Ok Buenos Aires here we come...

[janet&chad]

great point citygirl ... we had looked at Tigre and still are, but found that our first trip should be in the heart of the hustle and bustle...maybe we are wrong who knows, just excited to see as much as we can... please please keep the suggestions, advise and information headed this way, promise it will not be waisted.

 

[flippinkittin]

Iguazu is a great destination. You can go to Retiro the day of and get tickets with seats that fold down about 3/4 of the way for about 65 dollars. It is about 10 dollars more to get the 'suite class' which they should really call the sweet class because it is awesome and the seats go down 100%. Never sit in the last row as you will lose a portion of the angle. I would reccommend bussing it over flying mostly because non Argentines pay double the price for airfare. Since you are traveling such a long distance I would say to stay there at least 2 days. There are some great destinations in the area such as a botanical gardens, and an animal recsue/reserve very close to the falls (the rescue had a tour guide who spoke english as well). Hope this info helps, good luck!

 

[SaraSara]

If it wasn't for family ties, I would live in Mendoza or Salta and visit Buenos Aires every couple of months or so.

 

[sesamosinsal]

I definitely wouldn't retire in Buenos Aires. Like citygirl said, the city is just hectic. Personally, I love Buenos Aires, but going from point A to point B does wear me out. I'm not a super fan of the city on weekdays... ha!

Have you ever looked into Montevideo? I don't know a darn thing about purchasing real estate in either country. However, Montevideo is, in my opinion, so wonderful. It's quiet, relaxing, and the sunsets to be seen along the ramblas are to die for... From what I've read, the country is also far more economically stable than Argentina. It's also a lot more progressive, if you're into that kind of thing politically.

If you feel you need to go Buenos Aires, it's only a boat ride away...

 

[SaraSara]

I live in Colonia part time, and sometimes go shopping in Montevideo. At first I loved it, but soon found out that its charms are quickly exhausted. It is a melancholic city, its once beautiful buildings dirty and decaying. There is crime in Montevideo, too - not as bad as in Buenos Aires, but catching up fast.

The rambla is stunning, but there's only so much jogging you can do - restaurants are not very good, and overpriced. All in all, life in Uruguay is about 1/3 more expensive than in Buenos Aires. And I'm talking about rural Colonia, which is cheaper than either Montevideo or Punta del Este.

The good thing about Uruguay is that it is much more stable than Argentina, both politically and economically. It is an expat-friendly place, too: with just a tourist visa I was able to open a bank account, buy property, and register a car.

I like Uruguay, as it nicely counterbalances life in Buenos Aires. However, on a full-time basis it can be stultifying.

 

[janet&chad]

Wow great information everyone, thanks... BA was not a choice for retirement, just a starting point for the visit since we had Tigre, Palermo, and a few others in mind and decided that a good starting point is right in the middle of it all... we like what SaraSara had to say and we too have done a little reading up on this. Still kinda stuck on the idea of Argentina though, we don't mind public transportation and love to walk too.
So let me ask those of you who are within the BA areas-
where is the best steak?

 

[perry]

Buenos Aires is great and especially for the singles as it offers a great variety of cultural life at all times. If you are a family though I would not recommend bringing up children here and would go for Mendoza, San Rafael, Tucuman , Entre Rios and many other beautiful provinces away from Buenos Aires.

I agree with gouchobob on this one though it is more expensive than the US now. I spend 3000 dollars a month for one person and I do not pay rent. Inflation is very high at 20 percent per annum and food and basic expenses have risen 100 percent since 2006 . Electronics and clothing are way expensive and medical costs are becoming exhorbitant.

 

[SaraSara]

I agree with gouchobob on this one though it is more expensive than the US now. I spend 3000 dollars a month for one person and I do not pay rent. Inflation is very high at 20 percent per annum and food and basic expenses have risen 100 percent since 2006 . Electronics and clothing are way expensive and medical costs are becoming exhorbitant.

Prices are rising very fast indeed - property taxes in San Isidro have doubled in the past three years.

A while ago I wrote that BA had become more expensive than the US; I'm glad to see that Pericles and citygirl share my opinion.

It is funny to note that when I posted that I was vilified as a know-nothing fool, dead set on misleading others...!

 

[Dolly]

Thanks SaraSara and Pericles for your honest posts - I have lived here for 3+ years now - and I totally agree with you re: rising costs etc. I just never post it, as I see all the negative feedback it gets. I earn pesos (and lived off savings until now - all gone) and now it's impossible to live here so I am moving. It's difficult, but I don't hate it, but now it's just too difficult so I must move on. And I don't live the high life at all!

 

[gonzelius]

oh my god!

Please find the thread Expats not happy, why stay? asap...

@steveinbsas: Are you an expat? If you think so low of Argentina why on earth don't you come back to your home country, whatever that might be? Or at least provide a list of reasons why these guys should retire elsewhere. I'm a local, so you can call me biased, but I've had it with expats bitching about this country but not leaving just because it's cheaper for them to live here.