US Citizen Interested in moving to Buenos Aries

[Sequoia1321]

Hi. I'm 44 yrs old, single, a US citizen and resident of Dallas, Texas, and was interested in moving to Buenos Aries, maybe permanently. I have about 200K USD if I sell my things here, maybe 300K if my investments go well. I'm planing to visit there once the pandemic is under control to see if I like it, and was wondering about some things:

1. Citizenship and residency: what are my options. I have no ties to Argentina and don't yet speak Spanish. I have US citizenship already, and also have Iranian citizenship. Can I also be an Argentinian citizen without losing the other citizenships? If not that then what about residency? I don't really have passive income, so was planing on working online with the US, and possibly within Argentina as well.
2. Employment: I have a law degree, Juris Doctorate, licensed in Texas, though don't get paid much due to the type of work I do and deterioration of legal job market in US. I think I may be able to do some work online, maybe writing and possibly some remote work, but I may have to start new because currently my line of work is not online. Was hoping that maybe I can do some type of online work still with US since they are on similar time zones, and assume it won't be hard to get started since I'll have some savings and cost of living is so much lower in Argentina. How likely am I to find some good work in Argentina? Also, if I work online with US clients and get paid in USD, what are the complications?
3. What are the tax implications. I prefer not be double taxed by US and Argentina.
4. What do I do about my US social security. I plan to still have roots there, have family there, and want to keep my options open, so don't want to lose my US citizenship or ties to the US. Keep paying social security?
5. Food: I'm vegan, and was wondering how easy it is to find vegan food at the grocery stores in Buenos Aries. Can I still find my vegan burgers, vegan milks, vegan cheese, vegan protein bars, etc. Are they easily labeled vegan? What about products that aren't tested on animals. In US, even in Dallas, Texas, those things are easy to find, so was wondering if I can do the same in Buenos Aries.
6. Guns: What I do with my gun collection? Have a number of firearms, some which aren't even legal in some parts of the US. Can I bring some of them to Buenos Aries? I did a little research and it seems the gun laws there are more restrictive.
7. Language: is it going to be hard to learn Spanish?
8. Cell Phone: I use Android, Metro PCS (T Mobile). Is there anything I need to do regarding this when I visit Buenos Aries? My Apps will work there? 4G, 5G? What carrier do I use?
9. Health care: affordable? Good quality?
10. Rent and home purchase: I'm a believer in purchasing rather than rent, so at some point I will be purchasing if I decide to move there. Anything to know regarding this? Will it have any impact on residency, citizenship? Did a little reading already on this site regarding real estate and it seems there are lots of challenges regarding home purchase. What are the best neighborhoods that I can afford with maybe 100-200K USD, 2 bedroom. Saw some walking tours of Buenos Aries on Youtube, was very impressed. Looking for a quiet and best neighborhood I can afford.
11. Weather: on paper temperature range looks good for Buenos Aries, but I understand the average humidity is high, even a little higher than Dallas, though temperature is still much less. Here we have many days in 90s and even 100s sometimes. Is it good weather in Buenos Aries compared to Dallas if you've been here before?

 

[sts7049]

i'll answer 11 for you. i'm from houston so i understand where you are coming from

the weather in BA is fairly close to the same as houston weather for me (just opposite seasons). it does not quite reach as high a temperature in summer here, but BA is still definitely humid. the other problem is that air conditioning is simply not as good as you have it in texas. in dallas you walk inside anywhere and will cool off. here, you walk in a restaurant and they may not even be running the a/c to save money on power. some public transport doesn't have a/c (or it is broken), like buses and the subway. so you spend more of your day sweating here to be sure.

winters, they are pretty similar although maybe not as low of temperatures in BA. in houston cold weather maybe lasts a day or two before it warms again. we dont have those swings here.

 

[Ceviche]

10. I suggest to rent for 12 months before proceeding to buy, Maybe try 4 different neighborhoods for 3 months each. These days short term rental contracts are easily available. Lot of good studio or 1 bed room apartments available for 300 usd month. However, there are also fancy apartments available for 2000 usd/month. Most people do no not take the 2nd option.

10. Buying is expensive here.. Property in Buenos Aires is overpriced. In most famous neighborhood, Palermo, asking price is 4000 usd per sq meter.

9. Health care is excellent. Take Osde 310, expect to pay 100~ 150 usd a month.

8. Bring a cell phone from USA. take the personal black plan at 30 usd/month..the best cell phone plan available in Argentina in my opinion for heavy users.

7. Yes.. from zero spanish to advanced...and still I make plenty of Grammar mistakes and my spellings are horrendous while writing..it took me about 7 years. For me , "Advanced" means able to have profound deep conversations non stop for several hours without any use of English and ability to understand any Spanish accent from Paraguay to Venezuela or Nicaragua and of course Porteño. for example, at intermediate level, I could never understand Paraguay or Venezuela coastal accent.

11. Excellent..all 4 seasons and nothing too extreme. best months October, November, Feb to May.

2. Employment prospects - I suggest you look for a bilingual lawyer working with international clients and work in his team as support. maybe if you are lucky, he may agree to pay you 300 usd a month in local currency of course. That too, maybe in black or on a short term contract.

Preamble - If you have 300 k usd..and maybe buy something for 160K usd ( a nice studio of 40 m2). in Palermo Chico near US embassy - one of top neighborhoods of BA ; and if USD does not lose value due to overprinting, you can live in BA comfortably for about 10 years without working, till your money runs out.

 

[antipodean]

Visit first, plan after. Argentina is nothing like the US or any semi-normal developed country as has more complexity affecting every area of life than one would probably believe without first experiencing which could be frustrating or shocking to some.

Residency - this is your first issue. Perhaps student or pension Visa if you have a regular passive income from outside of Argentina. Some on here suggest just to be illegal / irregular and try to go for citizenship after 2 years (which will take much longer in practice) but not sure this is the easiest option since life becomes much more livable only with a DNI (local ID number) which you will be asked for every time you buy so much as a bar of candy at the supermarket with a card and will need it to have a local card/ bank account in the first place. To become a citizen you can’t have an illegitimate form of income (eg working in the black.)

Work - imagine you would need to retrain to be licensed to practice in Argentina. That training would be in Spanish. Local job market... not good.

Taxes - there is no DTA so you can be taxes twice. Argentina will tax earnings and assets worldwide

Guns - forget it! Are you in some drug cartel??

Capital controls and a very unstable economy could pose big risks or headaches to your limited savings. Do your homework on these - Argentina is a mess. If you’re Iranian you might not find it too dissimilar to Iran from an economic standpoint.

Would suggest that when you visit try and get some things “done” just to experience what it is you will need to navigate on your own if you do move here:

- Apply for a foreign tax ID number at AFIP (you would need one to buy a property anyway) but can be a fun introduction to the system ...
- Talk to a bank
- Go to the supermarket
- Go to a hardware store
- Go to a mini-market that sells health / vegan food
- Go to a big shopping mall to understand literally everything you will be able to find here
- Use public transport
- View some apartments within your budget (construction quality and sound proofing etc for cheaper and newer ones are generally so shit that you wouldn’t believe it until you hear a neighbor’s TV inside every room of the apartment)

 

[Rich One]

Sequoia

After 18 years residing in Argentina. would suggest:

1. Get an Airbnb for a month or more in Palermo, come for a visit before you burn your ships
2. All the provided advise may not suit you depending on you preferences, for housing, neighbourhood , etc
3. Argentina is not Only Buenos Aires... Rosario, Cordoba, Bariloche, etc.

To answer in depth all your questions would require hours..! good luck

 

[SVBA_97]

For # 5. Vegan food is very easy to find. Dietética (health) stores are everywhere. Lots of very good vegan only restaurants too. It will be labeled vegan and easy to spot you can also ask. I can only speak for Buenos Aires.

 

[Sequoia1321]

i'll answer 11 for you. i'm from houston so i understand where you are coming from

the weather in BA is fairly close to the same as houston weather for me (just opposite seasons). it does not quite reach as high a temperature in summer here, but BA is still definitely humid. the other problem is that air conditioning is simply not as good as you have it in texas. in dallas you walk inside anywhere and will cool off. here, you walk in a restaurant and they may not even be running the a/c to save money on power. some public transport doesn't have a/c (or it is broken), like buses and the subway. so you spend more of your day sweating here to be sure.

winters, they are pretty similar although maybe not as low of temperatures in BA. in houston cold weather maybe lasts a day or two before it warms again. we dont have those swings here.

Wow. I'm a bit disappointing that you think it's like Houston, because Houston weather in my opinion is worse than Dallas. But others have said the weather in Buenos Aries is good, like Ceviche on this thread and I heard it said on YouTube as well. But I also heard that it is very humid. I don't know, I'm hearing contradictory info regarding the weather. Maybe will come during the hot season to see for myself. Thanks.

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

Hi Sequoia1321,

You are trying to eat a "VEGAN" tripel stack burger, a giant salad, two oversized deserts (I have no idea what you vegans eat!!) and two or three liters of something you enjoy drinking inside of one bite and one gulp! IT CAN'T BE DONE!

You are asking a lot of good questions, actually very good ones. BUT - I think you really need to give yourself some time to get up to speed, in that once the pandemic ends, take that trip to visit Argentina that you are planning. Move around the country a bit and soak it all in, unless you are very sure you prefer the major population center of GBA. The visit will help you immeasurably in sorting it all out. And then you will be in much better shape to contemplate the part you don't know!

 

[EL_TIGRE_de_Tigre]

Wow. I'm a bit disappointing that you think it's like Houston, because Houston weather in my opinion is worse than Dallas. But others have said the weather in Buenos Aries is good, like Ceviche on this thread and I heard it said on YouTube as well. But I also heard that it is very humid. I don't know, I'm hearing contradictory info regarding the weather. Maybe will come during the hot season to see for myself. Thanks.

It all comes down to what you like and what you think is good.

 

[Steve K]

Buenos Aires weather is more like Dallas than Houston, and not as hot in summer or cold in winter. Just as humid as anywhere in the US Midwest.

Housing: to buy is cheaper than a major city in Texas, but not a good value. Rent, however, is extremely cheap compared to the USA. Just be advised that with the low price of rent, your landlord will do NOTHING and you are responsible for EVERYTHING. For the price, it's a good tradeoff.

Transportation is great in BA, you will not need a car. Between bus, train, Subte and rideshare (Cabify, Lyft, Uber) you can be driven anywhere, any time, for less than the cost of insuring a car.

Culture is radically different. You really MUST visit for at least 6 weeks, several times, and see if it's for you. Argentines place the greatest importance on family, friends, socializing, and dining/drinking (asados). And of course Football (soccer). Jobs, politics, the state of things, religion, etc. These are all topics for animated conversation, but rarely topics that spur any action. It's almost the polar opposite of US culture. If you don't love that, you will not ever be comfortable in Argentina.

Example: In the USA many things are illegal and highly regulated, and the enforcement of everything is swift, effective, and occasionally brutal. In Argentina even more things are illegal and even more highly regulated, but for most things day to day, nobody cares. No harm, no foul. Stop signs (PARE) are only a suggestion, proceed at will and stop if you must. At night, same for red lights. If you are driving, you will need to adapt. If riding, you will need to learn not to freak out. Walking down a sidewalk while drinking a beer is not commonly done, but if someone does, nobody else worries about it. And so forth. I find it incredibly liberating, but that's me.