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Argentina

Argentina
	Capital	Buenos Aires
	Population	40,913,584 million
	Area	2,766,890 sq km
	Language	Spanish (official), English, Italian
	Currency	Argentina, Peso (ARS)
		100.000000$ (ARS) = 25.813113$ (USD)

A land filled with full-bodied red wine, mouth-watering steaks and sultry dances gives Argentina a European feel on half of the price. The major metropolis that is Buenos Aries is home to over 70 museums as well as hundreds of theaters, art galleries and international restaurants. It’s needless to say that culture abounds in this large South American country that borders almost half the countries on the continent: Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay.
 
The economy of Argentina is slowly reviving after defaulting on the largest foreign debt in history in 2001. The economy bottomed out in 2002 and amazingly the GDP has grown every year since 2003, making this a great time for investing and buying some of the country’s large expanses of land. 
 
Top 3 Places to Live and Invest

Real estate values in the “Paris of South America” have gone up in the past three years and reports indicate that they will continue to climb. The bad news is that prices are higher than few years ago, but the good news is that the prices are still a third of what you would pay in the United States and your property will increases in value every year. The range of accommodations in Buenos Aries is very eclectic. Be prepared to find everything from spacious rehabbed apartments from the 1960s ($175-200,000) to large houses in the surrounding suburbs complete with a sprawling yard and maid’s quarters ($250,000 and up).
 

Wine aficionados will fall in love with the beautiful wine country of Mendoza, where lucrative vineyards have been producing wine for hundreds of years. Life here is all about good wine and good friends, not to mention good quality, fertile land at inexpensive prices (about $5,000 an acre, some of the vineyards even come with a house, maids quarters and wine making machines!). The cost of living is significantly cheaper than Buenos Aries and the pace of life slower, but not so slow that it doesn’t have the same quality restaurants and nightlife that the big city has to offer.
 

Patagonia is the geographic region making up the southern most part of Argentina and Chile. In Argentina, the Patagonia stretches from the Colorado River between the Andes and Atlantic Ocean. The pristine natural beauty of this area combined with the low price of land and housing makes San Carlos de Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes ideal spots for living and investing in Argentina away from the bright lights of Buenos Aries. San Carlos de Bariloche is a resort town (known as the Aspen of Argentina) surrounded by millions of acres of national park. Bariloche has a decidedly Swiss feel to it, as Germans and Austrians founded this town a few hundred years ago. Based in the foot of the Andes, houses with views of Lake Nahuel Haupi go for between $120,000 to $250,000.
 
Located in by Lanin National Park, surrounded by lakes and breathtaking scenery, lies another town reminiscent of a small Swiss village, San Marin de los Andes. A mellower and more expensive version of Bariloche, in San Martin de los Andes, you are paying for the feel of a quiet mountain retreat with houses starting at $90,000, although even at that price you are getting a bargain for a Swiss style chateau on the lake. 

Health and Senior Policy
Health care in Argentina is generally good in the bigger cities, but varies widely in the outlying areas. Prescription drugs can be found easily at the local pharmacies and doctor’s visits cost between $20 and $50 (including specialists). Foreigners with major medical problems should consider going to the English or German hospitals.
 
The Argentine health care sector is arranged into three groups, public, private and social plans. Public healthcare covers about half of the population and includes free hospital visits but charges for outpatient medicine. The private sector covers 5% of the population, where a private party pays for all the medical expenses. Social plans cover the remaining 45% of the population. The social plan is an agreement with your employee where a fixed payment is made every month. The goal of the Argentine government is universal healthcare. As a foreigner you may use both the public and private hospitals, just be sure that you have enough cash in hand as payment is expected when you leave.
 
Argentine health insurance is easy to get and the monthly costs is around $100 per person. Large private hospitals sometimes offer their own health care plan with more flexible payments and discounts. Foreigners coming to Argentina solely for medical treatment can apply for a one-year multiple entry medical visa.
 
There is a simple ‘pensionado’ system for retirement – you will need to show proof of receiving 2,000 pesos (about 650USD) monthly in pension income, and then you can apply for a yearly temporary visa. Otherwise you can visit and buy property at the moment on a Tourist visa…these last for 90 days and can be extended in country once. Thereafter you need to leave the country, but there is no restriction on time requirements for staying out of the country and there are people who do visa runs to Chile and Uruguay in a day.

Safety and Infrastructure
Once considered to be one of the richest countries in the world, the steep decline into debt has brought about some foreseeable changes in the safety in Argentina. Do not carry large sums of money or wear expensive jewelry when walking down the street in Buenos Aries, while in the nicer neighborhoods this may not be a problem, it’s always better to exercise caution and take a cab. Traffic accidents are the major cause of personal harm in Argentina as drivers frequently ignore the road signs and drive way over the speed limit. Public transportation is generally reliable and safe but don’t carry anything obviously of value. The private bus system is one of the most efficient businesses in Argentina and most citizens travel long distances cross country this way. Internal air travel is notoriously unreliable.
 
Argentina has all the modern amenities of any developed country. Nearly every citizen has a cell phone and access to the Internet (although the quality will vary by the size of the town or city). The transportation infrastructure of Argentina is much less built up than in the United States; many roads, particularly in the outlying areas are not asphalted, are generally not more than one lane in each direction and are heavily potholed.

Culture and People
A culture full of lively discussions, three-hour dinners and nights out at the disco that don’t even begin until dawn are emblematic of the social Argentine culture. A highly literate population combined with an emphasis in the arts makes living in Argentina a culturally and mentally stimulating place to experience if you are talking about the big cities. Smaller towns particularly out to the west are cultural backwaters and English is not widely spoken.
 
Much like the United States, Argentina is filled with European immigrants who brought their culture and traditions with them to South America. On the streets of Buenos Aires you will never feel like a stranger listening to the languages of German, Italian, French, English and Spanish all spoken in the length of a city block.
 
Argentines from Buenos Aries are like Americans from New York City; convinced their city and its people are the best the world. Throughout South America, especially in Argentine towns outside the city, the reputation of “snobby Bonaerense” prevails. However, don’t let this reputation dissuade you from experiencing and enjoying all there is that Buenos Aries has to offer, who knows, you might become a “snobby Bonaerense” yourself.
 
Average Monthly Budget for a Couple in Palermo, Buenos Aries
Rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in a nice part of town: $1400
Daily maid service (Monday-Friday, 8 hours, cook and clean): $350
ADSL Internet: $40
Telephone (1 landline, 2 cell phones): $25
Cable TV: $30
Water: $6.50
Electricity: $40
Gas: $10
Private Health Insurance: $220
Food: $300
Transportation (2 taxi rides a day, averaging $2.50 a ride): $150
Total: $2571.5 per month