Did many expats move out of Buenos Aires due to the higher cost of living?

[Betsy Ross]

Prices everywhere aren't getting any cheaper. I just see the prices of everything going up in the US. That is why I wanted to live abroad. I have a remote job but if anything ever happened with that I admit I would be screwed.

I have been dating a few expats here in Spain and I have figured out that most expats here are broke. I went on a date last night and the American guy had the nerve to ask me for my half of dinner.

Very true Jenn. I have an American expat friend that has been living in BA for the past 2 years. He kept saying things are not that expensive in Buenos Aires. He had a remote job and making about $6,000 per month. Living large. He recently lost his remote job as they forced him back into the office 3 times a week. He thought he could find a remote job easily. He couldn't. Needless to say he complains about the cost of living here now and he is on his way back to the USA.

Guys aren't cheap just in Spain or the USA. Guys here in Argentina are also cheap. I gave up on men and stopped dating. Most of the men in Argentina aren't serious about dating. I am seriously thinking of becoming a lesbian. That is how bad it is.

 

[Avocado]

Very true Jenn. I have an American expat friend that has been living in BA for the past 2 years. He kept saying things are not that expensive in Buenos Aires. He had a remote job and making about $6,000 per month. Living large. He recently lost his remote job as they forced him back into the office 3 times a week. He thought he could find a remote job easily. He couldn't. Needless to say he complains about the cost of living here now and he is on his way back to the USA.

Guys aren't cheap just in Spain or the USA. Guys here in Argentina are also cheap. I gave up on men and stopped dating. Most of the men in Argentina aren't serious about dating. I am seriously thinking of becoming a lesbian. That is how bad it is.

I know a few such people that say it is not expensive here but they are making big dollar remote jobs. But when that goes away they see how us locals live. I am glad these people are forced to leave my country. They do not deserve to live in Argentina.

Most of my friends and family can only afford the basis now. Some of my family had to cancel their private medical insurance plans. One sister had to unenroll her daughter in private school as the cost is too high now. My brother had to sell one of his cars. We don't go out to eat anymore. We cut back beef purchases. We formally could save and now we can't and even eating into our savings.

Our money does not take as as far as it did before. Luckily we purchased our apartment. That is always the most important thing if you want to make it in Argentina for a long time. Must own your property.

Life is getting harder and harder. I can't wait for the elections so Milei is on his way out. I do no think they will be successful and do not believe he will get reelected in some years.

 

[CraigM]

I know a few such people that say it is not expensive here but they are making big dollar remote jobs. But when that goes away they see how us locals live. I am glad these people are forced to leave my country. They do not deserve to live in Argentina.

Most of my friends and family can only afford the basis now. Some of my family had to cancel their private medical insurance plans. One sister had to unenroll her daughter in private school as the cost is too high now. My brother had to sell one of his cars. We don't go out to eat anymore. We cut back beef purchases. We formally could save and now we can't and even eating into our savings.

Our money does not take as as far as it did before. Luckily we purchased our apartment. That is always the most important thing if you want to make it in Argentina for a long time. Must own your property.

Life is getting harder and harder. I can't wait for the elections so Milei is on his way out. I do no think they will be successful and do not believe he will get reelected in some years.

I'm truly sorry to hear about people struggling, Avocado. It's really unfortunate and probably the one thing you and I will always agree on. But I'm glad you own your place and are able to weather the storm a bit better.

I'm going to offer a quote from Warren Buffett at this weekend's Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, in hopes it provides some perspective. Some fellow from Mongolia asked about the possibility of Berkshire investing there:

"If you’re looking for advice to give the government over there, it’s to develop a reputation for having a solid currency over time. We don’t really want to go into any country where we think there’s a significant probability of runaway inflation. That’s too hard to figure. Other people have figured out ways to make money in hyperinflationary situations, but that’s not our game, and I don’t think I’d play it well. So that would be a factor for us.

The chances are we won’t find anything in Mongolia that fits our size requirements aside from that. But like I say, I think my friend that I met here 20 years ago has done very well in Mongolia. If the country develops a reputation for being business-friendly and currency-conscious, that bodes very well for the residents of that country, particularly if it has some natural assets that it can build around. I don’t know that much about the minerals there or anything of the sort, but who would have bet on the United States in 1790?

We didn’t have to have perfection. We just had to be better than the other guy for quite a while. We started out with nothing and ended up with close to 25% of the world’s GDP, faster growth rates, generally sounder currencies, and all kinds of things. So I wish you well."

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Grok about COL

was he using the Official Dollar? i find a lot of calculations get messed-up because of the confusing aspect of how the peronists had the dollar so artificial for years. good to know! AI is so cool...we're so unprepared for how many lives it's going to improve in our lifetimes.

I'm hoping things don't get to the point where I have to think about leaving Argentina

what are your biggest spends? i'm living for cheap in Mendoza...don't leave Argie-land just because of New-York-City-style CABA!

Many things have gone up like milk too.

? milk ?? - for 6 months milk has been 1200 Pesos full-priced at my nearest store. what was it, and what is it now, and how many places have you checked? do you look online?

1100 pesos https://www.cotodigital.com.ar/siti...-descremada-coto-1l/_/R-00011973-00011973-200

1280 pesos https://www.carrefour.com.ar/leche-ultra-entera-carrefour-classic-sachet-1-lt-720020/p

sucks that CABA has higher prices, for no reason (especially if there are "no tourists" like keeps getting repeated), and i wonder how much of that is the local commies trying to ruin Argentina so the peronists win the next election. regardless, what a great time to get out of the concrete jungle and see the other 99.9% geography of Argentina! i left CABA in March 2024 and haven't thought about coming back...if i was still there and things were more expensive in dollars, i would enjoy some extended traveling to other areas. or even just outside CABA, in the rest of the giant province 🙂

Inflation

you think inflation has gone up in May 2025?? where have you been from 2020, onward? these types of posts make me very suspicious...inflation is at a record low. prices are stable for many months. what has inflated, and was that not also the case every month in the past 5 years?

Expats always get purged when prices go up.

i think that's the 5% of people that are called "Brokepats" 🙂

Living large

so many people have zero real savings, in a recession, and then worry about the strangest things instead of living within their means /shrug

But when that goes away they see how us locals live. I am glad these people are forced to leave my country. They do not deserve to live in Argentina.

nah.

Our money does not take as as far as it did before.

nah, you're just posting your usual lies nonstop. yawn.

Luckily we purchased our apartment. That is always the most important thing if you want to make it in Argentina for a long time. Must own your property.

wow, how entitled! make sure you check your privilege, commie! (that's the phrasing, right?) - must be nice to be the 1% of the world that owns property in a first-world city

Most of my friends and family can only afford the basis now. Some of my family had to cancel their private medical insurance plans. One sister had to unenroll her daughter in private school as the cost is too high now. My brother had to sell one of his cars. We don't go out to eat anymore. We cut back beef purchases. We formally could save and now we can't and even eating into our savings.

what in the actual f*ck are you spending money on? noquis are so silly...welcome to real life. "sell one of his cars" ahahahahahahahhaha wtf, is this satire?? beef is super cheap, 4,000 Pesos for a kg of decent slow-cooker meat. i know you've had free sh*t for years, but DAMN you guys need a reality check. i would bet a ton of money you've traveled very little and have no real Conservative friends. such a lack of perspective, typical lefty big-city stupidity

struggling

except having to sell 'one of their cars' is a fake struggle aahahahaa. highly recommend you mute Avocado and Che and a couple others - they are horrible

we're in a global recession, and all of us are about to feel the pain of unnecessary lockdowns and the fiat money sytem's corruption...those who rely on the gov't will suffer, and those who have backup plans and savings and independence will be rewarded

 

[FuturoBA]

was he using the Official Dollar? i find a lot of calculations get messed-up because of the confusing aspect of how the peronists had the dollar so artificial for years. good to know! AI is so cool...we're so unprepared for how many lives it's going to improve in our lifetimes.


what are your biggest spends? i'm living for cheap in Mendoza...don't leave Argie-land just because of New-York-City-style CABA!


? milk ?? - for 6 months milk has been 1200 Pesos full-priced at my nearest store. what was it, and what is it now, and how many places have you checked? do you look online?

1100 pesos https://www.cotodigital.com.ar/siti...-descremada-coto-1l/_/R-00011973-00011973-200

1280 pesos https://www.carrefour.com.ar/leche-ultra-entera-carrefour-classic-sachet-1-lt-720020/p

sucks that CABA has higher prices, for no reason (especially if there are "no tourists" like keeps getting repeated), and i wonder how much of that is the local commies trying to ruin Argentina so the peronists win the next election. regardless, what a great time to get out of the concrete jungle and see the other 99.9% geography of Argentina! i left CABA in March 2024 and haven't thought about coming back...if i was still there and things were more expensive in dollars, i would enjoy some extended traveling to other areas. or even just outside CABA, in the rest of the giant province 🙂


you think inflation has gone up in May 2025?? where have you been from 2020, onward? these types of posts make me very suspicious...inflation is at a record low. prices are stable for many months. what has inflated, and was that not also the case every month in the past 5 years?


i think that's the 5% of people that are called "Brokepats" 🙂


so many people have zero real savings, in a recession, and then worry about the strangest things instead of living within their means /shrug


nah.


nah, you're just posting your usual lies nonstop. yawn.


wow, how entitled! make sure you check your privilege, commie! (that's the phrasing, right?) - must be nice to be the 1% of the world that owns property in a first-world city


what in the actual f*ck are you spending money on? noquis are so silly...welcome to real life. "sell one of his cars" ahahahahahahahhaha wtf, is this satire?? beef is super cheap, 4,000 Pesos for a kg of decent slow-cooker meat. i know you've had free sh*t for years, but DAMN you guys need a reality check. i would bet a ton of money you've traveled very little and have no real Conservative friends. such a lack of perspective, typical lefty big-city stupidity


except having to sell 'one of their cars' is a fake struggle aahahahaa. highly recommend you mute Avocado and Che and a couple others - they are horrible

we're in a global recession, and all of us are about to feel the pain of unnecessary lockdowns and the fiat money sytem's corruption...those who rely on the gov't will suffer, and those who have backup plans and savings and independence will be rewarded

Grok mentioned the blue dollar rate as part of the calculation but no telling how evenly it was applied. It stated data was sourced from expat blogs, numbeo, x posts, etc so probably depends on if those sources listed prices.

Digging down the rabbit hole again w the help of Grok I found this interesting about the historic blue vs official rate:

The 20-year average Blue Dollar to official exchange rate ratio (2005–2025) is ~1.39:1 (139%), meaning the Blue Dollar was, on average, 39% higher than the official rate. Applying this to today’s official rate of 1,190 ARS/USD suggests a Blue Dollar rate of **1,654 ARS/USD**. However, actual rates are ~1,190–1,210 ARS/USD (100–102% of official), reflecting a historically low gap due to Milei’s reforms. For real-time rates, check BlueDollar.net or La Nación.

 

[FuturoBA]

More info from Grok:

Below is a table summarizing the estimated yearly ratios for 2005–2024, with notes on key economic contexts:

Year	Ratio (Blue/Official)	Notes
2005	1.08 (108%)	Post-crisis stabilization, loose controls, small premium.
2006	1.10 (110%)	Inflation ~10%, moderate dollar demand, 10–15% premium.
2007	1.12 (112%)	Stable growth, gap narrow at 10–15% premium.
2008	1.15 (115%)	Global financial crisis increased demand, 15–20% premium.
2009	1.15 (115%)	Recovery slowed, controls light, 15–20% premium.
2010	1.13 (113%)	Inflation neared 25%, Blue Dollar grew, 10–15% premium.
2011	1.20 (120%)	Cepo introduced, gap widened to 15–30% premium.
2012	1.30 (130%)	Inflation ~25–30%, gap at 20–40%, Blue Dollar formalized.
2013	1.45 (145%)	Inflation ~40%, gap 30–60%, Blue Dollar demand surged.
2014	1.65 (165%)	Inflation high, gap 50–80%, Blue Dollar mainstream.
2015	1.60 (160%)	Pre-Macri, gap 50–80%, election anticipation.
2016	1.15 (115%)	Macri lifted controls, gap narrowed to 10–30%.
2017	1.10 (110%)	Stability reduced gap to 10–20%, inflation persisted.
2018	1.25 (125%)	Peso crisis, gap 10–40%, controls returned.
2019	1.35 (135%)	Fernández reinstated cepo , gap 20–60%, election uncertainty.
2020	1.67 (167%)	COVID-19, inflation ~36%, gap 50–100%.
2021	1.82 (182%)	Inflation ~50.9%, gap widened, cepo tightened.
2022	1.73 (173%)	Inflation ~94.8%, drought hit reserves, gap at 50–100%.
2023	2.14 (214%)	Hyperinflation ~211%, gap peaked at 214%, election fears.
2024	1.33 (133%)	Milei’s devaluation, gap narrowed to 4% by December, reforms.

 

[Avocado]

I'm truly sorry to hear about people struggling, Avocado. It's really unfortunate and probably the one thing you and I will always agree on. But I'm glad you own your place and are able to weather the storm a bit better.

I'm going to offer a quote from Warren Buffett at this weekend's Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, in hopes it provides some perspective. Some fellow from Mongolia asked about the possibility of Berkshire investing there:

"If you’re looking for advice to give the government over there, it’s to develop a reputation for having a solid currency over time. We don’t really want to go into any country where we think there’s a significant probability of runaway inflation. That’s too hard to figure. Other people have figured out ways to make money in hyperinflationary situations, but that’s not our game, and I don’t think I’d play it well. So that would be a factor for us.

The chances are we won’t find anything in Mongolia that fits our size requirements aside from that. But like I say, I think my friend that I met here 20 years ago has done very well in Mongolia. If the country develops a reputation for being business-friendly and currency-conscious, that bodes very well for the residents of that country, particularly if it has some natural assets that it can build around. I don’t know that much about the minerals there or anything of the sort, but who would have bet on the United States in 1790?

We didn’t have to have perfection. We just had to be better than the other guy for quite a while. We started out with nothing and ended up with close to 25% of the world’s GDP, faster growth rates, generally sounder currencies, and all kinds of things. So I wish you well."

Thank you Craig. Truly. What I like about you is that you come across as a person with big heart. You do not call me communist and it seems like you really sorry. I wish more expats like you. I hope things improve for better. One thing I like for Milei is inflation slow down on many things. I have to give him credit for that. How long that lasts no one know.

 

[Wally]

Sucks that CABA has higher prices, for no reason (especially if there are "no tourists" like keeps getting repeated), and i wonder how much of that is the local commies trying to ruin Argentina so the peronists win the next election. regardless, what a great time to get out of the concrete jungle and see the other 99.9% geography of Argentina! i left CABA in March 2024 and haven't thought about coming back...if i was still there and things were more expensive in dollars, i would enjoy some extended traveling to other areas. or even just outside CABA, in the rest of the giant province

BA is much much higher than anywhere except maybe Bariloche which also has very expensive prices. BA still has plenty of tourists. Just less of them. But there is still a lot of tourists. BA is unique. No place in Argentina like BA. Most here wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. I know I fall in that category.

 

[Wally]

what in the actual f*ck are you spending money on? noquis are so silly...welcome to real life. "sell one of his cars" ahahahahahahahhaha wtf, is this satire?? beef is super cheap, 4,000 Pesos for a kg of decent slow-cooker meat. i know you've had free sh*t for years, but DAMN you guys need a reality check. i would bet a ton of money you've traveled very little and have no real Conservative friends. such a lack of perspective, typical lefty big-city stupidity

Why do you always feel the need to push Avocado down? I disagree with much of her posts but to belittle a local that truly seems like they are struggling. I know many such people like Avocado. Having to cancel medical insurance is not insignificant. I don't think you are doing yourself any favors continue to call people commies. Or questioning what they are spending money on. I know other people struggling. Can't figure out what you have to gain but belittling locals or doubting that they are struggling. Cost of living has gone up for many.

 

[Larry]

I'm truly sorry to hear about people struggling, Avocado. It's really unfortunate and probably the one thing you and I will always agree on. But I'm glad you own your place and are able to weather the storm a bit better.

Thank you! You always keep it real Craig. Like Avocado I am glad I own here. If not I would be lost.

Grok mentioned the blue dollar rate as part of the calculation but no telling how evenly it was applied. It stated data was sourced from expat blogs, numbeo, x posts, etc so probably depends on if those sources listed prices.

Digging down the rabbit hole again w the help of Grok I found this interesting about the historic blue vs official rate:

The 20-year average Blue Dollar to official exchange rate ratio (2005–2025) is ~1.39:1 (139%), meaning the Blue Dollar was, on average, 39% higher than the official rate. Applying this to today’s official rate of 1,190 ARS/USD suggests a Blue Dollar rate of **1,654 ARS/USD**. However, actual rates are ~1,190–1,210 ARS/USD (100–102% of official), reflecting a historically low gap due to Milei’s reforms. For real-time rates, check BlueDollar.net or La Nación.

Doubt Grok knows the true struggles of Argentina and the white/blue breakdown. Dangerous to only count on AI when it comes to Argentina.

Why do you always feel the need to push Avocado down? I disagree with much of her posts but to belittle a local that truly seems like they are struggling. I know many such people like Avocado. Having to cancel medical insurance is not insignificant. I don't think you are doing yourself any favors continue to call people commies. Or questioning what they are spending money on. I know other people struggling. Can't figure out what you have to gain but belittling locals or doubting that they are struggling. Cost of living has gone up for many.

Because he is a jerk. He could not make it or afford his own country. So here he is in Argentina. He kept saying there was no inflation in Argentina last year! What a fool.