Is the expat party coming to an end?

[TimeTraveler]

That's questionable. If 65+ they are covered by Medicare. Despite what someone here keeps saying, Medicare is comprehensive. There are now Medicare Advantage plans that do not have any supplemental costs, that even give people quarterly credits for OTC products. If they are really low income, there is Medicaid which is totally free. If they come to Argentina it is debatable that they would be accepted into ANY private scheme - someone here said the Italian Hospital. Possibly. That would be an additional cost. They'd have to rent which would likely be more than they are paying in the US if they are living in subsidised housing. If they have the cash they could buy a property -- how much? USD $100,000 to USD $200,000? Then they would have to deal with the uncertainties of economic policy in Argentina. Prices fluctuate from low to high. It's unpredictable. Living in a strange country without a good network is a daunting task for someone 65+. Things can go wrong and you're on your own.

From a purely economic/financial point of view there’s no comparison how much $3k will buy you in Argentina vs the US. While some things (clothing, electronics) are expensive by international standards in Argentina most others (housing, services, food, health care, public transportation) are much cheaper. Obviously moving to another country carries all kind of cultural and personal challenges, and it’s not for everyone. But I was only focusing on the financial side.

And even subsidizing housing in the US is much more expensive in dollars than a normal rent in Argentina.

 

[Aztangogirl]

I live in Southern California, i own my property, but I do have HOA, property taxes and insurance that I pay yearly. My car is paid off, but I pay insurance on that too. I watch every cent I spend and spend about $2.500 a month.

I owned my house in Arizona free and clear. My social security check wouldnt even cover my monthly bills. There is absolutely no way I could ever retire if I remained in the States. All it would take is one serious illness to bankrupt me. Medicare or not. I have a nice apartment I bought with the proceeds of selling my house in the States in Microcentro. I came here legally and now have permanent residency. I have good health insurance that covers almost everything here. I have made a great circle of good friends here. I don't need a car. I have a life here I could never have in the States. On my social security check. I can live very nicely on 1200$ a month. And I eat out constantly, take private tango lessons, private Spanish lessons, go to movies and concerts and shows and milongas.. I don't live in a expensive barrio, I prefer having a great life over a fancy address.

 

[TimeTraveler]

I owned my house in Arizona free and clear. My social security check wouldnt even cover my monthly bills. There is absolutely no way I could ever retire if I remained in the States. All it would take is one serious illness to bankrupt me. Medicare or not. I have a nice apartment I bought with the proceeds of selling my house in the States in Microcentro. I came here legally and now have permanent residency. I have good health insurance that covers almost everything here. I have made a great circle of good friends here. I don't need a car. I have a life here I could never have in the States. On my social security check. I can live very nicely on 1200$ a month. And I eat out constantly, take private tango lessons, private Spanish lessons, go to movies and concerts and shows and milongas.. I don't live in an expensive barrio, I prefer having a great life over a fancy address.

Can I ask how you ended up in Argentina? Family connections or something else?

 

[Aztangogirl]

Can I ask how you ended up in Argentina? Family connections or something else?

Tango. I came the first time in 2006 to dance. I came back every year for at least a month to dance. I have no family here. No children, no grand children. No husband. Foot loose and fancy free.

 

[TimeTraveler]

Tango. I came the first time in 2006 to dance. I came back every year for at least a month to dance. I have no family here. No children, no grand children. No husband. Foot loose and fancy free.

Cool. is there a tango teacher or academy you’d recommend? we plan to move there with my wife and am looking for options to learn to dance

 

[Aztangogirl]

Escuela Mundial de Tango downtown has a few classes in English. My teacher I take private lessons with doesn't speak English. There are quite a few English speaking teachers though.

 

[sergio]

From a purely economic/financial point of view there’s no comparison how much $3k will buy you in Argentina vs the US. While some things (clothing, electronics) are expensive by international standards in Argentina most others (housing, services, food, health care, public transportation) are much cheaper. Obviously moving to another country carries all kind of cultural and personal challenges, and it’s not for everyone. But I was only focusing on the financial side.

And even subsidizing housing in the US is much more expensive in dollars than a normal rent in Argentina.

Medicare covers medical expenses. You have not even addressed the issue of the difficulty of someone 65+ even being accepted by an Argentine medical plan. Subsidised housing as I understand it is a modest % of one's income. How easy is it for someone with no network in Argentina to get long term housing? Are you sure it would be cheaper than subsidised housing? Yes, at this time USD 3,000 is a very good income in Argentina. The question is whether a move would really be justified, especially given the medical care issues and the uncertainty of future economic conditions.

 

[sergio]

You have obviously not lived in the USA in the last few years. One room flats DO cost 2000 to 3000 dollars in cities all over the USA.
39 million people in the US live in apartments. Thats equal to half the population of the UK.
Both my adult children live in apartments, one in NYC. My NY son just moved in Oct, and the cheapest bedsits were $2500. Most were much more.
I live in a rural area, a farming community, Average home price is well over $500,000. The national average is $412,000 right now. This is roughly double the average home price in the UK, and we dont have "council flats". 18% of the UK population lives in "social housing". Under 1% of US population lives in public housing.
You just have no idea of the actual cost of living in the US, much less insurance, health care, utilities, transportation, food, etc.

London area housing: detached £1 mil; semi £676,000; terraced: £571,000; flat £435,000. Cheaper in the north.
I believe a search of housing in cities other than places like NYC, Boston, Washington and West Coast will show one room flats for well under USD $2,000. There are many less expensive cities and towns across the huge USA where people on lower incomes can live.

 

[SinPulgas]

Many retired Americans have paid off their homes. Many leave substantial legacies to their children in large part because their homes values have soared. Few Americans live in apartments. Most live in houses however one room (studio / bedsit) flats do not cost $3,000. Maybe in NYC (Manhattan) or San Francisco but elsewhere this simply isn't true. Yes, taxes and insurance are higher in the US though there are property tax freeze schemes in the US for low income people.

https://www.apartments.com/worcester-ma/

Don't forget to add electricity, heat, water, telephone, internet.

Oh, and food and medical expenses. And transportation (a car, taxis, or lousy and limited public transportation).

 

[SinPulgas]

Medicare covers medical expenses. You have not even addressed the issue of the difficulty of someone 65+ even being accepted by an Argentine medical plan. Subsidised housing as I understand it is a modest % of one's income. How easy is it for someone with no network in Argentina to get long term housing? Are you sure it would be cheaper than subsidised housing? Yes, at this time USD 3,000 is a very good income in Argentina. The question is whether a move would really be justified, especially given the medical care issues and the uncertainty of future economic conditions.

I don't know what your situation is, but you talk like someone who had only lived in one place or the other, and is just making assumptions from what you read. I lived in the US for 47 years and in Buenos Aires for 19 years, and I can tell you that you simply have no idea of what you're talking about. And you keep insisting that what you're saying is true with everyone who has lived here and there telling you, with details, that it isn't.

And you're looking for weak points in what we're telling you, and you're not finding any.

• You say: "There are many less expensive cities and towns across the huge USA where people on lower incomes can live." What you don't say is whether someone would want to live in those places, and how they would live, compared to living here.
• You say someone who is 65+ might not be able to get insurance. Do you actually know? Because they can. And while it might cost a bit more than Medicare, the cost of every other thing will more that offset that. And in the worst of cases, if you can't pay, health care in Argentina is free.
• You keep saying that living in the US on $3000/month is possible. You don't address whether the life you would have for that amount would be desirable, or even tolerable.
• That $3000 figure is a number I threw out as a number for comparison, because it is double the amount that I have per month. Many expats living here don't have $3000/month. Average SS is half of that. I'm under the average. My point when I said it was that I can live extremely well here on half of $3000, while I could not even live in the US where I lived before, where my family is, on $3000. Forget about living there, or anywhere else in the US, on $1500.

Do you really think that you could live as well in the US, anywhere, on $3000/month, as you could in Buenos Aires on $1500/month? If you do, I really think you're dreaming.