Argentina, Buenos Aires

Country Full Name: Argentine Republic.

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

Country Climate: Mostly temperate; arid in southeast; sub Antarctic 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.

Country Major Languages: Spanish.

Country Major Religions: Christianity.

Location Population: 2.9 Mil (2012 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.

Country Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS).

Country Inflation: 10.2% (2012 est.).

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

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 is average compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The cost of living index for each basket for Buenos Aires is only available using our online calculators.

The current overall cost of living rank (using all 13 baskets) for Buenos Aires is 403 out of 780 international locations covering every country in the world (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The current cost of living rank for each basket is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are average compared to other places for items such as beer, spirits, wine and cigarettes. There are 333 places that are more expensive, and 446 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are high compared to other places for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. There are 193 places that are more expensive, and 586 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are average compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile tariff and data costs. There are 352 places that are more expensive, and 427 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are very low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 724 places that are more expensive, and 55 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofa. There are 353 places that are more expensive, and 426 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very low compared to other places for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. There are 664 places that are more expensive, and 115 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very low compared to other places for doctor visit, hospital stay, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. There are 698 places that are more expensive, and 81 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very high compared to other places for items such as apartment purchase, mortgage rate, rental, and utilities. There are 93 places that are more expensive, and 686 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. There are 640 places that are more expensive, and 139 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. There are 699 places that are more expensive, and 80 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are average compared to other places for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. There are 332 places that are more expensive, and 447 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are high compared to other places for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in restaurants, and take away food and beverages. There are 293 places that are more expensive, and 486 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. There are 643 places that are more expensive, and 136 places that are less expensive for transport.

Hardship
Hardship in the context of an expatriate and their family refers to the degree of hardship they are likely to experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle in a host location. The degree of hardship correlates to the degree of difference between the home and host location. Hardship pay is compensation for the hardship likely to be endured during an international assignment in order to encourage people to move, in particular to less desirable locations.

Hardship factors include-:
Economic Factors: Such as poverty levels and level of service provision
Political Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different points of view / lifestyle
Religious Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different religions
Public Service Factors: Such as provision of water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc
Environment/Climate Factors: Such as extreme weather
Personal Safety Factors: Such as personal safety / level of crime
Health Factors: Such as prevalence of disease and health standards
Education Factors: Such as education standards, prevalence of international schools
Transportation Factors: Such as prevalence of public transport, fuel and road safety.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups and can be described as follows:
1) Minimal Hardship (10% Hardship Premium)
2) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)
3) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)
4) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

Buenos Aires is ranked as some hardship with a typical hardship premium of 20%.

Reference
The above information is updated quarterly using data collected over the previous 12 months. The international cost of living & hardship indexes are only available using our online expatriate calculators to enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 April 2013.

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