. I was charge to my USA Visa card $76.84 US dollars for this 78,200 pesos for an effective rate of 1,017.70 pesos to $1 USD.

You can see the receipt below for how much each individual item cost. We went to Happening

Google Maps

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View attachment 1529

Yep. That is about what I am getting. I figure a tad over 1000 pesos to $1 on my charges.

 

[Katherina]

I just had a nice lunch with a close friend and my architect in Buenos Aires. Prices definitely seem like they have gone up in peso prices since I was here 2 months ago. Back when I was here in November I got 1,000 pesos to $1 USD at the cuevas. It's about the same now. I got 1,060 pesos to $1USD the other day.

We had 2 Tira de Asado Centro, french fries, salad, water, Aperol Spritz, Coke Zero, Chorizo appetizer, 2 cubiertos of bread, and a coffee and it was 78,200 pesos. I was charge to my USA Visa card $76.84 US dollars for this 78,200 pesos for an effective rate of 1,017.70 pesos to $1 USD.

You can see the receipt below for how much each individual item cost. We went to Happening

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

View attachment 1529

I noticed that beef prices have been going up. I paid for that same steak in Puerto Madero a few months ago 15,000 pesos a few months ago.

 

[Betsy Ross]

I noticed that beef prices have been going up. I paid for that same steak in Puerto Madero a few months ago 15,000 pesos a few months ago.

Yes. True. I went to Kansas last night to eat and the prices have gone up significantly from the last time I was there in September. I especially noticed it on the beef dishes but all prices have gone up.

 

[Opera Fan]

I used my US Visa card today and got 1,017.77 to $1 buck tonight. I used Rappi.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

rate of 1,017.70

roger dodger, included in the posting here, thanks! i missed your data from 12Jan but it was within 1 Peso of a similar spend.

a tad over 1000 pesos to $1

yeah the math is really easy right now! when i got here, i had to imagine 10,000 Pesos would be about $12 USD, and now it's almost exactly 1000:1 except now you can do the math a little on the OTHER side, so 5,000 Pesos is like $4.90 USD 🙂

beef prices have been going up

they went up for a couple days, but people stopped buying and the prices are back down. even cheaper than before, according to my supermarket experience. i just got some really tender Bife Ancho (sort of like a t-bone/ribeye bone-in, i guess?) for 4,500 Pesos/kg in-store when i saw a promotion. meat was great!

here's Carrefour online for 5,029 https://www.carrefour.com.ar/bife ancho?_q=bife ancho&map=ft
and Jumbo online for 5,499 https://www.jumbo.com.ar/bife ancho?_q=bife ancho&map=ft

...so just because some restaurants like Don Julio have inflated prices on a steak like this $104 USD cut:



...doesn't mean the meat itself is more expensive. if anyone wants a sample grocery list next week, i'll buy some common items and post the prices. could be a good indicator; like 1kg of bananas, 2 liters of milk, 500g of steak, etc. to see how it compares to other cities worldwide right now.

all prices have gone up.

maybe ritzy restaurants like Kansas and Don Julio and Happening, but i've been buying a lot of meat and eating out almost daily, and it seems more stable than it's been in the past 6 weeks

 

[earlyretirement]

I just went by Don Julio's and it looks like indeed even they lowered their prices. Mara said due to blowback on TripAdvisor. I for one think they should charge as much as they can if sheep are willing to pay for it. Still a line at 3:15 PM for lunch today. If you can keep your place full, charge whatever you want. I always believe in supply and demand forces.

Today's MEP.

I went to Chori to get a delicious choripan. I spent 9,200 pesos and was charged $9.04 USD on my Visa card for a rate of 1,017.69.

Then I went to my favorite dessert place for a frozen Cannoli Marroc at Helados Italia that was 3,000 pesos and I used my Mastercard and I was charged $2.86 US for an effective rate of 1,048.90 to $1 USD. So Mastercard does get a better rate right now.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

So Mastercard does get a better rate right now.

my X posts are way better with all this data, thanks for swiping both cards for me! i've been using my gf's Chase Visa credit card, since she's about to hit a bonus threshold, and she's sick of me saying "okay what did that cost in Dollars??" every day 😛

i've been anonymizing things slightly (keeping the ratio but rounding to a whole-dollar), in case some psycho stalker someday tries to track us down or something. here's today's Twitter/X post for 14Jan with your data:

 

[Avocado]

my X posts are way better with all this data, thanks for swiping both cards for me! i've been using my gf's Chase Visa credit card, since she's about to hit a bonus threshold, and she's sick of me saying "okay what did that cost in Dollars??" every day 😛

i've been anonymizing things slightly (keeping the ratio but rounding to a whole-dollar), in case some psycho stalker someday tries to track us down or something. here's today's Twitter/X post for 14Jan with your data:

I dont like you posts on here except your MEP posts. It very good to do to help people know rate. I have family that use cards from Spain. I tell them see your posts. On this only thing we agree.

 

[earlyretirement]

Today's update. I went to Cafe Martinez today and I used my USA Mastercard. It was 11,200 pesos and I was charged $11.01 USD for a rate of 1,017.25.

 

[earlyretirement]

Today's update. I bought 2 50' LED TV's on Mercado Libre this morning. Total was 835,984 pesos and I was charged $796.24 USD for a rate of 1,049.93 to $1 USD. I used my Visa card from the USA.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

On this only thing we agree.

another useless post, to add to your collection of zero-contribution to this forum. why are you even here? you hate most Expats (despite never meeting them), and all you do is post useless things all day here; you're a local on an Expat forum...don't you think that's weird? for example, i don't go onto your Peronist facebook groups and post pro-liberty opinions, or talk crap about argentinos...so why are you here? have you ever wondered why i'm producing useful content, yet you think i'm evil and hate me? there's a contradiction there, and it's because your premises are false. please stop posting pointless things, because you take-up space that could be filled with people who are actually positive and contributing to the BsAs Expat community.

continuing on past the stupidity, yesterday's MEP:




...and today's MEP:

I bought 2 50' LED TV's on Mercado Libre this morning. Total was 835,984 pesos and I was charged $796.24 USD for a rate of 1,049.93 to $1 USD. I used my Visa card from the USA.

thanks for the 2 data points, and good choice on Visa, today! it was 1050 versus 1018 on MasterCard, so you saved almost exactly $25 USD just for using a Visa instead of MC! "and knowing is half the battle" meme attached - GI Joe.

 

[earlyretirement]

thanks for the 2 data points, and good choice on Visa, today! it was 1050 versus 1018 on MasterCard, so you saved almost exactly $25 USD just for using a Visa instead of MC! "and knowing is half the battle" meme attached - GI Joe.

I just happened to have my Visa card on my Mercado Libre. I almost never use my Mastercard and only using it for datapoints as most people seem to use Visa card.

Another data point. I just having a nice lunch with @GlasgowJohn. A true gentleman. Great meeting you!

We went to El Preferido de Palermo. Wow, definitely inflation going on as I got the same Milenesa de bife de chorizo back in November 2023 just 2 months ago and it was only around 29,000 pesos for the same dish. Today it was 41,010 for the same thing.

The total lunch was 56,290 pesos and I used my Visa card and was charged $53.61 USD. That was a rate of 1,049.90 to $1 USD.

 

[Aussieland]

Aussieland ordered a Subway sandwhich last night on Rappi. Aussieland use their Visa card from US dollar account in Europe. 6,919.50 pesos for a sandwich. Was charged in US Dollars $6.30. That is a charge of 1,098.33 : $1. This was after midnight so you could use for today.

 

[earlyretirement]

Data point. I bought a bunch of cleaning supplies and stuff for my apartment today. 62,706.64 pesos charged to my American Visa card. A charge of $57.06 USD was charged for a rate of 1,098.96 pesos to $1 USD.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

after midnight so you could use for today

copy copy!

29,000 pesos for the same dish. Today it was 41,010 for the same thing.

ouch, and i just saw the Big Pizza place here in Palermo Chico went from 450 Pesos to 550 Pesos per empanada.

for your Preferido, according to 1% daily inflation, 29,000 Pesos after 35 days of 1% daily would be at about 41,010, so if even if you spent that much on 30Nov2023 and then yesterday got the same dish 16Jan2024, that's actually 48 days or more, so less than 1% daily inflation average!

1,098.96

added, here it is for today:



(note that i started recording the MEP posted rate shown on Ambito around when i spent, so now there's a range unless it's the weekend and static)

 

[earlyretirement]

Today's update. I went to lunch with 2 of my employees to a mediocre restaurant in Recoleta called La Palita. 32,350 pesos for the 3 of us. $28.26 US dollars charge on my US Visa card which makes a rate of 1,144.02 pesos to $1 US.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

rate of 1,144.02

tracking, i got 32,350 / 28.26 = 1,144.73 which tracks with the upward trend from when i bought coffee, to when i got dinner. so i'll use 1,145 ARS/Dollar for this.

but, how dare you keep not paying for Cubierto charges on these restaurant bills, @earlyretirement! CheVos told me that only cheap people refuse to pay "Cubierto" at restaurants, and we should all strive to pay $1 USD per person for a non-existent service! /s

also, i saw at some other Italian places that pasta/noodles cost something, then sauce costs another something...what the hell? is this is a CABA thing? where i come from, the dish is a complete item, sauce and noddles, with one charge!! i've never seen this in my 49 countries until Argentina.

re: Recoleta, $9.42 USD per person is pretty pricey for 3 dishes and basic beverages! that's the Recoleta tourist "tax," i guess? continuing on, yesterday's MEP of 1147:



lastly, i made another grocery price list for fear-monger @Larry...and so you can plan your trip better, @Jenn:

 

[StatusNomadicus]

today's MEP of 1162 Visa (posted MEP 1252! all time high) which should remain static all weekend:



use Visa over MasterCard in Argentina this weekend and you will get 1.48% more 🙂

beers are still 45 cents per 12-ounce equivalent for a Quilmes IPA one-liter bottle. tasty and cheap! disregard what the sky-is-falling-expat-party-is-over folks say...still super awesome in BsAs. and mosquitoes were missing around 13-18Jan, but they just came back after the last rain, which is what earlyretirement predicted. they were kinda back today, but we shall see this weekend. theory: earlyretirement flew into BsAs and summoned all the 'squiterz to his place, so i've been unmolested for several days!

 

[earlyretirement]

Yep. I got the same rate today. I went to Le Pain Quotidien this afternoon for a few snacks. 7,020 pesos charged to my American Visa card and had a charge of $6.04 US dollar for a rate of 1,162.25 pesos to $1 US.