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

[Finance Prof]

I think expats have to just be prepared to pay expensive prices for things for the next 2 years. I know many that are retired and on fixed incomes and had to leave BA. The only ones that stayed were people that own their own apartment. Condo expenses jumped up but at least they own their own place.

 

[James Bond]

I think expats have to just be prepared to pay expensive prices for things for the next 2 years. I know many that are retired and on fixed incomes and had to leave BA. The only ones that stayed were people that own their own apartment. Condo expenses jumped up but at least they own their own place.

This is more or less what we expected when we decided to move to Spain. Don't regret the decision at all. It will probably get worse too. I see monthly expenses in BA continuing to climb each month. That seems to have no end in the near future. Inflation is going back up and to make things worse the USD is getting weaker.

 

[RN in BA]

I think expats have to just be prepared to pay expensive prices for things for the next 2 years. I know many that are retired and on fixed incomes and had to leave BA. The only ones that stayed were people that own their own apartment. Condo expenses jumped up but at least they own their own place.

Where are people moving to? I see some to Spain but where else?

This is more or less what we expected when we decided to move to Spain. Don't regret the decision at all. It will probably get worse too. I see monthly expenses in BA continuing to climb each month. That seems to have no end in the near future. Inflation is going back up and to make things worse the USD is getting weaker.

The dollar has gotten weak all over the world. Not just Argentina.

 

[ghost]

Where are people moving to? I see some to Spain but where else?


The dollar has gotten weak all over the world. Not just Argentina.

Some are moving to Paraguay. Much cheaper there. Low taxes. Not ideal but if you are on a limited budget it could be an option. It is very easy to get residency there. A few friends have done it. But even there the USD has gotten weaker. I believe the Guarani has gone from 800 to 650 over the past 12 months. But when I went to visit my friend the grocery stores are really great there. Great steaks too but the city is ugly and the weather sucks.

 

[FuturoBA]

Some are moving to Paraguay. Much cheaper there. Low taxes. Not ideal but if you are on a limited budget it could be an option. It is very easy to get residency there. A few friends have done it. But even there the USD has gotten weaker. I believe the Guarani has gone from 800 to 650 over the past 12 months. But when I went to visit my friend the grocery stores are really great there. Great steaks too but the city is ugly and the weather sucks.

Paraguay although not my preferred choice doesn't sound too bad from limited things I've seen. And like you said residency appears to be easy to get and it's only a 2 hour flight to BA. Or I never understood those already with residency who don't move further out or to another province within Argentina.

 

[VINO]

Paraguay although not my preferred choice doesn't sound too bad from limited things I've seen. And like you said residency appears to be easy to get and it's only a 2 hour flight to BA. Or I never understood those already with residency who don't move further out or to another province within Argentina.

The weather there is extremely hot. But lately a few I know are planning to relocate there due to the affordable cost of living. But I would recommend a smaller city in Argentina before I would do that. I can't get past the weather.

 

[oil rush]

Or I never understood those already with residency who don't move further out or to another province within Argentina.

Exactly. This is what you should do. Anywhere in Argentina is going to beat Paraguay. The infrastructure is not too good there. I would never live there. But if cost of living is a priority maybe but there is a reason why it is cheaper.

 

[FuturoBA]

BowtiedMara did a recent interview that's worth listening to

 

[ben]

BowtiedMara did a recent interview that's worth listening to

Saw that. Generally I like his stuff but always suspicious at anyone that hides behind anonymous while still trying to make money in Argentina. Too much of that goes on here. I have been following him for years. The thing I do like is he posts about his flops. He doesn't seem to be good at real estate. He bought into a few properties he posted on his website that never finished. Not sure I'd have much confidence on something he recommended if properties he is personally buying flopped.

 

[Digital Nomad]

Saw that. Generally I like his stuff but always suspicious at anyone that hides behind anonymous while still trying to make money in Argentina. Too much of that goes on here. I have been following him for years. The thing I do like is he posts about his flops. He doesn't seem to be good at real estate. He bought into a few properties he posted on his website that never finished. Not sure I'd have much confidence on something he recommended if properties he is personally buying flopped.

I wondered about this too but it seems like his popularity has fallen. I used to get a lot of things in my X feed on him but don't see much. It seems like a lot of X now are bots. I noticed a lot less pro-Milei posts so I can't figure out if they were always bots or people are just fed up and no longer so hot about Milei.

 

[Betsy Ross]

I wondered about this too but it seems like his popularity has fallen. I used to get a lot of things in my X feed on him but don't see much. It seems like a lot of X now are bots. I noticed a lot less pro-Milei posts so I can't figure out if they were always bots or people are just fed up and no longer so hot about Milei.

In Argentina I don't do business with anyone that doesn't use their real name or identity. It is amazing how many people don't even have a website in Argentina. Something so basic. For the longest time everyone only had a Facebook page. And now just an Instagram. But typically people hiding behind not using their real name is doing it for a reason. Dodging taxes, has gotten sued a ton of times or has legal issues. I don't know if this is the case for this person. But I have seen a lot of people and fly by night companies that have no real identity tied to it.

 

[Silvia]

Many of us post on both forums the old and this new one. Most of us have a different screen name on this forum. Some of us have the same name.

You can read about how this forum got started here.

C

Thread 'Who is the owner of BAexpats.org? Why does he delete posts and allow people to make up fake posts?'

Dec 13, 2023

I posted on BAexpats.org for many years. I finally quit in protest as he is crazy on moderation and deletes whatever he personally doesn't agree with. Many people have mentioned on Twitter the same thing and I met up with several expats on the website who said the same thing about him. They had horrible experiences with that guy.

I found this website and see that a long time poster of that forum in good standing also quit that forum in protest for the owner's antics. I read on Twitter the owners name is Igor. Does anyone know anything about him? Now I see he is making fake profiles...

• Chris M.
• baexpats baexpats.org dictator expatsba igor igor s. owner of baexpats.org
• Replies: 33
• Forum: ExPat Life

• 
• 

Wow I just took a look at the old forum. It's a ghost town! It's all but died.

 

[JonJLA]

Wow I just took a look at the old forum. It's a ghost town! It's all but died.

I'm not surprised. During the entire drama when this forum was created I posted and they deleted my posts. It seems like most people have migrated to this forum.

For kicks I just asked Gemini what the best expat forums are for Buenos Aires and here was the response. Surprising BAexpats wasn't even listed in the first forums.


When I specifically asked about BAexpats it says this. AI nailed it! Most of the members are like grumpy local vs. helpful neighbor. So incredibly true.

 

[Piranha]

I'm not surprised. During the entire drama when this forum was created I posted and they deleted my posts. It seems like most people have migrated to this forum.

For kicks I just asked Gemini what the best expat forums are for Buenos Aires and here was the response. Surprising BAexpats wasn't even listed in the first forums.

View attachment 10513
When I specifically asked about BAexpats it says this. AI nailed it! Most of the members are like grumpy local vs. helpful neighbor. So incredibly true.

View attachment 10514

View attachment 10515

I didn't even know there was another website.

 

[Uncle Wong]

I'm not surprised. During the entire drama when this forum was created I posted and they deleted my posts. It seems like most people have migrated to this forum.

For kicks I just asked Gemini what the best expat forums are for Buenos Aires and here was the response. Surprising BAexpats wasn't even listed in the first forums.

View attachment 10513
When I specifically asked about BAexpats it says this. AI nailed it! Most of the members are like grumpy local vs. helpful neighbor. So incredibly true.

View attachment 10514

View attachment 10515

The moderation just killed it. Once I sent a DM to a member and after that I was banned. So that obviously meant that the moderator was reading posts between members. There is a ton of old information but what I have noticed is that so much changes in Argentina especially under Milei that much of the old stuff is just moot anyway.

Any time I want to find out the latest of what is going on in Argentina I just come to this forum. It's all here.

 

[Jenn]

Hi everyone. I just saw this Cost of Living comparison online for Argentina. I thought Argentina was getting expensive. Is this accurate?

 

[Finance Prof]

Hi everyone. I just saw this Cost of Living comparison online for Argentina. I thought Argentina was getting expensive. Is this accurate?

View attachment 10571

Some things are cheaper and keep in mind things keep jumping up. Not sure what time frame they did that survey but places like the US are still much more expensive. Rentals here are much cheaper if you go outside of touristy areas and even in those areas it will be less than the US.

Where I think it's expensive is dining out and restaurants and cafes. It really is not much less than what you would spend in a major city for a coffee. Grocery stores are probably on par with what you would spent in the US on many items.

Utilities and condo fees keep going up. It's probably going to be cheaper in BA vs. most cities. I am seeing about the same rates as you would pay in many cities in the US.

Rental prices are also going up but you can still find a property less than you would in the US. Transportation like Uber and taxis is much less than the US.

@Darksider415 would be good to ask how things compare to Brazil overall.

 

[FuturoBA]

Hi everyone. I just saw this Cost of Living comparison online for Argentina. I thought Argentina was getting expensive. Is this accurate?

View attachment 10571

I wonder how much of that is CABA and especially the tourist/Palermo areas distorting things versus the rest of BA and say Mendoza and Salta?

I asked Grok and this is what it said:

Approximate Monthly Costs for a Single Person (Including Rent, USD, 2026 Estimates)

• Palermo (premium BA): $1,500–$2,500+ (high-end trendy living)
• Rest of Buenos Aires (average neighborhoods): $1,000–$1,800
• Mendoza: $800–$1,400 (often 20–40% less than BA average)
• Salta: $700–$1,200 (typically lowest, with bigger savings on housing/entertainment)

At the end of the day what matters most is what part one is living at and one's own expenses.

 

[Piranha]

I wonder how much of that is CABA and especially the tourist/Palermo areas distorting things versus the rest of BA and say Mendoza and Salta?

I asked Grok and this is what it said:

Approximate Monthly Costs for a Single Person (Including Rent, USD, 2026 Estimates)

• Palermo (premium BA): $1,500–$2,500+ (high-end trendy living)
• Rest of Buenos Aires (average neighborhoods): $1,000–$1,800
• Mendoza: $800–$1,400 (often 20–40% less than BA average)
• Salta: $700–$1,200 (typically lowest, with bigger savings on housing/entertainment)

At the end of the day what matters most is what part one is living at and one's own expenses.

This looks fairly accurate @FuturoBA based on what I am seeing. I saw the other thread from another expat asking if $2,500 usd was enough and I think that would be enough as long as dining out wasn't too often. Wildcard factors are health insurance as older folks are going to be more expensive than younger.

I am not sure $1000k will go too far. Considering health insurance can be $400 to $500 a month. I will just assume you aren't talking about buying a health insurance policy.

Big factors will be what you are eating and how often you are in taxis/ubers. I get lazy and take Ubers and they can add up. I spent $25 usd the other day in one day. That can add up. Most expats probably will just work from home and don't have to go around too much in Ubers. But they are so convenient I find myself guilty of taking them more than I need.

 

[Wally]

I wonder how much of that is CABA and especially the tourist/Palermo areas distorting things versus the rest of BA and say Mendoza and Salta?

I asked Grok and this is what it said:

Approximate Monthly Costs for a Single Person (Including Rent, USD, 2026 Estimates)

• Palermo (premium BA): $1,500–$2,500+ (high-end trendy living)
• Rest of Buenos Aires (average neighborhoods): $1,000–$1,800
• Mendoza: $800–$1,400 (often 20–40% less than BA average)
• Salta: $700–$1,200 (typically lowest, with bigger savings on housing/entertainment)

At the end of the day what matters most is what part one is living at and one's own expenses.

Doable being single with no hope of having kids. With kids impossible.