Hello from Neuquen

[LuckyLuke]

Hello everyone,

I'm been a "lurker" on this forum for a while, and thought I would finally introduce myself.

My wife & I moved from Texas to Neuquen early 2023 to spend some time with her family and take advantage of our work from home situation.

She was born in the San Luis province and we met while we were both living in Los Angeles. We always talked about staying in Argentina for longer than a vacation and we decided last year it was the right opportunity. It has not been without many struggles to integrate here but we are finally settled in now for the time being.

I was hoping to run into some fellow yankees in Neuquen for the occasional mate or beer but I haven't noticed any presence here at all except for the occasional petroleo consultant at the Hilton.

Thank you for all the great information you all post here, it's a great little corner for those who share the same experience.

 

[Redpossum]

Hello, and welcome aboard

 

[camel]

Welcome. There was another guy in Neuquen from the US (maybe Texas too?), @jblaze5779 I think.

 

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Welcome. There was another guy in Neuquen from the US (maybe Texas too?), @jblaze5779 I think.

Think he left Argentina a while back.

 

[Quilombo]

Welcome! Are you guys in Neuquén Capital or somewhere else?

I daydream about moving to Neuquén or Rio Negro, but haven't met anyone that's made the move; how do you guys find it? Pros and cons?

 

[LuckyLuke]

Welcome! Are you guys in Neuquén Capital or somewhere else?

I daydream about moving to Neuquén or Rio Negro, but haven't met anyone that's made the move; how do you guys find it? Pros and cons?

Howdy Quilombo,

Yes, Neuquén Capital. Lots of pros and cons depending on your lifestyle / income etc. A lot to be said, but here's a few:

Pros:

Safe for the most part (as long as you are it the east end...west is a large villa or toma as they say down here).
Very beautiful public places, well developed. Almost all along the river.
Very young and well mixed population from all over Argentina, fitness oriented, fashion conscious.
Cordillera (Bariloche, San Martin, etc) only 5 hours away.
Relatively small city, virtually walkable in many places - especially downtown.
Local airport is 20 minute ride, very easy to maneuver.

Cons:

Expensive....a good 40% higher due to all the Vaca Muerta money slushing around. Real estate prices are a case study of delusion. Rental market is extremely tight due to high earner petroleros.
Culinary scene is pretty boring.
Downtown transit / parking is a mess. Not worth driving solo as there's no parking.
Not a whole lot outside the city, sparse towns, brushland and desertscape.
Nearest beach (Las Grutas) is not great from what I've heard, hard sand, inaccessible during high tide. Haven't visited yet.
Long winters. Overnight temps went to zero a few weeks into fall this year and last year remained cold well into Oct/Nov. Very little rain.
No direct flights, everything has to go through Ezeiza or Aeroparque.

IMO, there are cheaper and greener places in Argentina if source of employment isn't tied to the zone.

 

[Musicman]

Must be a few Americans living there with all the Vaca Muerta activity. I lived there for a while too and there was quite a good expat crowd there back then. Nice place but a bit boring after a while. I was glad to move to BA later on

 

[FrankPintor]

Welcome! Are you guys in Neuquén Capital or somewhere else?

I daydream about moving to Neuquén or Rio Negro, but haven't met anyone that's made the move; how do you guys find it? Pros and cons?

A colleague of mine spent a few years recently working remotely from Bariloche. Obviously it's an outdoor paradise with winter (specially-priced season tickets for residents) and summer activities. The cons would be reduced supermarket choices, plus higher prices, and anything unusual must be ordered in (e.g. Mercadolibre) and takes time. He said internet is poor and I believe he ended up buying one of the huge 40GB Claro data packages to be able to work. Rental costs are also high, you need to find a friendly landlord who will rent year round and not take advantage of the peak seasons.

Last time I was talking to him, he was planning to build a house (it's not a very auspicious time for that right now, though), I believe costs are higher for both materials and work than in PBA, for example.

Lots of flights, so it's easy to get back to BA if you need. Also there are flights to Santiago and Sao Paolo.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Must be a few Americans living there with all the Vaca Muerta activity. I lived there for a while too and there was quite a good expat crowd there back then. Nice place but a bit boring after a while. I was glad to move to BA later on

Howdy Musicman,

One would think...once I heard a fellow in a park talking English many months ago but never saw him again. If you know the smoke signal to draw them out, please do tell. Some smoked brisket perhaps...

I spoke to an ex-interpreter for the petro-sector at an auto dealership not too long ago and he explained that a lot of Americans come in temporarily to train the locals on specialized fracking equipment before heading back.

I'm not surprised by the boredom, there's not a whole lot to do here and even less nowadays. I never spent much time in BA, but the crime level gives me pause for raising any family there.

 

[Cambalache]

Welcome! I'm not from Neuquén, but I hope you find some fellow yankees there. I grew up reading Spirou, I love your Gaston Lagaffe avatar!