Looking to retire and hunt and fish in Argentina

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    Hi folks,

    New guy here. I am 59 but will be sixty come January. I live in Culver City , in Los Angeles County which is not a great place for hunting and fishing. I hope to retire on Social Security at age 62. I hope as a single male I can live not in the big cities but say Cordoba or maybe in the mountains for 1,400 USD a month.

    I did flyfishing once in Puchon, Chile which is I believe sixty or so miles from Argentina so I love the Southern region of South America.

    Can foreigners own hunting rifles and shotguns in Argentina with some sort of permit? I imagine handguns are not legal for forigeners.

    Ideally I would rent a small house in the country and buy a used car.

    Is the food in Argentina similar to Chile? I imagine once one is away from the big cities one must know Spanish very well. In Los Angeles County most or a good sized percentage of Spanish speakers are Mexican followed by El Salvadoreans and Guatemalans so I would think it's a bit different Spanish or is it like American vs Australian English?

    We do have Argentians of course but there a relatively small part of the Spanish speaking population.

    Any answers would be welcome. I would if possible in a rural setting like to live nearby English speaking Expats.


    Thanking people in advance,

    Leonard

    Hi Leonard. I've no idea about Cordoba as my trout fishing experiences in Argenina both river and lake have all been down south in the St Martin de los Andes area. Local rules apply regarding fishing permits, if you're a resident a permit is very cheap compared to what a visitor from outside the area has to pay. I'm not into hunting with guns so can't offer any advice.


    If I were you I'd come here on a fact finding mission/holiday first. I'm not so sure moving here permanently is going to be as easy as you might think on your budget. I certainly wouldn't do it.

    USD 1,400 a month is enough to live outside a city and outside Buenos Aires at the moment, especially for a single person who is living a relatively modest life. If you have a means to exchange at the blue rate (or close), that $1400 is around 240,000 - 250,000 pesos... vastly more than the avrage Argentine earns, and probably upper middle class in rural areas.


    One problem is, Argentina's economy can quickly change. $1400 has not always been enough since I have been living here. If things were to change, that salary may end up being too little. Still, as of right now you will be able to live well on that amount with blue rate exchanges.


    Also, I do not think you are going to find a rich expat community outside of the center of Captial (Buenos Aires). If you are in a rural area, you are unlikely to find many expats at all.

    Quote from Semigoodlooking

    USD 1,400 a month is enough to live outside a city and outside Buenos Aires at the moment, especially for a single person who is living a relatively modest life. If you have a means to exchange at the blue rate (or close), that $1400 is around 240,000 - 250,000 pesos... vastly more than the avrage Argentine earns, and probably upper middle class in rural areas.


    One problem is, Argentina's economy can quickly change. $1400 has not always been enough since I have been living here. If things were to change, that salary may end up being too little. Still, as of right now you will be able to live well on that amount with blue rate exchanges.


    Also, I do not think you are going to find a rich expat community outside of the center of Captial (Buenos Aires). If you are in a rural area, you are unlikely to find many expats at all.

    Must admit my first reaction was similar to yours....especially if living the 'Blue' life.

    However I tend to take a more pessimistic approach when replying to these type of posts. I personally don't see it as being a large amount of money once you take into consideration the paying of rent, paying bills, keeping a car, health care etc.etc.

    It would be a fun thing to do as long as you have an escape plan ready should the time come.

    I agree, simply because things can change and that 1400 USD would look very small.


    However, right now, it is not very small in Argentina, even factoring in all the expenses you discuss. Again, it is around 250,000 pesos per month at a blue exchange. That is massive amounts of monthly income in Argentina and in a rural town outside of BA, you may be seen as rich with that kind of income. Even in CABA, 250,000 pesos a month is much more than the average salary.

    Thank you to all who replied. Cordova is worl famous for dove hunting since the European Do e is constant an agricultural pest there's no season and no limit. In California the Euro dove has the same status vs the the Mourning Dove and Mexican White wing Dove which has limits.

    If things get to expensive then yes I would have to try my luck elsewhere.So apparently Expats are mostly in the major cities.

    When I was in El Salvador during the Guera de Civil I went to a Casa de Cambio to exchange money so in a somewhat small town I would have to look around for a " Blue Rate" individual. I guess say the local waitress or small business owner would get me in touch with one.

    On YouTube various ways are discussed but if the general concensus is just have Western Union vs my bank which is Well Fargo to wire me money then I pay a fee and still get a better rate.

    Sounds complicated but I guess it is what it is.

    What's the general consensus on say living in Paraguay and or Uraguay since I could always cross the border?

    Leftyhunter

    So I know something about the crime rate in Los Angeles County since I work armed security and it's getting bad . Crime is more or less legal at least on the West Coast and apparently all over the US. So what's like in Argentina? I understand it was very low not to long ago but now it's in the upswing. I hope I am wrong. In California it's very difficult to get a carry permit for a handgun vs many states no permit is required " Constitutional Carry". In California it's legal to carry pepper spray and a Tazer with an easy to get permit. Not sure how things work in Argentina.

    Thanks again

    Leftyhunter

    It is not very complicated to do a Western Union transaction, and you will not bemoan it at all when you are getting the blue rate (or close to it) instead of the official rate.


    Security is something you probably will not need to worry about if you are planning on living rurally. It is a big problem in the provinicial barrios around Capital and can be in Capital itself depending where you spend time. Unfortunately, most of the news these days is dominated by someone who has been killed by a motochorro (thief on a bike) for some random thing. Yesterday it was a teenager killed for his jacket, last week a teenager killed walking home from school, a policeman killed in a pizzeria, etc. etc.


    You hear much less of it in rural areas and I guess it the risk of crime depends on how rural you live. Your biggest risk may be being the American moving into a small town, with many people presuming you have dollars/money even you may not.


    There are some who deny crime is a problem here, but they are usually the ones living in a closed bubble in Capital.

    Western Union transactions are very easy. You send money to yourself and then you transfer the cash to WU from your bank account.


    All done online


    You can choose cash pick up or bank transfer here. You will not be able to have an account until you are resident - so cash pick up is what you need.