If Not Argentina Then Where?

I often take the train to the coast and pass through these towns - ugly, run down buildings that haven't been painted in fifty years or more, gnarled tree trunks painted white, untidy plazas, stray dogs, piles of rusting junk all over the place, usually not a single cafe or restaurant in town. What expat would want to live this way? And who would s/he talk to? Are the cities -- Rosario, Cordoba, Salta so much cheaper? I have my doubts.
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1) Yes, the cities in the interior are cheaper, even Rosario and Cordoba.

2) The cities of the Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Santa Fe province are generally nice places: Villa Maria, Junin, Pergamino, etc etc etc, and look better than most of Buenos Aires (which cities do you pass while going to the Atlantic beaches? Dolores?)

3) The cities of 70.000-150.000 inhabitants have a lot of infraestructure, maybe even malls and cinemas (Alta Gracia for example, 45.000 people I think, cinemas,casino, nightclubs, dozens of restaurants, and 40 minutes from Cordoba, amazing lifestyle chances,and yes, expensive, but never like BA).

Obviously, you don´t know Argentina (remember, the soja brought a lot of money to the interior).
 
Amargo said:
It seems from your other posts that you don't like Argentina. However, comparing Cairo with Buenos is really nonsense.
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You know I will have too disagree with you on that one..as an Arabist (qualified Arabic translator and interpreter) I went to University in Cairo for 2 years and have visited many more times. Whilst Cairo lacks BsAs European touches re architecture and culture I had a really overriding sense of similarity between the cities and indeed the country when I first arrived here. The population (circa)50 million then, concentrated in one large megacity as agriculture was crippled and rural life dropped away in the 80s, the destitute and poor living in the city of the dead but not existing as per govt statistics, a Rosario/Tigre beer reminiscent of an Eyptian pizza on the Nile, the crazy tramite experience of the Mogamma waiing whilst the public servants drink their sweet mint tea...it`s a feeling more than tangible comparable data but perception is reality as the over used phrase goes.:)
 
Any idea about the de facto and de jure tourist visa policies for other Latin American countries apart from Argentina, namely Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Chile and Peru? I'm a telecommuter and am not interested in applying for residency or citizenship but rather staying in a country for 6-24 months at a time.

One of my reasons for being here in Argentina is that, at least for now, I can stay indefinitely, either paying the overstay fine or making visa runs every 3 months. On the other hand, I lived in Brazil about 10 years ago, and I could only stay for 6 months, then had to leave the country for 6 more months before returning - a major drawback.
 
Mexico is OK if you are willing to get an FM3 visa. It is much easier to get than a resident visa in Argentina and allows you to stay all year (or multiple years if you continue to renew). Overstaying a tourist visa in Mexico is a crime, but only entails paying a fine (but then you must leave the country). I had an FM3 for over five years. Applied for and received it at the Mexican counsulate in Chicago, but they are also available in Mexico. Only had to provide bank statements with a running monthly balance of $1000 USD. Also presented my birth certificate (the frayed at the edges original), passport, and a criminal report issued by the City of Chicago Police. No apostille or translation was needed for the docs. It had to be renewed annually (I always did it in Mexico), but only photocopies (or printouts) of the last few month's bank statements were required for the renewal (along with about $100 U$D). (This was 2000-2005).
 
sergio said:
Cairo looks like a lot of BA - run down European architecture, dirty streets and a fading European patina. There is a good deal to do and once you get past the tourist prices it is very cheap.
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I spent time in eygpt last year, and i was thinking at different times thats some of the cities/towns reminded me of agentina, including cairo.. However 1km away from the nile river there isnt much except desert - beautiful in its own way, but cant be compared to the beautiful and varied argentine countryside..
 
I suggest that you resubmit your question in about 5-6 years. No one knows what life will be like and what things will cost, here , there or anywhere, when you're ready to retire. What I can tell you, is that comparing prices of 5-6 years ago with today's is amazing. Restaurant prices have gone up about 4X. On the other hand, utilities and public transit have remained low. If food prices keep raising and goverment subsidies are discontinued, there will be few expats here to answer your question in 2016.
 
Who knows what the situation will be in 6 years time? Inflation in Argentina can't go on this way forever. if it does, BA will soon be more expensive than London and Paris. Exports will not be competitive. I should think a major devaluation will occur before you retire.
 
chris said:
Who knows what the situation will be in 6 years time? Inflation in Argentina can't go on this way forever. if it does, BA will soon be more expensive than London and Paris. Exports will not be competitive. I should think a major devaluation will occur before you retire.
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The problem with Argentina is instability and unpredictability, very hard to plan anything here than a month or two out. When you retire most people's income is more or less fixed. The last thing you want is to be living somewhere where you purchasing power can swing significantly from year to year. At least for me this would rule Argentina out as a permanent retirement destination.
 
I've been out of the states for nearly six years so I've missed a lot of what's going on there. Today I came across some info that Burger King has been selling bourbon in some of their locations in the states. Now, I am completely against the social engineers out there, but this is just too much. Allowing bourbon in Burger Kings is not far from selling LSD or crack in Taco Bells. The hoi polloi is going to be even crazier !

Another reason to avoid the states.
 
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