Expat Medium-Term Strategy

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

I say this completely serious ... if you want the safest, quickest most bullet proof way to be in the country legally ... find an Argentine SPOUSE!

 

[Dougie]

Charles have you been to Patagonia before? You may like cold, dry and windy, but what else are you looking for in terms of lifestyle?

Outside of the Bariloche/San Martin/Villa Angostura area, you probably won't find many expats. In the tourist areas you'll likely find people with English skills, but as mentioned before Calafate is a small expensive transitory town where tourists stay no more than a couple days.

$1,400 per month is more than many Argentines earn, but it isn't a ton of money for Argentina. For example, you'll most likely want a car in that region.

 

[Charles716]

I say this completely serious ... if you want the safest, quickest most bullet proof way to be in the country legally ... find an Argentine SPOUSE!

If I get married, I lose my Social Security benefits. What would be the next best option?

Charles have you been to Patagonia before? You may like cold, dry and windy, but what else are you looking for in terms of lifestyle?

Outside of the Bariloche/San Martin/Villa Angostura area, you probably won't find many expats. In the tourist areas you'll likely find people with English skills, but as mentioned before Calafate is a small expensive transitory town where tourists stay no more than a couple days.

$1,400 per month is more than many Argentines earn, but it isn't a ton of money for Argentina. For example, you'll most likely want a car in that region.

Lifestyle - I would want an internet connection and access to a few decent restaurants since I can't cook worth a darn.

Money - Out of curiosity, what would be the median monthly salary after tax?

If you don't think Calafate would suit, where else in the area could work?

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

Charles have you been to Patagonia before? You may like cold, dry and windy, but what else are you looking for in terms of lifestyle?

Outside of the Bariloche/San Martin/Villa Angostura area, you probably won't find many expats. In the tourist areas you'll likely find people with English skills, but as mentioned before Calafate is a small expensive transitory town where tourists stay no more than a couple days.

$1,400 per month is more than many Argentines earn, but it isn't a ton of money for Argentina. For example, you'll most likely want a car in that region.

When the "COMMUNAL LIVING!" thing kicks in, the whole family group, often times consisting of four, five, six or more people across three different generations ... each with their $300 to $700 per month to kick in becomes a solid unit. Alone? Forget it! They aren't surviving! Together? They can make it! This is the primary reason there aren't a lot of one and two person households in the country like in other parts of the developed world. It's financially too out of reach.

Your $1.4K per month will get you by, but you aren't going anywhere fast either. As for your degree ... no disrespect intended, but you can make more money working for yourself in a place like Argentina than you can working for the man. Very special people excluded from the previous statement. Of course if you can work remotely, that may also be an exception. Otherwise, people are working for chump change in Argentina. (Hoping not to upset anyone with that statement, but it is an established fact Charles needs to know.)

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

If I get married, I lose my Social Security benefits. What would be the next best option?



Lifestyle - I would want an internet connection and access to a few decent restaurants since I can't cook worth a darn.

Money - Out of curiosity, what would be the median monthly salary after tax?

If you don't think Calafate would suit, where else in the area could work?

Why would you lose social security benefits for getting married?

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

Why would you lose social security benefits for getting married?

And for that matter, how would The US government know? (Not that I am encouraging someone to break a law.)

 

[Charles716]

When the "COMMUNAL LIVING!" thing kicks in, the whole family group, often times consisting of four, five, six or more people across three different generations ... each with their $300 to $700 per month to kick in becomes a solid unit. Alone? Forget it! They aren't surviving! Together? They can make it! This is the primary reason there aren't a lot of one and two person households in the country like in other parts of the developed world. It's financially too out of reach.

Your $1.4K per month will get you by, but you aren't going anywhere fast either. As for your degree ... no disrespect intended, but you can make more money working for yourself in a place like Argentina than you can working for the man. Very special people excluded from the previous statement. Of course if you can work remotely, that may also be an exception. Otherwise, people are working for chump change in Argentina. (Hoping not to upset anyone with that statement, but it is an established fact Charles needs to know.)

I don't intend to stay there forever. This is intended to be a three year affair, maybe four. My degree will be in data science or data analytics. After I graduate, I'd like to live as a digital nomad of sorts, but if not, I'd go to where I'd do the best. When you say that I could make more working for myself, what would be an example of such a situation?

Re. marriage - My guess would be that if my spouse knows I have US citizenship, the expectation would be to help him get a green card. That is how the US gov't would find out. The reason I would lose my benefits: that is how SSDI works; I can't do anything about that.

 

[Dougie]

If I get married, I lose my Social Security benefits. What would be the next best option?

Lifestyle - I would want an internet connection and access to a few decent restaurants since I can't cook worth a darn.

Money - Out of curiosity, what would be the median monthly salary after tax?

If you don't think Calafate would suit, where else in the area could work?

Maybe San Martin de los Andes. I think there are a few members of this board that live down that way. They could probably answer your questions better than I could.

 

[on the brink]

Why bother with residence, if you only intend be here for three years? You could stay on a tourist visa, and renew it every three months with a trip to Chile. Easy, from San Martin de los Andes or Angostura.

 

[sts7049]

If I get married, I lose my Social Security benefits. What would be the next best option?



Lifestyle - I would want an internet connection and access to a few decent restaurants since I can't cook worth a darn.

Money - Out of curiosity, what would be the median monthly salary after tax?

If you don't think Calafate would suit, where else in the area could work?

if you want some conveniences around you, i don't think you want to be in a small town like calafate. small town argentina is not like small town USA.

what about mendoza or salta?