Potentially Moving to Argentina

[Newman_ZA]

Hi Forum Members.

My wife and I are looking into moving to Argentina from South Africa. We are looking to make a lifestyle change largely as a response to increasingly difficult living conditions in South Africa. We are specifically looking at Mendoza province. My wife is Argentinian and we have family in Mendoza but want to find out from some of the expats around here what Argentina is like at the moment. Its not that we don't trust what they are saying, I would just like to get a few extra opinions from people on the ground. What is the economy and currency situation like at the moment? How do you bring your currency in?

Some additional details:

If we move we will pretty much have a small finca or will buy one.
We will both have online jobs.
Likely to be bringing two pets.
We visited Argentina last year prior to COVID for a month and fell in love with the place.

Any replies are welcome. Thanks!

 

[HenryNisental]

Welcome here1(in advance)
Mendoza may be a good place to live here. Argentina is a third world country (by definition), but may be one of the best third world countries to live in.

 

[jblaze5779]

Tired of difficult life in another country, moves to argentina for easy life....

Never been to South Africa but I wouldn't call Argentina an easy life for 99% of the population.

 

[garryl]

Welcome here1(in advance)
Mendoza may be a good place to live here. Argentina is a third world country (by definition), but may be one of the best third world countries to live in.

Better than South Africa. In many ways, Argentines like to call their country a 3rd world country, but it's really not. It is between 3rd and 2nd, jaja

 

[Newman_ZA]

Tired of difficult life in another country, moves to argentina for easy life....

Never been to South Africa but I wouldn't call Argentina an easy life for 99% of the population.

No one said anything about an easy life. Its just a different one. I am under no illusion that life is difficult in Argentina and it has its own problems but contrary to many peoples opinions there are places worse than Argentina.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Have already scoped the country out - check
Family and friends on hand - check
Income independent of Argentine economy - check
You'll be fine.
Welcome to Argentina!

 

[antipodean]

Very similar to ZA however in general I find most infrastructure in ZA better and more modern than here. Nice weather, braai culture and affordable costs for those with foreign currency or good incomes... but also crazy government, economic turmoil, massive inequality, corruption and that goes with that etc.

The areas around the cities look similar to the Cape Flats for example with hundreds of thousands living in cardboard and scrap shacks. Or course if you live in nicer areas you will be in a bubble of niceness and probably won’t encounter these scenes in your day to day.

If you live in the suburbs, country or outside of gated communities you will have similar security worries and essentially be living behind bars as if you were in a similar area in the Cape. Fortunately the level of violence involved in robberies is generally much lower here for the time being so there is less paranoia.

Economically as long as long as you are “detached” from Argentina then you should be fine. If your luck ever turns however then you won’t really find a better deal here than you would in ZA - a state pension of 20.000 a month if you’re lucky (barely US$100 in purchasing power) and similar public infrastructure to depend on.

The currency situation is currently advantageous to those with foreign funds or income but like everything here it changes from one month to another meaning you just need to be prepared to think quick and adapt when it does (eg now it’s easy to get money with WU, but when that’s not an option you’re looking at changing USD in cash to between bank accounts outside of the country to get pesos.) You must spend your pesos when you get them as they devalue quickly and not always in line with inflation - prices for mot things increase almost monthly.

When there is no or little “blue” parallel exchange rate (as was the case for some years in the recent past) Argentina becomes more expensive so a cup of coffee would set you back US$3-5+ instead of say US$1-3. Another thing that impacts prices a lot are government subsidies and price controls that come and go, ultimately making it impossible to budget in the long term.

Politically the governments here also tend to be more “extreme” than in ZA, making massive changes that can and do impact every day life from one day to the next. This makes it especially difficult to do business. Most people are thus resigned to the fact that Argentina will always be in a state of “crisis” and as a result meaning the social “mood” is also similar to ZA as frankly put, almost everyone (expats aside) has serious problems to complain about.

In short I’m not sure how “different” it will be for you, but for sure it will be an adventure and change of scenery that is after all the spice of life and for sure it won’t be anything you can’t already survive.

 

[Bajo_cero2]

Tired of difficult life in another country, moves to argentina for easy life....

Never been to South Africa but I wouldn't call Argentina an easy life for 99% of the population.

I have been in SA and you cannot compare it.

 

[garryl]

I have been in SA and you cannot compare it.

Current SA is a fked up place.

 

[db887]

I cannot see how someone with good foreign income can willingly subject himself to Argentinian taxation. Tourists stamps for as long as possible then settle nearby where foreign income is not taxed.