New Minimum Wage

A flat number, selected on an arbitrary date, and not adjusted for real costs or the across real timelines, isn't real life though. Wage (or income) isn't necessarily what matters most. Inflation, but especially, purchasing power, matter. The YVKE Mundial data you cite might be a bit dated. Argentina is now $550 and Paraguay, which upgraded to $410 last year, appears not to be on the list at all. Even so, ignore the fact that Venezuela has two dollar economies, which renders comparisons complicated, if not unfair. Ignore that and use official exchange numbers. For base analyses purposes, think of it this way with numbers you give: it is January and monthly the Venezuelan has $360 and the Chileno $350. But, each month the Venezuelan sees 2.5% inflation and the Chileno 0.25%. The Venezuelan sees almost as much loss of purchasing power before end of January, the first 30 days, than the Chileno sees all year. Unless one assumes that what really matters is what the minimum wage means only in the first month, what matters in terms of the lives of real people and the impact per their wage is what that wage means until it is again adjusted – likely in 12 or perhaps 6 months. The important question is how many months does it take before the Chileno surpasses the Venezuelan in purchasing power, due to the effect of inflation on the Venezuelan's salary? By March the Chileno is ahead and his lead grows quickly throughout the rest of the year – until one or both countries again adjust the wage. Unless a wage is adjusted every 60 days (all-but unheard of), the Chileno wins, and if adjusted annually, he wins by a goodly margin. In fact, as you work through recent years, the Panamanian and the Brazilian also pass by the Venezuelan when wages are giving meanings across a decent time-frame and inflation is figured in. The "bonuses" you mention are important in terms of real life but they are not necessarily things added across an already higher minimum wage; these things are added because they have to be to try to counter inflation and the artificial dollar setup which dictate the skyrocketing minimum wage which isn't keeping up with either. True, the government has increased the minimum wage 800% in a decade (not too surprising, the cited article ignores cumulative inflation across that same decade), but this does not have meaning out of context of what else happened in that decade. Venezuelans may have more and better government assistance and perks than those in most or all other Latin countries, but in a meaningful sense they are not #1 or #2 per minimum wage.

Presumably, you have good pre-tourist boom experience in Granada - otherwise the claim that tourism ruined it doesn't have much meaning. But, then again, if you do not travel much and the height of your trip to Granada was donuts that were nearly as good as those from Esteli, it is hard to believe you are really in a position to offer much insight. There are far more "cheap" tourists in Granada than wealthy tourists. It takes time to get a feel for Granada, as it and the greater area are bigger than they might seem via Granada proper. But, it is all overun by the backpacker model tourist, and the indefinite tourists who more or less live there. Same with San Juan Del Sur, as both cities are well populated by business owners (gringo and otherwise) who spend much of the week (month, year, and soon decade) lamenting the fact that the city is flooded by people staying in rooms, houses, apts, dorms, etc, for a few dollars and eating in markets to save money, etc., as opposed to dumping big money there in the city.