What Things Cost in BA – Part II

Someone asked me, so what’s NOT cheap in Buenos Aires? There’s got to be something, right?

The answer is yes, there are a few things we’ve noticed that are no cheaper here (meaning, they’re about the same cost as in the States) or are actually more expensive than they would be in the US. Some of these items are easily explained, such as Heinz ketchup and foreign brands of salad dressing, which are both imported. Others are more curious. Why soda would not be cheaper here, for example, mystifies us. A 1.5 liter Coke costs $1.00 USD, when you can get a 2 liter in the States for the same price. And for small, 500-liter, portable sizes, a soda is actually more expensive than an equivalent-sized beer!

Roughly the same cost as in the US:

Heinz ketchup (no other brand will do!)
Paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.)
Olive oil
Plastic patio furniture

More expensive than in the US:

Coke/Pepsi
Salad dressing (all are imported brands)
Wireless routers
Calls from land lines to cell phones (extra charge for calling cells)

Finally, as a random sidebar, there is one favorite imported food item that so far we have been unable to find in Argentina. Strangely, this is something we were able to buy in Nicaragua (albeit at an exorbitant cost). Any guesses? Here’s a hint. They grow the main ingredient for it in the South, and it is often paired with jelly. Yes, we are having slight withdrawal for peanut butter!