Rent a place for a few months and you''ll have a great part of your questions answered while here. Even for me, coming back to Argentina every year, several times a year on vacations to visit my family, did not prepare me enough for dealing with daily life and after moving back to BA and my worries are far different than those of my local friends and relatives.
P.S,: Society here has changed a lot so you might feel for sometimes like you landed in another planet.
This is EXCELLENT advice. It's crazy not to rent in different areas and neighborhoods and see which you like the best before deciding where to settle down. And don't rush into buying as there are a ton of great deals renting these days with all the Airbnb options out there.
Lots of expats love many things about Buenos Aires but there is a lot that you probably never will get used to coming from a first world country like USA, Canada or UK. The biggest complaint for many will probably be the lack of efficiency in Argentina. Also, the customer service pretty much sucks in Argentina. And things like buying and returning things that don't work in Argentina is a hassle compared to the USA. All my friends that move to the USA from abroad (especially South America) are amazed with how easy it is to return stuff here in the USA. You can buy something and if it doesn't work you can easily return it to the store. Some places as much as several months after you purchased it.
In many places, you'll get the sense that they really don't care. For example, internet can go down for days and you'll call in and you don't get the sense that the person on the other end of the phone cares if you ever get service back. My mother in law that lives in Recoleta had her gas go out in her building due to someone reporting a gas smell. It took 8 MONTHS to get it fixed. I had a similar type issue in another apartment I owned and took several months.
Things like this can drive you truly mad. You'd never have a situation like this in a first world country with no gas or hot water for months upon months.
In first world countries you have organizations like Better Business Bureau that helps you resolve disputes. Even if Argentina says they have some agency, they really don't work well. Also, no real working judicial system or small claims court type set up like we have in the USA.
I'm NOT trying to compare the USA or other countries with Argentina because they are worlds apart. I just mention it as it's one thing that many people that don't know how it is there will drive themselves crazy if they don't go into retirement there in Argentina knowing a bit about things there.
Argentina is a wonderful country and overall I think I enjoy it more than the USA, especially for retirement. I think the healthcare system is FAR better in Argentina vs. the USA.
