Dear Readers,

Relocating and living abroad is an adventure; sometimes it is very difficult….there are cultural differences to overcome, possibly language ones too depending on where you go, and it can take months in some places to work out how to post a letter!! But something that may never cross your mind, is ‘dual pricing’.

This is basically where you a charged a different (almost always higher!) price by the mere fact that you are a foreigner. In Argentina, it is overt and something that has to be factored into daily living. Quite often the sound of an English speaking voice will bump the price of anything from a car to a bunch of flowers up by 100%. But in a way it is the ‘official’ dual pricing that is more insulting. Hotel rooms are priced according to your nationality … the published price list will differentiate between an ‘extranjero’ (foreigner) and an Argentino. Likewise, entrance fees for National Parks…..eg. Iguazu Falls is 10 pesos for a local and 40 pesos for a foreigner! and the cost of an air ticket on an internal flight.

Fares can be as much as 150% higher for a foreigner. For example, to fly from San Rafael to Buenos Aires, one way (flight time approx 1hr 45mins) with Aerolineas Argentinas costs 485pesos (around $US160) for an Argentinian; if you are a foreigner the same flight costs 1100pesos ($US366).

The national airline has a monopoly of this route, (and pretty much all internal routes) so your only other choice is to get the bus or drive. My advice…get the bus….the trip one way is between 160 and 190 pesos depending on the class of seat…they are all more comfortable than the plane, and the same price whether you are Argentinian or a foreigner.  Yes, it is a 13 hour trip, but overnight…you get a meal, a movie and breakfast when you wake up in Buenos Aires the next morning.

One other note about flights - all flights route through Buenos Aires, the capital.  So even if you wanted to fly from San Rafael to Mendoza (a half an hour flight north) your flight would route you west to BA first and then back to Mendoza.  My advice, get the bus!!

Renting a property is also subject to this dual pricing structure. An English couple were looking for a house to rent in San Rafael.  In the local paper they found something suitable for 1000pesos/month (approx $US300). A Spanish speaking American friend, living nearby, offered to go and check it out. The landlord confirmed the property was for rent but quoted 2000 pesos per month! When the advert was pointed out, the landlord said that 1000 pesos was the price for an Argentinian; for a foreigner is was 2000 pesos!

A Spanish speaking American phoned to enquire the cost of a property..small farm with land and was quoted $US130,000.  The same property is actually advertised on a local site for $US70,000. Go figure.

At present, even the banks are operating an anti-foreigner strategy…restrictions on the amount a foreigner can withdraw from an ATM!

Even if you speak Spanish well, you are usually recognizable as a foreigner by your accent; so if you are making major purchases, be sure to have a local with you! And even if it is something small, be sure to ask if you are being charged ‘gringo’ prices before you buy….There doesn’t seem to be anything you can do other than take your business elsewhere.

Editor

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