Disappearing Expats? Or Is Everyone Happier?

[Somewhereinba]

Its true what sergio said. Once costs increased a large % left - lets be honest there is no real reason to stay here given prices/crime/liveability/lack of work/salaries except if you have a partner/family OR you are well off enough to not worry about things like costs.

 

[Ries]

Its true what sergio said. Once costs increased a large % left - lets be honest there is no real reason to stay here given prices/crime/liveability/lack of work/salaries except if you have a partner/family OR you are well off enough to not worry about things like costs.

cant say I agree with this- the "real reason" I live in Buenos Aires is because I love it. And in terms of prices/crime/liveability it beats the West Coast cities I have lived in- Seattle is far worse on just about every point, and you forgot horrendous traffic, inflation (rent inflation in Seattle beats Buenos Aires, and vacancy rates are so low that even finding an overpriced places is difficult)
Everyone "worries" about costs, but, for many of us who also live in the USA, its still cheaper and a better standard of living in Buenos Aires.
And everyone makes decisions on how to spend their money based on their own lifestyles, for instance, I do not find Buenos Aires to be particularly luxurious- but I dont spend money on fancy wine, or rolexes, or mercedes benz cars- instead, I take the collectivo and go to free concerts and eat porcions of fuggazeta with faina.

 

[Somewhereinba]

cant say I agree with this- the "real reason" I live in Buenos Aires is because I love it. And in terms of prices/crime/liveability it beats the West Coast cities I have lived in- Seattle is far worse on just about every point, and you forgot horrendous traffic, inflation (rent inflation in Seattle beats Buenos Aires, and vacancy rates are so low that even finding an overpriced places is difficult)
Everyone "worries" about costs, but, for many of us who also live in the USA, its still cheaper and a better standard of living in Buenos Aires.
And everyone makes decisions on how to spend their money based on their own lifestyles, for instance, I do not find Buenos Aires to be particularly luxurious- but I dont spend money on fancy wine, or rolexes, or mercedes benz cars- instead, I take the collectivo and go to free concerts and eat porcions of fuggazeta with faina.

Do you have to work here?

 

[mmoon]

I have been a part of this forum since 2009, and though I occasionally lurk every now and then, I stopped posting a while ago. There's far too much petty squabbling amongst certain members of the forum (y'all know who I'm referring to).

Threads that should be purposeful and to the point quickly go awry because we can't play nicely and stay on topic. While I still appreciate the forum, it got old a while ago. Just my two cents.

Thanks Vagrant Violet for coming back onto the forum to post a response here...I agree with the other statements about fewer expats due to the cost of living and BA not being the cool expat place anymore, but I agree most of all with you that even the interesting and unique forum topics here get poached by a few responders and sent into a crazy direction so quickly that it becomes almost worthless to participate. I know quite a few of us longtimers with something worthwhile to contribute are still out there and it's too bad we've been nearly driven away by all the mean or meaningless chatter.

 

[Ries]

I work both in the US and in argentina, but I get paid in dollars.
the assumption that all expats work in the local economy is not a very provable one- if you look at just the people who comment here regularly, I would guess maybe a quarter of them work in the argentine job market.
Some are retired- quite a few, actually, who post here get checks in the mail from their home countries.
Some moved here to be with spouses who work here and support them.
Some work online, Some travel from here, some work on jobs that allow them to be here part time, like me.
Many of the mid 2000's crop of kids who were so populous didnt really "work"- they skated, from cheap place to cheap place, prague to sayulita to phuket to berlin squats to detroit to the lower east side to new orleans, maybe pulling a few shifts in the black economy, getting money from home, and so on.

I know at least a half dozen people, just off the top of my head, like me- they are in Buenos Aires because they like it, and its cheaper than their home country cost of living. They all make their living from a mix of sources, sometimes in argentina, mostly not. They are all in it for the long haul- most of them I have known since 2007 or so. They are "expats" but they are not like the lovesick puppies who follow a pretty face here because they fell in love without the slightest idea of their destination. Instead, they are older adults who have travelled all over the globe, and CHOSE Buenos Aires.

If we dont count in your book, too bad- we are here, have been here, and will be here.

I also know a fair amount of immigrants, expats if you will, to BA, who DO work here- and none post on this blog. They are too busy working to complain about the lack of marmite.
They run record labels, write books, make art, run restaurants, design and sell clothing, furniture, and architecture, play in bands, and many other things- in fact, I know far more of those expats than the type that mostly posts here. They have assimilated, hired employees, and thrive here, but they are absolutely expats, in the sense that they are from somewhere else, and, mostly still retain foreign citizenship.

Again, they CHOSE Argentina.

 

[sergio]

Ries may be right but the fact remains that MANY expats have left. They've sold their property and left. There are others who've stayed on, in my experience because they have Argentine partners / spouses. I don't know if they've thriving but they're surviving.

 

[khairyexpat]

--------- the mean or meaningless chatter.

The professional full time snipers on roof tops.

 

[Pensador]

Ries may be right but the fact remains that MANY expats have left. They've sold their property and left. There are others who've stayed on, in my experience because they have Argentine partners / spouses. I don't know if they've thriving but they're surviving.

That would be me I cannot see life without my wife. And I would rather stick it out here than live with the morons in Trump land. That retard is worse than Christiana he even thinks Pocahontas has something to do with the Congress.

 

[mmoon]

I work both in the US and in argentina, but I get paid in dollars.
the assumption that all expats work in the local economy is not a very provable one- if you look at just the people who comment here regularly, I would guess maybe a quarter of them work in the argentine job market.
Some are retired- quite a few, actually, who post here get checks in the mail from their home countries.
Some moved here to be with spouses who work here and support them.
Some work online, Some travel from here, some work on jobs that allow them to be here part time, like me.
Many of the mid 2000's crop of kids who were so populous didnt really "work"- they skated, from cheap place to cheap place, prague to sayulita to phuket to berlin squats to detroit to the lower east side to new orleans, maybe pulling a few shifts in the black economy, getting money from home, and so on.

I know at least a half dozen people, just off the top of my head, like me- they are in Buenos Aires because they like it, and its cheaper than their home country cost of living. They all make their living from a mix of sources, sometimes in argentina, mostly not. They are all in it for the long haul- most of them I have known since 2007 or so. They are "expats" but they are not like the lovesick puppies who follow a pretty face here because they fell in love without the slightest idea of their destination. Instead, they are older adults who have travelled all over the globe, and CHOSE Buenos Aires.

If we dont count in your book, too bad- we are here, have been here, and will be here.

I also know a fair amount of immigrants, expats if you will, to BA, who DO work here- and none post on this blog. They are too busy working to complain about the lack of marmite.
They run record labels, write books, make art, run restaurants, design and sell clothing, furniture, and architecture, play in bands, and many other things- in fact, I know far more of those expats than the type that mostly posts here. They have assimilated, hired employees, and thrive here, but they are absolutely expats, in the sense that they are from somewhere else, and, mostly still retain foreign citizenship.

Again, they CHOSE Argentina.

I don’t think these are the people I’m referring to, and it’s not a matter of them counting or not. I’m partly wondering if many of the previous longtime forum participants on BAExpats have left or stopped posting for some reason or other. I for one would like to see the tone of the forums change so they are more useful and interesting to a wider group of expats to be on the site and helping each other out, not just to complain or try and find maple syrup.

 

[steveinbsas]

...the fact remains that MANY expats have left. They've sold their property and left. There are others who've stayed on, in my experience because they have Argentine partners / spouses. I don't know if they've thriving but they're surviving.

I agree that many of those who owned property have sold and left, but I don't think they ever comprised a large percentage of the expats who have said. "Audios, Argentina."

In fact, I think they are vastly outnumbered by those who never owned any property here.

That's just my "hunch" having read hundreds of posts by newcomers who just "moved" here and were struggling to make ends meet...especially the ones who came to Argentina hoping they could make enough to live on by teaching English...

...as well as asking where to find peanut butter, maple syrup, or Vegemite.

PS: That being said, I think it's far more revealing that so many who actually owned property have sold and left.