Argentina, Buenos Aires

Country Full Name: Argentine Republic.

Location: Argentina is in Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay.

Country Climate: Mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest.

Country Terrain: Rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border.

Major Languages: Spanish.

Major Religions: Christianity.

Population: 2.9 million (2011 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector and a diversified industrial base. Historically, however, Argentina's economic performance has been very uneven, in which high economic growth alternated with severe recessions, particularly during the late twentieth century. Early in the twentieth century it was one of the richest countries in the world, though it is now an upper-middle income country.

Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS).

Inflation: 9.9% (2011 est.).

City: Buenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo.

City Economy: Buenos Aires is the financial, industrial, commercial, and cultural hub of Argentina. Its port is one of the busiest in South America; navigable rivers by way of the Rio de la Plata connect the port to north-east Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. As a result it serves as the distribution hub for a vast area of the south-eastern region of the continent. Tax collection related to the port has caused many political problems in the past.

The cost of living in Buenos Aires in Argentina is in the middle compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Buenos Aires in Argentina is currently ranked 505 overall out of 950 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 950 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very high compared to other places for items such as alcoholic beverages, alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine (where alcohol is legally sold) as well as for tobacco products such as cigarettes. There are 86 places that are more expensive, and 863 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are low compared to other places for items such as clothing and footwear products, business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear. There are 658 places that are more expensive, and 291 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are high compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract, data, and calls. There are 352 places that are more expensive, and 597 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees. There are 876 places that are more expensive, and 73 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as furniture, household equipment and appliances, DVD player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine. There are 429 places that are more expensive, and 520 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very low compared to other places for items such as food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs . There are 897 places that are more expensive, and 52 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance, general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions. There are 783 places that are more expensive, and 166 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are high compared to other places for items such as housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes, mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies. There are 191 places that are more expensive, and 758 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as stationery, linen, general goods and services, domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps. There are 851 places that are more expensive, and 98 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as personal care products and services, cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner. There are 810 places that are more expensive, and 139 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are high compared to other places for items such as books, camera film, cinema tickets, DVDs and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets. There are 349 places that are more expensive, and 600 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food). There are 733 places that are more expensive, and 216 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are low compared to other places for items such as public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance, hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase. There are 751 places that are more expensive, and 198 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Buenos Aires in Argentina are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Buenos Aires in Argentina is ranked as some hardship with a hardship index of 20%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Buenos Aires in Argentina are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is at at 1 January 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator