Peru is off the list.

[chi chi]

Peru was used to be a relative safe country where you could live well on a small budget.
Now, it has become an expensive country with a low standards of living. Good products are overpriced and whatever what they call affordable is ''bamba''.
The prices of renting are buying a home are a ripp off and homes are generally of bad quality.

If you want to live well and are on a budget then you can scrap Peru off the list. There are other countries where you can live much better than in Peru is you aren't fortunate to be a 'high roller'.

And you'll be surprised that many of those countries are located in Europe.

[adrian Thorne]

Chi Chi as usual you are presenting wild assumptions. It would be good if you could present the factual information to back your statements. I only wonder because over the years I have settled in Peru to a very good life and in fact I am financially better placed now than when I came here. My wife and our family have the security I could never have given them in Blighty and our standard of living far exceeds anything you may have in Spain.

[chi chi]

Peru is becoming South America's ''behind''.

[teamoperu]

Total nonsense. I fail to see what personality deficiency is bolstered by badmouthing, insulting, and misrepresenting the truth about Peru from afar. There is more to life than money and living cheap.

Like adrian, I have a great life here. Most Peruvians I know are basically a pretty happy lot too.

[Slippery Jack]

Peru is becoming South America's ''behind''.

I'm sensing bitterness. Whatever happened to the halcyon days of 'Viva Tatapoto'?

[chi chi]

Most Peruvians I know are basically a pretty happy lot too.

The ones that stand in line at the Western Unión office at the beginning of the month to pick the giro sendet to them by relatives that have been lucky to get a visa to go abroad are indeed happy. And there are loads of them.
For the others, it's scraping and suffering to get by. Unless they have an overpaid government job or are involved in narcotráfico.

I know several Peruvians living here in Granada and none of them would even think off going back to Peru apart from going for a vacation to visit their unlucky relatives that have been unsuccesfull in obtaining a visa.

The main motive of staying abroad is the lack of social security in Peru.
In Peru, if you are unable to work due to old age or illness or you simply lose your job then you end up selling caramelos on the bus if you don't have relatives that are able or willing to support you. The goverment doesn't give a s*** about you.

If you are a gringo who has mucho dollares and who can afford to live in Miraflores then obviously Peru looks like a nice place to live.
In Miraflores, you won't notice the poverty and the daily suffering of the ordinary Peruvians as long as you have a flat at the malecón but look in the other direcion and you see hills full of dire poverty and misery.

And this is all caused by a corrupt government that doesn't give a damn about it's citizens. Peruvians pay skyhigh taxes but don't get anything in lieu for that.

My gf wouldn't even think of going back to Peru. She now work 35 hours a week, 5 days a week and makes 1750 euros a month. Not a bad wage in Spain especially as everything cost almost the same price as in Peru.
Gone are the days of working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day and a long commute on a tatty combi for a lousy 750 ''lucas'' a month.
She obtained a driving licence and has a brandnew car. Last week, she had no problem at all to get a mortgage for a flat.
Her mother is now part of ''the happy lot'' of Peruvians still living in Peru because my gf sends her monthly a 250 euro Western Unión giro.

I'm sensing bitterness. Whatever happened to the halcyon days of 'Viva Tatapoto'?

Tarapoto is still OK but it was used to be better. Till a few years ago, it was a small city with a low cost of living. Now theh prices are almost on par with Lima. Especially house prices have been beefed up.

Out of towners have brought with them bad habits like dumping trash on the street and fly tipping.

Safety is still very good but drastic measures have been taken to avoid that Tarapoto will become a dump like some coastal cities. Downtown is controlled by CCTV cameras. Serenazgo have been deployed in all 3 districts and the cops hold batidas at a regular basis to keep out the ''undesirables''.

Streetprostitutes, vendedores ambulantes, beggars and fumones have been banned from el centro.
And the stinking, scruffy, juggling gringos that loiter around the crossroads are being ousted as well.

[teamoperu]

Most Peruvians I know are basically a pretty happy lot too.

The ones that stand in line at the Western Unión office at the beginning of the month to pick the giro sendet to them by relatives that have been lucky to get a visa to go abroad are indeed happy. And there are loads of them.
For the others, it's scraping and suffering to get by. Unless they have an overpaid government job or are involved in narcotráfico.

I know several Peruvians living here in Granada and none of them would even think off going back to Peru apart from going for a vacation to visit their unlucky relatives that have been unsuccesfull in obtaining a visa.

The main motive of staying abroad is the lack of social security in Peru.
In Peru, if you are unable to work due to old age or illness or you simply lose your job then you end up selling caramelos on the bus if you don't have relatives that are able or willing to support you. The goverment doesn't give a s*** about you.

If you are a gringo who has mucho dollares and who can afford to live in Miraflores then obviously Peru looks like a nice place to live.
In Miraflores, you won't notice the poverty and the daily suffering of the ordinary Peruvians as long as you have a flat at the malecón but look in the other direcion and you see hills full of dire poverty and misery.

And this is all caused by a corrupt government that doesn't give a damn about it's citizens. Peruvians pay skyhigh taxes but don't get anything in lieu for that.

My gf wouldn't even think of going back to Peru. She now work 35 hours a week, 5 days a week and makes 1750 euros a month. Not a bad wage in Spain especially as everything cost almost the same price as in Peru.
Gone are the days of working 6 days a week, 12 hours a day and a long commute on a tatty combi for a lousy 750 ''lucas'' a month.
She obtained a driving licence and has a brandnew car. Last week, she had no problem at all to get a mortgage for a flat.
Her mother is now part of ''the happy lot'' of Peruvians still living in Peru because my gf sends her monthly a 250 euro Western Unión giro.

I'm sensing bitterness. Whatever happened to the halcyon days of 'Viva Tatapoto'?

Tarapoto is still OK but it was used to be better. Till a few years ago, it was a small city with a low cost of living. Now theh prices are almost on par with Lima. Especially house prices have been beefed up.

Out of towners have brought with them bad habits like dumping trash on the street and fly tipping.

Safety is still very good but drastic measures have been taken to avoid that Tarapoto will become a dump like some coastal cities. Downtown is controlled by CCTV cameras. Serenazgo have been deployed in all 3 districts and the cops hold batidas at a regular basis to keep out the ''undesirables''.

Streetprostitutes, vendedores ambulantes, beggars and fumones have been banned from el centro.
And the stinking, scruffy, juggling gringos that loiter around the crossroads are being ousted as well.

More crap nonsense. What ego deficiency are you satisfying by posts that misrepresent the real Peru, badmouth it from afar, and border on generalized predudice?

Life isn't all about money and being cheap or sucking the teat of social security. Life is about living it. Millions of Peruvians are quite happy living their lot in life, for many many reasons.

[Slippery Jack]

Most Peruvians I know are basically a pretty happy lot too.

Tarapoto is still OK but it was used to be better. Till a few years ago, it was a small city with a low cost of living. Now theh prices are almost on par with Lima. Especially house prices have been beefed up.

Out of towners have brought with them bad habits like dumping trash on the street and fly tipping.

Safety is still very good but drastic measures have been taken to avoid that Tarapoto will become a dump like some coastal cities. Downtown is controlled by CCTV cameras. Serenazgo have been deployed in all 3 districts and the cops hold batidas at a regular basis to keep out the ''undesirables''.

Streetprostitutes, vendedores ambulantes, beggars and fumones have been banned from el centro.
And the stinking, scruffy, juggling gringos that loiter around the crossroads are being ousted as well.

Gosh! Out of towners with bad habits like dumping rubbish on the streets and fly tipping! Where do you think that these social parasites have come from?

[ironchefchris]

Most Peruvians I know are basically a pretty happy lot too.

The ones that stand in line at the Western Unión office at the beginning of the month to pick the giro sendet to them by relatives that have been lucky to get a visa to go abroad are indeed happy. And there are loads of them.
For the others, it's scraping and suffering to get by. Unless they have an overpaid government job or are involved in narcotráfico.

That hasn't been my experience at all. The majority of Peruvians in my social circle are doing well. All are employed as doctors, lawyers, accountants, professors, teachers, business owners, computer techs, real estate agent, medical tech, physical therapist, bartender, employees at large, medium, and small companies, etc.. Some are doing better financially than others, all are happy, none are going to Western Union to wait for handouts.

Sorry you don't have what it takes to get by and couldn't cut it here. If it is in fact tougher to get by here than other places than I guess it's a sign of one's character and abilities that separates those who can make a decent life for themselves here in Peru and those who can't and eventually leave because of it. I can't help but think that relying on the welfare of others and government long term makes one become lazy and ultimately lacking in the skills necessary to be able to be successful here in Peru. It's a country where if you don't come from a family with money what determines your success is how much you're willing to hustle to make it happen. Those expats with no hustle to their game wind up standing in line waiting for a check from their home country's welfare office. You may be down on Peru, but something tells me you like it enough to continue returning to this forum of expats to badmouth a country you couldn't make it in and no longer live. No expatespaña?

[Sergio Bernales]

gringos that loiter around the crossroads are being ousted as well.

Ah, so that's why you left.

[mammamia]

Her mother is now part of ''the happy lot'' of Peruvians still living in Peru because my gf sends her monthly a 250 euro Western Unión giro.

Tell her to use MoneyGram instead, much cheaper...

But, seriously, pretty much agree with most of what you said here, especially, about the organized crime. The crime from Lima and northern Peru is quickly spreading to previously "calm" provinces and the police..., well, the police aren't doing a d...ned thing about it.

[Sergio Bernales]

Well, he might make some valid points about the cost of living here going up here and it definitely has become difficult for people in his position with a limited income in euros, a currency that is collapsing, but it's all done with such vindictiveness, contempt and barely-concealed hatred towards the country that you wonder what his point is apart from to let off steam.

[Sergio Bernales]

Peru is becoming South America's ''behind''.

Okay, so your original post was about the increasingly high cost of living in Peru, so why write that? That's just an abusive comment towards a country you lived claim to have lived happily in that adds nothing to the debate about the standard and cost of living here.. And if you think it's South America's behind, I'd suggest a visit to Venezuela, where it's difficult to buy toilet paper.

http://www.eldefinido.cl/actualidad/pla ... higienico/

And despite all the problems Peru has and I agree it has many, the government must be doing something right, otherwise why are there thousands of Argentinians, Colombians, Ecuadorians and other South America moving to Peru for better jobs, according to La Republica, more than 3,000 foreigners per month came to Peru in 2013 alone to work, of whom 12% were Spanish. Perhaps for some people with a skill and a strong work ethic, there is something here.

http://www.larepublica.pe/15-11-2013/ma ... en-el-peru

[ironchefchris]

But, seriously, pretty much agree with most of what you said here, especially, about the organized crime. The crime from Lima and northern Peru is quickly spreading to previously "calm" provinces and the police..., well, the police aren't doing a d...ned thing about it.

Of course the police don't do a damned thing about organized crime. They're not going to bite the hand that feeds them. Organized crime and the police operate hand in hand through corruption in every single country I've lived in. Since the Police are part of the Government might as well throw Government into that mix as well. No doubt the Politicians and Beaurocrats are also getting their cut from Organized Crime. Is there any country where it's not like this? I'm sure anyone not benefitting from this corruption wishes it were otherwise but corruption has been around as long as there's been Government.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HMIyDf3gBoY

^ 8 second clip from 'Casablanca'

[cmcarriemarie]

Chi Chi, if you hate Peru so much, why do you hang around on this forum? Your negativity is SOOOO grating to those of us who are here, living permanently or temporarily. Is Peru The Best Country Ever(tm)? No. But the consistent bragging of how Europe is so much better is honestly just repetitive noise at this point. If you don't like Peru, stay off of a PERUVIAN forum!!

[gringolandia]

I second that. The occasionally helpful post now and then doesn't nearly make up for the consistent negativity, disinformation and malformed opinions.

Really it just sounds more and more like you're trying to convince yourself that you've made good decisions. This is not an appropriate venue to fulfill a psychological need for affirmation of your decision to live in Europe.

[jwhmilne]

I see this place as a happier version of every other country I've been to. Poverty exists, crime exists, of course, but people generally seem happy, peaceful and relaxed.

[tomsax]

Peru was used to be a relative safe country where you could live well on a small budget.
Now, it has become an expensive country with a low standards of living. Good products are overpriced and whatever what they call affordable is ''bamba''.
The prices of renting are buying a home are a ripp off and homes are generally of bad quality.

If you want to live well and are on a budget then you can scrap Peru off the list. There are other countries where you can live much better than in Peru is you aren't fortunate to be a 'high roller'.

And you'll be surprised that many of those countries are located in Europe.

I was in Peru in the late 80 and early 90s when Peru was in the grip of economic collapse, hyperinflation, terrorism, higher levels of crime, lines for bread and absolutely everyone wanting to leave Peru.

You are not focussing on what is best for Peruvians but on what is best for you. You would have loved Peru in the late 80s where everything could be bought for dollar for next to nothing. Unfortunatley for you but fortuntately for everyone else, the world does not resolve around you and what is best for you.

[gringito]

Unfortunatley for you but fortuntately for everyone else, the world does not resolve around you and what is best for you.

Hmhh..., currently I cannot even get rid of the feeling that Peru does not resolve around the Peruvians and what is best for them.

What ChiChi wrote in 2011 also applies for Peru in the year 2015.
Expats are leaving Peru for precisely these reasons and a policy on foreigners that becomes, thanks to Humala´s nationalism, more and more hostile and discriminatory.

[mammamia]

What ChiChi wrote in 2011 also applies for Peru in the year 2015.
Expats are leaving Peru for precisely these reasons and a policy on foreigners that becomes, thanks to Humala´s nationalism, more and more hostile and discriminatory.

Humala's "crowning achievement" is letting his moneygrubbing wife rule the country, otherwise, he would have been following in Chavez' and Morales' footsteps and we'd be witnessing another Revolucion Bolivariana in Latin America.

[gringito]

Humala's "crowning achievement" is letting his moneygrubbing wife rule the country, otherwise, he would have been following in Chavez' and Morales' footsteps and we'd be witnessing another Revolucion Bolivariana in Latin America.

Humala´s election campaign was financed by Chavez. "Everybody" feared in those days that Peru would become a second Venezuela. Foreign investment stopped until it was clear that Humala would not become Chavez II.
However, while the first years of his legislative period lead to a certain optimism, in particular the last two years he and his wife only drifted from one scandal to the next. Immigration laws and regulations became more and more hostile in Peru and the requirements for an investor visum more and more unrealistic and have a deterrent effect for foreign investors.
Chile was not that unwise. It is easier, cheaper and safer to invest in Chile and get an investor visum than it is in Peru. Meanwhile, Peruvian newspapers wonder why Chile is progressing and Peru is not.
Must I say more????
Even a 15 year old can identify why things in Peru don´t work - and if Peruvian politicians can also do it (...) we have to ask WHY they act as they do.