Why would anyone come to this country in this century?

[Emilia Hertz]

Thanks you all for the answers, it makes sense if you have expat salaries, the thing I don't understand is how you keep your salaries normal when living here, like we have a lot of issues and shitty taxes when bringing stuff from the outside. I don't work in IT either so idk how I could find a job online that allows me to earn in proper salary and not converted into a pesos and devalued due to taxes.

If you are so desperate, and it is so hard, you could very easily escape to another MERCOSUR (or MERCOSUR-affiliated) country...

Because I rather living in Argentina than other latam countries, but not the first world.

9. Health system.

The health system is not better than many european ones though. It's true that it can be better than in the US in that aspect considering that they don't have universal healthcare.

 

[Rich One]

I run a comparative Excel spreadsheet for favorable destinations, the variables considered are:

1. Language
2. Cultural Environment
3. Cosmopolitan City
4. Ethnic composition
5. Cost of living
6. Weather
7. Digital Communications
8. Accessibility

I give a punctuation for each variable. Buenos Aires for me is a 10 in most variables. Comparing with Bulgaria, Portugal, Bolivia or Thailand.

Each Variable has a different weight factor when calculating the total. Obviously Cost of Living is a major consideration .








v

 

[Redpossum]

Each Variable has a different weight factor when calculating the total. Obviously Cost of Living is a major consideration .








v

For me, cost of living is THE main consideration. If I was in the USA, I'd be homeless.
But it's not the only consideration. I do love the more relaxed, laid-back pace of life here. It took me a year or more to adjust to, but now I don't think I could go back. I love the fact that there aren't helicopters overhead 24/7. I fact I almost never hear one. There are a lot of good things about Argentina. Excellent beef at bargain prices is a big one.

If you don't know what I mean, check the first post in this thread
Yup, that's right. 6.34 yanqui dollars for carne picada that's 30% fat, and probably made from the trimmed off bits that fell on the floor, for all we know.

You can skip the video

 

[bdk1]

First of all, I'm not an expat, but I found this forum accidentally and was amazed that people from first world countries come here, so I wanted to know why the hell would someone come to this country during this century, I would understand it 100 years ago but now? I say this as someone who is deseperately trying to find a way to escape this awful place and migrate to Europe (which is extremely hard since I'm not being able to find my Italian and German ancestor documents to get any of these citizenships)

If your next-door neighbour is earning in USD/EUR and you're earning in ARS, you are not really living in the same country. I think that answers your question.

 

[Newman_ZA]

First of all, I'm not an expat, but I found this forum accidentally and was amazed that people from first world countries come here, so I wanted to know why the hell would someone come to this country during this century, I would understand it 100 years ago but now? I say this as someone who is deseperately trying to find a way to escape this awful place and migrate to Europe (which is extremely hard since I'm not being able to find my Italian and German ancestor documents to get any of these citizenships)

Hi Emilia

I was in a similar position to you so I do empathize with you. I do understand that feeling of needing to get out as fast as possible. I felt that. I can't speak for most expats here as my position is different. I felt like I did not belong and was not wanted in my own country. The place where I was born and where my parents were born and died did not want me. Politics there is not like here. Race based politics is increasing from all political parties and even in social circles I felt like i never fitted into any group. Crime is also rampant there and government services are almost non-existent. If you are lucky you can afford private medical aid, private security, private education, security housing complexes etc. The country is spiraling downwards and I don't want to be there with a family when things go wrong. Comparably for me, Argentina is far better. Just by living in Argentina I have 7 times less chance of being murdered or worse (source). So relatively, here is much safer. I know that crime here has also increased but RELATIVELY it is safer than where I was.

Why Argentina... I am lucky. I married an Argentinian. Before deciding on Argentina, we looked all over to see where we would like to live. In the end we saw that we would never have been able to afford a house in the first world (EU, USA, Canada, NZ, AUS) and we wanted something different from what other expats from South Africa were doing.

In Argentina, our small savings bought us a decent sized house in a smaller city outside BA where life is mostly calm and we are very happy. I am lucky in that I am detached from the economy here. I earn in another currency and bring in what we need. I am privileged to be able to do this. But as other people have said there are so many positives to staying here. I am amazed by how efficient (I know this seems like a joke) some systems are here compared to where I come from. People have also been good to us and we have our own little community here.

I know things are different for you and you may have different pull and push factors to others here so I wish you all the best.

9. Health system.

That is something people forget. The education system, while flawed, is not so bad either and public transport is great.

 

[Aztangogirl]

First of all, I'm not an expat, but I found this forum accidentally and was amazed that people from first world countries come here, so I wanted to know why the hell would someone come to this country during this century, I would understand it 100 years ago but now? I say this as someone who is deseperately trying to find a way to escape this awful place and migrate to Europe (which is extremely hard since I'm not being able to find my Italian and German ancestor documents to get any of these citizenships)

I love Argentina, I love Buenos Aires. Granted, my income is US dollars. But the political situation in the US ,the state of the healthcare system and guns everywhere, I choose Argentina. I can live like a decent human being on my social security, which in the States barely covered my monthly bills. I could buy a nice apartment in the city for a fraction of an apartment in any US state. I don't need a car here, impossible in the States to survive without a car. And I can dance Tango seven days a week.

 

[Rich One]

For me, cost of living is THE main consideration. If I was in the USA, I'd be homeless.
But it's not the only consideration. I do love the more relaxed, laid-back pace of life here. It took me a year or more to adjust to, but now I don't think I could go back. I love the fact that there aren't helicopters overhead 24/7. I fact I almost never hear one. There are a lot of good things about Argentina. Excellent beef at bargain prices is a big one.

If you don't know what I mean, check the first post in this thread
Yup, that's right. 6.34 yanqui dollars for carne picada that's 30% fat, and probably made from the trimmed off bits that fell on the floor, for all we know.

You can skip the video

Red other countries have equal or lower cost of living like Vietnam or Bolivia or Bulgaria, Pakistan. BUT the Culture is so different from the Judeo-Christian Western culture, plus the Language issue, etc. . My evaluation is for Bs. As. not for Argentina in general

 

[Alfred_Arnold]

I like how OP posed the question..why "this century"? I for one feel the experience gives an interesting sense of time, where you constantly have one foot in the early 20th century, and another in a near dystopian future, all on the same block and sometimes even from the comfort of your own home.

Illustrative example:

Stepping outside from an accordion-door elevator past the state-of-art security camera, onto the cracked sidewalk marveling at mold-covered architecture to buy a Coke on the corner with a QR code, crossing the street blasting lowest-denominator never-evolving reggaeton to wait in line and enter a store where the clerk can't answer a simple question due to generational brain drain about one of the only 2 models of the thing that has entered the country in the last 10 years, all while a TV in the background discusses observations forras and shows ads for mattresses that cost a year of median salary. You then get buzzed out of the door because the single-cylinder lock would prefer you stay trapped amidst the torture...

Yeah, time warps with every step. Some like the retro-fitted future dystopian vibe.

I'm sorry, OP.

 

[Aztangogirl]

I like how OP posed the question..why "this century"? I for one feel the experience gives an interesting sense of time, where you constantly have one foot in the early 20th century, and another in a near dystopian future, all on the same block and sometimes even from the comfort of your own home.

Illustrative example:

Stepping outside from an accordion-door elevator past the state-of-art security camera, onto the cracked sidewalk marveling at mold-covered architecture to buy a Coke on the corner with a QR code, crossing the street blasting lowest-denominator never-evolving reggaeton to wait in line and enter a store where the clerk can't answer a simple question due to generational brain drain about one of the only 2 models of the thing that has entered the country in the last 10 years, all while a TV in the background discusses observations forras and shows ads for mattresses that cost a year of median salary. You then get buzzed out of the door because the single-cylinder lock would prefer you stay trapped amidst the torture...

Yeah, time warps with every step. Some like the retro-fitted future dystopian vibe.

I'm sorry, OP.

Welcome to the modern world. If you think this is not the case in most so called modern countries, you are kidding yourself. Find me an American millennial that can name the current vice president, but you can be sure they can name every single Kardashian. There is not a city in the States that's doesn't have streets full of homeless people.

 

[Alfred_Arnold]

Welcome to the modern world. If you think this is not the case in most so called modern countries, you are kidding yourself. Find me an American millennial that can name the current vice president, but you can be sure they can name every single Kardashian. There is not a city in the States that's doesn't have streets full of homeless people.

I wasn't making a value-based comparative statement regarding political observance numbers nor stating every American has a place to live.

Anyway, here's Benjamin Parravicini's (last century) take on why maybe it's not too bad in Arg (this century):





PS: VP Harris has a lot of names, depending on whom you ask. Mayor Péte is a Millenial too. Everyone can be a Kardashian now with the bronzers and fillers.