We are often entangled in a day to day struggle of paying bills and meeting work demands. But what if this was self-imposed? I lived for several months in Buenos Aires recently and lived like someone that was truly wealthy for little money. As you may be aware, the currency in Argentina took a nosedive nearly a decade ago. Before that time, things cost about as much in Buenos Aires as they did in Europe or the U.S. Last Winter, the exchange rate was about 4 Argentinean dollars for 1 U.S. dollar.
Buenos Aires has been known as the Paris of South America. It is a world-class city full of all of the arts, culture, high-end-dining and nightlife you could possibly want. You are near tremendous natural beauty, including Iguazu Falls (something you must see before you die), and the Petito Moreno glacier.
With U.S. dollars (or hard currency from pretty much anywhere other than Argentina), you can live like a king in Buenos Aires. I rented a really nice furnished apartment, all utilities and a high speed Internet connection included, for $620. The apartment included free maid service once a week. I was situated in Palermo Hollywood, one of the nicest and trendiest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. In retrospect, I wished I had paid $800-1000, because I probably could have gotten a penthouse suite.
I spoke no English and used a service to find my apartment. I have later come to learn that foreigners get overcharged by 300%! And it was still such a bargain. I think it would be hard to avoid the markup when you first get there, but I now know many American expats that are living in Buenos Aires for much less than I paid.
Shall I mention food for a minute? The Argentines have the best steak in the world. It is indescribably tender. It is said that it has do do with because the steak is fed on Pampas grass. The sunday barbeque or "parilla" is a big part of Argentine culture.
Expect to gain weight while you are there. A world class filet at a restaurant will set you back $9 U.S. Add a really nice bottle of Malbec and you are out another $9. You can eat incredible meals every day and not strain your wallet.
Everything else will be quite inexpensive there as well, including arts, live music, etc. Domestic beer and wine is cheap (the wine is rather better than the beer) but if you buy imported hard liquors you will probably end up paying U.S. prices.
Buenos Aires is also great if you want to learn something. You can get private one-on-one lessons by great instructors in pretty much any discipline for dirt cheap. I got private 1-hour tango lessons every day for the equivalent of $14 U.S. Then I took group classes for the equivalent of $5 U.S. I wish I had studied other things as well. You name it, the guitar, salsa, tai chi, archery...great instructors are teaching it at very affordable prices.
It is also a great place to take Spanish lessons. You can get one-on-one Spanish lessons at a school for about $10 U.S.
If you are single, perhaps I should mention that Argentine women and men are among the most beautiful I have seen anywhere.
By the way, aside from the low expenses I saved serious money by not being in the U.S. for a few months. I suspended my auto insurance and had no gas or auto expenses. I discontinued my gym membership. I stopped eating and drinking in the U.S., etc. Just the lower heating bills in my home in the U.S. was funding extravagance in Buenos Aires.
Now about the objections. Perhaps you will tell me that you have a spouse or children and cannot pick up and move to Buenos Aires. Take them with you. What about your job? Quit. That is what I did. I am not saying that you should necessarily abandon your career and relocate to a foreign land...but I want you to think long and hard about it. See if you can take a short leave of absence from your job. Or at least take some vacation time and check it out.
What would be ideal is if you could relocate to Argentina but still make U.S. dollars. Believe me, this is what I spend a lot of time thinking about. I'm back in the U.S. now but trying to figure out a more lasting exit strategy.
I met a number of American ex-pats while I was in Buenos Aires. They enjoyed a much better quality of life than they did in the U.S. For instance, I met a proofreader that just struggled to get by in the U.S. but owned a condo in Buenos Aires. She could do her freelance proofreading just as easily from Buenos Aires and was getting paid in U.S. dollars (indeed her employers probably thought she was in the U.S.).
Consider whether there is an online source of income that you could make. You would not need much to live really well there. But first you should take a trip there to see if what I say about this place is true. Be warned, Buenos Aires is hard to forget.
