Are Expats Leaving?

[GS_Dirtboy]

We could leave if we wanted to but are not planning on it. Too many good things here (rent is 1/2 what we'd pay back home, bus fare A$R1.70, affordable healthcare, decent to very good medical services, etc). All adjusted for income differentials.

The expats that I've spoken to who are leaving mostly say things like, "I've had it with this idiot government," etc. etc.
The funny thing is that most of them make their money in Dollars, have passports that allow them to leave whenever they want to, and live way above the average Argentine.

 

[French jurist]

2003: a parrilla for 2 (complete with asado, chorizos, morcillas, etc.) + bottle of Château Vieux + coffee = 17 pesos (exchange rate was about 3 to 1 back then if I recall = 5.7 USD)
2003: renting a penthouse flat in Recoleta, 4 BR, 110 sq.m., 50 sq.m. terrace = 1.200 pesos per month (400 USD)

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2013: same parrilla/same wine = about 330 pesos (exchange rate of 8 to 1 with the Blue = 41.25 USD
2013: renting the same penthouse flat = 7.000 pesos (I guess) = 875 USD

 

[sesamosinsal]

The article Steve posted is pretty bad. But to defend his point, I think I would be careful about packing up and moving to the U.S. or Europe for greener pastures. Economically speaking, the world is in a very, very fragile state. The economic problems in Argentina will eventually come to the U.S. and Europe. There will be a tipping point.

In my case, I stayed here simply because I got married to an Argentine. We've evaluated moving to the U.S. Nonetheless, similarly to GS_Dirtyboy and his family, it really doesn't make sense to do so. I'm growing with an American company and working remotely, so I don't have to deal with the job market here. (I agree that it's abysmal.) We pay a good price for rent, deal with a good landlord, and we're relatively happy. The U.S. is nice, but having to pay rent and utilities in the U.S. would make up for all the inflated prices that we pay in food here. I don't see it as being that much of a win. Nonetheless, I probably wouldn't say here if I weren't married to an Argie.

Last year during the presidential elections in the U.S., I went to some bar to watch the debates with some American friends. I remember being here in 2008, and the debate watching parties at some bars being almost a major event. There were easily 100+ in a bar I went to in 2008, from all different backgrounds and age ranges. You couldn't even sit down.

Last year, I went to the last debate at some bar in Palermo, and I was surrounded by college students. Nothing wrong with college students, but it really made me realize that a lot of people have 1) either left or 2) became politically apathetic. It's probably a mix of both.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

We're here for the forseeable, unless something calamitous sends us packing. My wife, significantly smarter and more capable than me, bought a small new build apartment outright on the back of a inflated Celtic Tiger salary and we own another bigger one here via inheritance. So we are receiving rent and not paying out mortgage or rent....just astronomical expensas (those Porteros live the life!). In that respect it is hard to imagine going back to Europe right now where we would struggle to pay a mortgage on something we want in a neighbourhood we like. Anyway,we both agree that current heatwaves aside we are done with northern european weather, which sounds frivolous but for us a little bit of sunshine goes a long way.

We keep a close eye on the Euro situation and on how it will unwind. We have daydreams of retiring on a greek island further in the future and could both live happily in Spain should the economic situation correct itself in the longer term.

I think those that earn in pesos and have family here exist in a different reality with different expectations. We didn't come looking for a european standard of living and don't get bent out of shape when things don't compare. It's a strange kind of self imposed mental torture spending your days comparing experiences with how they would be in other countries and one with very little benefit for your mental wellbeing! Let it go, find some pleasure in where you are. If you can't (Mr Dumpster for example) then nothing but frustration, misery and high blood pressure beckons.

 

[Gringoboy]

True words of wisdom there Dublin fella!

 

[expatinowncountry]

We are leaving in a month or so after only two years here. Some projects will take us back home for at least one year and after that we may come back or not to BA. We bought a house here we plan to keep and while we never thought of BA as something forever, we enjoyed many of things the city and its people have to offer. We do hate some stuff here like the pollution, the dog of our neighboor doing his stuff at our door, the government mismanagement (even though it worked in our favor as we are paid in hard currency), and the insecurity (though nothing happened to us as of today).
If next year we decide to not come back, we will spend at least two or three months per year here as I do most of my work from home and we have a level of comfort (and weather) here we cannot have at home.
Talking with fellow expats I do not see any particular trend in terms of people coming or leaving BA but we arrived here in 2011, well after the boom that followed the 2001/2 crisis.

 

[Rich One]

Love it or Leave it....! will always hold true

 

[NYKate]

I am part of another expat group and yes, have noticed that there are A LOT of long term expats (10 years or more) that have had it and are leaving. My husband (an Argie) has had it here as well. He wants to move back to the US next year as we will have 2 little ones by then and the public educational system (depending on where we decide to live) is much better than here. We did the math and cannot understand how staying here can benefit us or our savings. Our only likes (besides friends and family) are the health care and food (ice cream and asado). Going back is a daunting prospect but we really have had it with the government, the way people drive here, the safety problems, the way I get treated by taxi drivers when I have my baby in the stroller.... We don't want our kids to grow up with this environment.

 

[allcraz]

IOur only likes (besides friends and family) are the health care and food (ice cream and asado).

Yet you find people either staying or wanting to come back for these very things, more or less in that order: family, friends, health care, asado

Not that y'all will, of course. These are just some of the various reasons why we aren't going anywhere.

 

[NYKate]

Yet you find people either staying or wanting to come back for these very things, more or less in that order: family, friends, health care, asado

Not that y'all will, of course. These are just some of the various reasons why we aren't going anywhere.

I can see and respect that. Depending on the issue with health care in the US, we may keep our health care here in addition to whatever we have in the US. We will visit family and friends but I have family and we both have friends in the US as well. This is not an easy decision for anyone by any means - what I wouldn't give for a Miss Cleo!