Help-I’m relocating my family to Argentina in 6 weeks!

Don't go it is cold in Bariloche. The entire country is expensive due to 30 to 40% inflation year after year. If you must go, go to Tucuman. Warm weather and cheaper than B.A.
I like B.A. but plan to wait before moving there from the US, and see what happens after the inflation causes collapse of the economy.

It is SERIOUSLY expensive.  If you eat cheese you will go bankrupt.  Bring as many household goods, linen, cooking equipment, shoes, boots, tee shirts and whatever you can.  Importing a car will bring a massive tax and you will then have to go through the trauma of the tramites, insurance is expensive.  Buying a car is a major hurdle,  Remember you would need a transformer for electrical goods, it is 220 here.

Have a look at Rosario and Mendoza.

Suerte.

I went to Mendoza to see if it was a potential place to live. It is a dry desolate desert. About 3 inches of rain per year. Very seldom rains. The only green grass is what is irrigated. One huge tourist trap. Which helps make it expensive.
The wine industry there makes the price of land high. All real estate is high priced.
San Miguel de Tucuman or Salta may be better choices. I went to Tucuman but not Salta. Prices of everything in Tucuman are lower than B.A. but still not cheap. Salta is a popular place. It is a low income area but again very dry. I definitely don't want to live in an area where water is a problem.

Although this thread went 'dark' for nine months (and the OP family presumably made the January 2018 move), the topic of relocating to Argentina is evergreen.

Just four posts appeared before the thread went dark, yet many cities were suggested... Bariloche, San Martín, San Miguel de Tucumán, Salta, Mendoza, Rosario and Esquel.

The fact that posters offered up so many possible locations leads to this conclusion....

New arrivals should not buy or build on property in Year 1.  They should consider picking a city or a pueblo to start, visit other places after the overseas move .. and rent, rent, rent until they are clear about what is the optimal place for the Expat or the family.

cccmedia

ralph9 wrote:

Don't go it is cold in Bariloche.

All but lost in the listing of possible cities was the issue of climate and weather.

Ralph didn't miss it though -- it was the number-one item he mentioned.

Argentina is a four-seasons country, unlike some other locations in South America that hug the Equator.

If you go to, say, Bariloche, in July, you might be scared off by snow and cold.  Visit in January and you might find the weather is mild and delightful.

So live for a year or most of a year in your first city/pueblo of choice .. and learn more first-hand about the number-one issue for Expats worldwide -- what's the weather like year-round?

Many Expats are snowbirds -- seeking mild or warm weather year-round by living in each of two countries for about half the year each year.

cccmedia

ralph9 wrote:

The entire country is expensive due to 30 to 40% inflation year after year....

I like B.A. but plan to wait before moving there from the US, and see what happens after the inflation causes collapse of the economy.

Inflation is a bear in Argentina, this year (2018) being particularly problematic.

But is that necessarily a problem for dollarized North Americans?

My question is not rhetorical.  Opinions are welcome.

If a USA citizen has an abundance of the dollar, against which the Argentine currency keeps falling, isn't that USA visitor or Expat going to receive a premium for practically any purchase or payment in Argentina?

cccmedia

TeamPell wrote:

We have a 2004 Saturn SUV to bring/ship...any advice?

Hopefully, the OP figured out what to do about his used car before his move early this year.

For others making a car decision, the best choice is probably to sell to CarMax or another reputable buyer in the home country .. and start fresh in Argentina.

This strategy avoids thousands of dollars in transportation costs, the recently-increased tariffs on car importing, inspections, possible damage or theft during shipment, copious amounts of logistical planning, something unexpected going wrong, unanticipated extra costs of storage, insurance during transit and upon arrival .. and g*d knows what else.

Expats not married to an Argentinian may need to acquire residency status before importation of their used car is permitted, according to a consensus of online sites that deal with such imports.

cccmedia

Good afternoon and greetings from La Patagonia!

Well, it has worked out better than we imagined. We settled on Bariloche with its vibrant yet small town feel; coming from Texas the Patagonia is a dream—especially considering virtually no traffic! Mountains, lakes, high tourist population and an airport to boot, it’s a pretty good area to relax.

So, as an update...we landed in BA to visit with family a couple of weeks then travel to our final destination in the Patagonia.

We rented a nice house from a former student of my spouse while we House hunted for a month...totally work in our favor.

We found our place in late February and have been living the life in Argentina ever since.

Our 2 boys have adapted pretty well in school after only 4 months of bilingual private school, they are speaking well in Castillano.  We have them finishing up ski school, rock climbing and now the next big search is finding an opening on a fútbol squad; if there is space.

Thanks all for your advice and input, it has made a big difference. So far, we are very pleased with our choice and really enjoying the adventure, except for the trámites!

Ciao,

J

For those who weren't paying attention in late 2017, Team Pell is the Original Poster or OP of this thread.

Dear Team Pell .. thanks for the follow-up on your thread. 

I find it surprising you didn't mention the weather aside from a passing reference to the boys attending ski school.  As some members know, Bariloche is the center of a major ski area during the colder months .. although it is at slightly lower elevation than the surrounding ski slopes.

Y'all just experienced your first full winter in Bariloche and Patagonia.

Please tell us about the weather and how the family coped with the change of season around June or July through September.

cccmedia

BUYing a finca in Mendoza . Does anyone know great lawyers or escribana to help expats buy rural land?

Hi TeamPell,

I was wondering the name of the school your kids go to? I am currently trying to find international schools in Patagonia to apply as a teacher.

Thanks for your help!

Hello,

Our children attend a small school in the town of Esquel called La Fundación.

There is also a bilingual school in Trevelin, not sure of the name.

Best of luck!

Thanks so much for the help!

He wife chiming in here! I agree with the rent for a year and scope it out. There is so much to explore about this country.
We are l omg south of Bariloche. Yes it is cold. And the house that we have been renting for the last 17 months doesn’t have gas yet. So we are in winter 2 “a leña” and electric heat which has proven expensive electric bill and Inconveniente  power Outages. We keep learning new ways to manage the cold, but we’ve been lucky ... since we don’t change temps so drastically we’ve all avoided the flu where others weren’t so lucky.

And it must be said it is beautiful. White snowy mountains in the winter, gorgeous fall colors that will take your breath away and gorgeous flowers in the spring. Plus the summer ...  incredible with sunny days and nights until after 10pm!

I think commented  on a  different thread.
Here I’ll post here what I out in our adventure blog:

Top 10 lessons I’ve learned  from living in the cold ( Bc ya’ll this will all be a faint memory soon enough!)

1. We picked up some mad fire buildin’ skills I am quite certain were NOT learned in Scouts.

2. I think we’ve gotten sick LESS due to NOT changing temperatures so much from indoors to outdoors. (Note to keep the heat low when we finally get it).

3. My relationship to cardboard boxes (and all other burnable trash) is forever altered. I look at these items as if it were prey.

4. When ambient temps are this cold remember this : sleep in layers, hot water bottles are invaluable and hang your unmentionables close to a heater to minimize morning suffering.

5. Always check the weather before hanging the clothes to dry - even if you see sun. Frozen clothes take MUCH longer to dry.

6. Move all beds away from outward facing walls to avoid wearing bed bonnets. (But don’t knock the bed bonnet)

7. Always  cover firewood, unless you didn’t remember lesson 7 and you need to dry said firewood. In that case, pray for sun ☀️

8.  Do NOT let the house sit cold for more than 24 hours or it will take a week to convert from igloo to cozy (and by cozy I mean only chilly) house.

9. When the bath towel is so cold you don’t know if it’s dry, wet or frozen, always preheat the towel. (Just hang it over the chair by the space heater) rinse a repeat for socks and underwear.

10. Don’t worry about food going bad outside of the fridge. It’s often warmer in there. Where’s the best place for the beer cooler you might ask? Anywhere.

#livingthedream #patagonianwinter #teampellumadventures

Don’t even bother trying to bring a car. Our did a round trip by boat. But thankfully it never reach immigration in Argentina or it would still be there 17 months later!

Visa work was a learning curve. Happy to give details to anyone needing to maneuver that!

Yes it’s I expensive in many ways but those with dollars come out ahead.
When the peso jumped from 20-40 in about a week there was about 4-6 weeks where the prices we’re ore inflations which is where everything for us was 1/2 the price but we knew that would t last. Prices went up to March what we would generally pay in the states. Some thing are cheaper. Rent for example. we pay 1/4 of what we were paying in NOLA.  Groceries - especially good wine is cheaper for the dollar carrying  Schooling and extracurricular activities are cheaper . Skiing in this town while an expensive sport is more than half of the cost of say Colorado. This is all with the assumption that our using dollars. If you’re earning a salary in pesos that’s different.
For the locals it’s crazy expensive Bc their salaries don’t get compensated st the same rate of inflation. So they get paid the same while prices double to keep up with the dollar. It’s awful.

Don’t bring your car and don’t ship anything. You will NOT be able to get it out of customs without being s perm resident who h you cannot ese until after 2 full years in country. And they will tax you up to 21% of the value THEY assign for the items. It’s a hot mess.

Hi TeamPell - My family and I (wife and three kids) are looking to do the same thing that you did - move to Bariloche from SoCal USA.  Are you working there or are you living off savings?  We're planning to move in about 9 months, and I am really interested in knowing how you would go about moving if you were in my shoes yet knowing what you know now.  I've read the posts in here, and I can boil it down to - 1) rent first
- 2) don't bring "anything" from the states
- 3) expect to deal with the cold during the winter
- 4) expect wild swings in pricing due to inflation

I am literally just starting the research process so any info you have on required paperwork such as Visas, finding employment or even starting a business, purchasing property/vehicles, schooling for kids etc, general wisdom for budgeting etc...would be awesome.  How prevalent is English spoken there (we're all learning spanish together at the moment, but I can't say I will be proficient before moving)...

Any insight would be great, thanks, TeamPell for leading the way!  Very courageous - Kirk

Hello Kirk,

I moved to Argentina from States in January 2007, so have been here 13 years now.  However, I live in Rosario.. but have vacationed in Villa la Angostura/San Martin de los Andes/Bariloche area 3 times now and have loved it each time.  I would choose to live there if I could... but wifes family is all in Rosario.

Following up...
- 1) rent first
Are you planning to make this a permanent move? Renting is a bit different here in Rosario... need someone to sign as assurance for your renting and typically have to pay big lump sum up front. But I would rent first to ensure like area and also that you want to stay in Argentina for some time. If only going to be here 3-5 years... I would not purchases property unless going to keep as investment and rent and have someone you trust to manage afterwards.
- 2) don't bring "anything" from the states
Unsure of context of this bullet point... bring your clothes. 
- 3) expect to deal with the cold during the winter
Depends where you move to... I grew up in Wisconsin... Rosario and Buenos Aires have no "winter" in my opinion as never see snow.  In San Martin de los Andes have snow in winter... never experienced it as only went in summer, but I am told average winter temperature is 0 Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) ... still not too bad in my opinion. Bariloche would be a bit colder as further south an hour.  Summers are very nice in the area from my three visits.  There was volcanic activity in Villa la Angostura area back in 2011.
- 4) expect wild swings in pricing due to inflation
If you have USD or making money in USD does not impact as much as exchange rate changes as well... if earning money in ARG pesos, then it impacts much more.  Inflation is 20-50% yearly for quite some time.

Other questions...
I got married when I moved here...  so I did all the work for residency (easier with wife)  first several months here. 

Unsure about VISA and cannot help. 

Speaking English only in Patagonia may be more problematic... probably less people that speak English, but you will find them as it is big tourist area.  Cities like Buenos Aires, Rosario and Cordoba have many people that speak English and you find schools or small learning areas (self owned) that teach English throughout the city.  I started learning Spanish when I moved here... but having a wife that spoke fluent English helped at first.  When people learn I am from States always interested why I moved here... people (middle class) are typically very nice.  Of course there is level of poverty here not in the States... so street crime more prevalent.. especially in bigger cities.  Bariloche would be more dangerous than San Martin (but it is growing) and much more than Villa la Angostura.

Employment... unsure what you are looking for... job market is not the best here.  I was accountant in States... my career is now localization and I work as project manager for large localization company.  English is a good skillset to have here in some lines of work.

Purchases...  any large purchases I would wait on until you have decided you like it unless making it as an investment.  Any large investments you make here (house etc...), may be more difficult to get your money back out of Argentina without it being costly.  Also housing market is not very good if trying to sell...  due to economic crisis going on several years now, most people cannot afford to buy house so market very depressed.

Public schools in Rosario are average at best, I have a 12 year old and he goes to private school... expensive if making average income in ARG pesos... not expensive if have USD.

Budgeting...  expect inflation, prices in peso are continually on the rise, it can get depressing at times.  What type of budgeting questions you have?

Best,

Tim

Hi Tim,

I would love more info if you don't mind. What is the cost of the private school? How much can I expect to pay in rent, on average, in Cordoba? What is the average cost of living for a family of four?

Thank you for any help!

Hi Tim!  One thing is for sure. You will need to learn the language, or you'll be eaten alive wherever you go in Argentina.  I had to, in order to prevent getting swindled everywhere I went. This is the name of the best English teacher I ever encountered in my life, and believe, I tried them all.  This man is extraordinary.  His language teaching skills are the best.  There's no school or academy that teacher better than this guy.  *** There is nobody better than this man on this entire continent.  I already tried them all. I take online lessons with him since the past 3 months.  Couldn't be happier!

NechiNechi wrote:

This is ... the best English teacher I ever encountered in my life...

I suppose Nechi meant 'the best Spanish teacher' or 'best English-speaking Spanish teacher'.

In order to get around the no-personal-contact-information rule and give access for expat.com readers to such an excellent teacher, Nechi could post the teacher's name and base city .. so he can be Googled.

cccmedia

I guess you'll never know because you didn't write asking for his information.  People who assume everything, never get anywhere.

There was no need to get so snarky, Nechi, with someone who was attempting to prompt our members' access to an excellent teacher of Spanish.

You can still possibly make a contribution to this thread by stating his name and city.

cccmedia

I tried in the past, but every time I did it, this forum deleted my postings.  It seems to be acceptable to them a posting such as this one:   https://www.expat.com/en/classified/nor … table.html
But not a phone number from a great English-Spanish coach.
I prepared a single posting for the classified section of Expat.com with all the contact information for this English-Spanish coached named Alberto, who I believe has been contacted by six people interested in his classes. Two from Panama, one from Spain (for online English lessons), and the rest from USA, for online Spanish lessons. If my posting is approved -hopefully tomorrow-, readers are going to be able to find all his contact information in the "Classified" section of this Forum.  If not approved.  I'll give this site for good.  I've seen horrible things being posted, but the contact information of someone who provides vita. education for foreigners does not seem to be important here. Totally absurd.

Hello cccmedia, I noticed this morning that the add for the Online Spanish teacher has been added in the classified section of Expat.com BUT as "Online English Lessons for Foreigners".  I have to admit that it is my fault.  I was foolish not to mention that Albert teaches/coaches students for both English and Spanish.  Mea culpa, mea culpa!!!. Can't comprehend how I did that.  My only explanation is that I got really tired of writing this classified ad, and had it rejected over and over again for different reasons by the people who run this site.  I had to write it and re-write it again and again, and in the process, I left half of the information out.  I myself signed up for online Spanish lessons with Albert since the past three months, but the ones who recommended him to me are taking English lessons with him and are all so enamored with him about his teaching abilities, and I can tell by the way they speak it, that I forgot to mention that he also teaches/coaches Spanish students.  I know he's got many students from the US, and Europe, but he's does loads of coaching for foreigners who are working in Dubai and need English like the oxygen they breath.  I'll wait till the end of the day to make the necessary adjustments, and hopefully by tomorrow morning, the post will be approved and displayed in the classified section again for both, Spanish and English Online Lessons for Foreigners.  In the meanwhile, if you need to contact him for Spanish lessons, know that his name and contact information already appear in the "Online English Lessons for Foreigners" classified section of this site. The coach's name is Albert.

Remarkable roundup Tim, thanks!