Young & well to do. Should I move to BA?

[mimetic]

Hello,

I work remotely in the states and make 6 figures in US dollars. All i need is a cell phone, computer, and internet. I think its silly for me to not travel and at least spend 6 months in a different country. Argentina works perfectly because of the timezone and the peso vs dollar exchange rate. A couple questions

-Is it easy to come here by yourself?
-Would you recommend staying here
-Is it really that cheap (i've read lots of horror stories here)
-Is there a good single/dating life?
-Is it hard to meet people?

Anything else I should know? What would you guys do if you were me?

Thanks!

 

[Matt84]

You could begin by not publishing your figures....

If I were you I'd travel extensively through the Caribbean and Mediterranean. On a sailship.

 

[vanessa]

No it isn't cheap anymore. I was just in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas and both restaurant meals and groceries were cheaper. (30% inflation here)

And forget buying consumer goods like electronics, its almost nearly double all the time. (50% import tax)

 

[CarverFan]

I don't think you'll have the life you want here. Even with your salary, you will still traipse from bank to bank trying to find an ATM with money and be scammed by your landlord and stand in line many times each day. Your smile will fade within months and you will stop wearing bright clothes. You will stop laughing out loud in case it draws attention to you, a foreigner. Etc, etc....

 

[vanessa]

I love it here for the most part but I will say this: Living here is not for the weak.

 

[mimetic]

not posting figures to brag so apolgiies if it came off like that. Point is want someone to think of what they would do if they were me in my situation, albeit understanding BA lifestyle

 

[jb5]

It's a great city with much to offer and would be worth 6 months.

It's not cheap though, we go back and forth between here and the SF Bay Area constantly. Some things are a bit cheaper here and some are cheaper there.

Rent for high end places is cheaper here than NYC or SF, but it's more expensive than
most US towns. High end restaurants are cheaper here, mostly because wine is cheap. Steak is cheaper here, chicken cheaper in the States. Electronics, furniture, overall household goods are cheaper and better quality in the States. High end leather goods are still a bargain in BA.

Overall, I'd say you'll spend roughly the same. 3 years ago BA would have been much cheaper.
Most will tell you six figures is huge money here. But the issue is most who will reply live, and
expect to, modestly. For someone who describes themselves as well to do and is expecting to live much better than they did in the States, you need to talk to well off Argentines. Six figures, if the first digit is 1, is not a lot to them.

You'll also have to be very careful in choosing a space with an internet connection that works. They all claim wifi, but service is sporadic in many places and can be very slow, so if you count on it for business, personally check.

You can meet other expats easily, but making friends with locals will be much harder. Especially as you will not be working among them.

 

[LostinBA]

Here's my advice...forget Argentina and find a place with nicer people and more culture.

 

[Carlosgreat]

Just don't sit in Buenos AIres but travel to diffent parts of Argentina and explore it by yourself, evryone has a diffent perspective. Part of adventure is not knowing what's gonna happen next...
Have a credit card ready and some cash and surf the strrets anyways is only for 6 months you should be fine this is the best time of the year to travel in ARgentina unless you looking for skiyng places. Aerolineas Argentinas will have same rate int'l to buenos aires and several other cities in the country, starting on January 1st.
On that income you might as well spend 6 month in almost every country in the world before you decide where you like it most

 

[vanessa]

I would wait until Feb though because Jan is hotter than hell and very humid.