Another US Expat Wannabe

There are 25 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 2,689 times. The latest Post (December 26, 2024 at 2:05 PM) was by Rice.

    I've been retired a couple years now. Recently decided to sell my house and move to Argentina. My plan, currently, is to stay in Buenos Aires for maybe 6 months, get settled in, bring my Spanish back up to fluency (and master the local dialect/accent) and obtain a rentista/pensionado visa.

    I owned a travel agency in the US and have been all over Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as South America. My time in Argentina has been limited to Buenos Aires, and it's my favorite city in SA. So I'll be fine there for a while. But at heart, I prefer smaller, quieter places to live. Using BsAs as a base, I'll go explore other areas, and likely move to one in a year or so. Mar de Plata has caught my eye (I love the ocean and fishing), but I hear others raving about Mendoza or Cordoba, etc. So...we'll see.

    Hi @daveholman ! Welcome on the forum.

    We are awaiting for Explorer 's feedback in this thread. He shared similar desires like those you have expressed (not CABA, somewhere quieter). He is currently visiting the places he had marked on the map as potential destination for relocation. I am sure he will be able to provide better insight than those of us living in the City of Buenos Aires.

    Would you be considering also the Greater Buenos Aires area and the surroundings outskirt?

    Splinter lived in the Greater Buenos Aires in a green area with lots of single houses and nature, and still a 20' ride to CABA. GlasgowJohn lives further away, about 40' from CABA, in a less dense area with lots of green.

    Personally, I think that I wouldn't be anywhere else than in downtown Buenos Aires at this stage of my life, but I understand that everyone's circumstances/desires are different.

    Quote from serafina

    Hi @daveholman ! Welcome on the forum.

    We are awaiting for Explorer 's feedback in this thread. He shared similar desires like those you have expressed (not CABA, somewhere quieter). He is currently visiting the places he had marked on the map as potential destination for relocation. I am sure he will be able to provide better insight than those of us living in the City of Buenos Aires.

    Would you be considering also the Greater Buenos Aires area and the surroundings outskirt?

    Splinter lived in the Greater Buenos Aires in a green area with lots of single houses and nature, and still a 20' ride to CABA. GlasgowJohn lives further away, about 40' from CABA, in a less dense area with lots of green.

    Personally, I think that I wouldn't be anywhere else than in downtown Buenos Aires at this stage of my life, but I understand that everyone's circumstances/desires are different.

    Thank you! Like I said, I'll decide over time. I'll start downtown. I may stay there. The idea of not needing a car is attractive. But I grew up in Los Angeles and San Juan, PR. I've spent the last 40 years in progressively smaller towns. Where I currently live is a city of 5,000 people in a county of 8,000 where cows vastly outnumber humans.
    I know I get annoyed with "city life" (crowds, noise, etc) after a while. We'll see.

    Adding my voice to welcome you to the forum, @daveholman . I like your approach, starting in BsAs, a city you’re familiar with and that you like, and staying here while trying out other parts of the country.

    Like serafina , I’m partial to the city of BsAs, because of all the things the city has to offer and the relative ease of getting around, as well as simply the thrill of living in one of the world’s great cities, as faded as its former elegance may be.

    We are all glad to help you in any way.

    I too need a break from the city from time to time. It takes a 90’ ride to go to the countryside and there are plenty of tiny towns that fit your criteria. Cow sighting is very relaxing! I bet you can afford a house in one of them.
    The infrastructure in terms of public transport is lacking in these places, so a car would be essential. I think that even receiving parcels can be a bit of pain.
    Maybe setting up a property in those remote towns can be a bit of a pain, but once you’re set, you are golden!

    aficionado , do you live in the countryside or in a city? I can’t remember.
    Buenos Aires city is quite unique in many ways, but we have members living in different places, too!
    I hope they will chime in.

    Plenty small towns out in the province although to me they're all very similar in what they offer. One consideration to think about is health care. The smaller the town is usually means you'll have to travel for certain facilities which can be a nuisance even if fully fit.

    Quote from UK Man

    Plenty small towns out in the province although to me they're all very similar in what they offer. One consideration to think about is health care. The smaller the town is usually means you'll have to travel for certain facilities which can be a nuisance even if fully fit.

    That is a concern. I'm not *sick* but I do have a heart condition that I need to monitor (like, a cardiologist visit every 6 months). My Dr here tells me I'm no more likely than anyone else to need advanced care, as long as I maintain my diet and drug regimen.

    In the end I may decide to stay in the city. Not needing a car to access all the services is worth a lot.

    Which is precisely why I'm not making the decision from 6000 miles away

    Quote from daveholman

    That is a concern. I'm not *sick* but I do have a heart condition that I need to monitor (like, a cardiologist visit every 6 months). My Dr here tells me I'm no more likely than anyone else to need advanced care, as long as I maintain my diet and drug regimen.

    In the end I may decide to stay in the city. Not needing a car to access all the services is worth a lot.

    Which is precisely why I'm not making the decision from 6000 miles away

    To give you an idea. We live in a city/town with a population of 80,000. Despite having pretty good medical facilities many people who can afford it still prefer to go to Buenos Aires which is a two hour drive away for advice and specialist treatment. Then again it's probably a similar story in small towns in the UK. It's just here you have to travel further.

    Quote from UK Man

    To give you an idea. We live in a city/town with a population of 80,000. Despite having pretty good medical facilities many people who can afford it still prefer to go to Buenos Aires which is a two hour drive away for advice and specialist treatment. Then again it's probably a similar story in small towns in the UK. It's just here you have to travel further.

    My cardiologist is about 2 hours away, now. My brother (who recently passed away) had to go 1.5 hours the other direction to see a neurologist. My primary care doctor is only 1 mile away.
    It is one of the things I will be checking out in the first few months of exploring the country, to see where I can improve on those travel times, and still get the care I need.

    Quote from daveholman

    My time in Argentina has been limited to Buenos Aires, and it's my favorite city in SA. So I'll be fine there for a while. But at heart, I prefer smaller, quieter places to live. Using BsAs as a base, I'll go explore other areas, and likely move to one in a year or so. Mar de Plata has caught my eye (I love the ocean and fishing), but I hear others raving about Mendoza or Cordoba, etc. So...we'll see.

    Mendoza city is ideal easy climate with a canopy of trees over all. Nice urban walking everywhere in the 3-4 main neighborhoods. Lacking some culture that exists in city of Buenos Aires. Next worth considering if need a smaller city, is San Rafael in Mendoza province with wine, biking and hiking. Continue south to any of the city and town places along the famous Andes Ruta 40 from there (as a bird flies) especially the known tourist places of Neuquén, Rio Negro, and Chubut provinces (minus El Bolsón). All are in or with views of the scenic mountains. Never-winter places, but still comfortably arid are the less talked about western side of San Juan, La Rioja, and Catamarca province, or even bigger capital cities of Salta and Jujuy.

    Cordoba river and hill towns are popular with expats though not for me.

    I like Mar de Plata because it is also a nice walking city with the bonus of the sea. Big enough to get away from tourist if you lived there. Great getaway seaside towns for another 500km south yet still in Buenos Aries province, minus the fashionable places people seem to talk about closer to MDP. Plus more with a 1000km drive through the costal side of Rio Negro and Chubut provinces that have their own small cities though which might be too different for full time expat life.

    I've lived or had leisurely slow road trip visits to all those places. What is amazing is the lack of any civilization when driving between almost all towns and cities. Most often 50-150km of nothing.

    Quote from serafina

    aficionado , do you live in the countryside or in a city? I can’t remember.
    Buenos Aires city is quite unique in many ways, but we have members living in different places, too!
    I hope they will chime

    Yes, I am in the interior.

    Quote from Rice

    aficionado , you seem to have explored many places in Argentina. If you had to rate your top three, in terms of quality of life, what would they be?

    He certainly has. :thumbup:

    I'm ashamed to say my travels around the country in comparison are the opposite. A herd of cows, dogs and a demanding mother in law to blame. :D

    Only been to Iguazu and the St Martin de Los Andes area for a bit of fishng.

    I have only visited for short tourism trips and while I enjoyed the change of scenery, I couldn’t see myself spending longer than one week in each place.

    As the distances are enormous, it takes some planning and time for us to organize a trip to somewhere different than the countryside in the Buenos Aires province.
    Whether you drive for 90’ or 5 hours, the scenery is pretty much the same all across the province. For me, not worth the trip… I often wonder why people still live in those remote places.

    Quote from serafina

    As the distances are enormous, it takes some planning and time for us to organize a trip to somewhere different than the countryside in the Buenos Aires province.
    Whether you drive for 90’ or 5 hours, the scenery is pretty much the same all across the province. For me, not worth the trip… I often wonder why people still live in those remote places.

    BA province scenery wise is boring as hell.

    Quote from serafina

    I have only visited for short tourism trips and while I enjoyed the change of scenery, I couldn’t see myself spending longer than one week in each place.

    As the distances are enormous, it takes some planning and time for us to organize a trip to somewhere different than the countryside in the Buenos Aires province.
    Whether you drive for 90’ or 5 hours, the scenery is pretty much the same all across the province. For me, not worth the trip… I often wonder why people still live in those remote places.

    Where I live now, once you hit the edge of my 5000 population town, you can drive an hour in any direction and not see more than 3 or 4 houses. but you'll see 1000 cows. And some breathtaking scenery - mesas and arroyos and lakes and wildflower meadows, etc.
    Some of us actually like small towns in the middle of nowhere.
    IDK about Argentina, but in the US small towns tend to be more friendly, open and helpful to our neighbors.

    @daveholman , where you live now sounds beautiful. Are you in Arizona?

    I’m curious about your decision to sell your house and move to Argentina . Have to considered coming here for a trial period of a few months before pulling up roots in the US?