One of the highlights of the musical Evita is the song “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.”
While Evita (Eva Peron) had to caution people not to cry for her native country, no one today has to worry about shedding tears for this country today. It has become an exciting, interesting, welcoming place for U.S. retirees. The country offers an amazing lifestyle whether your idea of a great life is lazing away the day on a virgin beach or trekking through vast, unspoiled countryside.
As a land Argentina is very, beautiful and undervalued, which means it can make a great deal of sense for retirees. Let us take a quick look at what makes retiring in Argentina such a splendid idea.
Seven different climate zones
As you may know, Argentina is a huge country and is divided into seven zones of climate and terrain. It has areas that are sub-Andean, fertile valleys, canyons, high mountains and jungle. Its Andes region boasts some of the highest mountains on the continent and in the entire Western Hemisphere. This region also has basins, glacial mountains, and lush foothills covered with vineyards. Argentina’s southern region called Patagonia combines pastoral steppes and glacial regions. It is the home of Glacier National Park where some 300 glaciers combine to form the Patagonian Ice Cap.
Argentina also offers a wide variety of climates. In the north, there are hot humid summers with winters that tend to be dry and mild. There can be occasional droughts during the winter. The central part of the country has hot summers, and tornadoes and thunderstorms are not uncommon. It also has cool winters. Argentina’s southern regions offer summers that are warm and winters that are and cold and marked by substantial snowfall in its mountainous regions.
Life in Buenos Aries – Cost of living in Argentina
The big city that is the most popular for many retirees is Buenos Aries. What does it cost to live there? The utilities for a one-bedroom apartment will cost you about $99 a month and cable TV with 80 channels about $25 a month. You can have the Internet at a speed of 3 Mbps and local calls for about $35.61 a month. Electricity will cost you roughly $7.43 a month; water $6.19 a month and a telephone line about $12.38 per month. A liter of gas costs $1.24 and a taxi about $.17 for a 10 min. ride.
If you are a local, that is you live in Argentina full-time, you can rent a one-bedroom apartment for about $396. Or you can purchase a one-bedroom apartment for $69,325 cash. You can even have a cleaning maid once a week for about $14.86.
Good public transportation
Public transportation in Buenos Aires is very good although it can be a bit crowded during rush hour. There is in underground railway called the Subte that is not terribly large but does reach most of the city’s tourist attractions. The city also has a large number of bus routes and several suburban railways that are used by the city’s commuters. Taxis are probably the fastest way to get around town, especially during rush hour. They are both inexpensive and convenient. Busses are the city’s principal means of transportation. They cost a fixed price of 1.25 pesos so long as you remain within the city’s borders. If you do decide to take a bus, be sure to bring coins, as you will need to buy tickets through machines that except only coins.
Argentina offers an amazing array of outdoor and recreation activities. There is trekking, hiking, soccer, fishing, sailing, golf, diving, rafting, kayaking, mountaineering, polo, and even skiing. There is thoroughbred horse racing, scuba diving and adventure skiing and snowboarding.
Private healthcare insurance
There are three sectors to the country’s health care system. They are the public sector, the private sector, and the social security sector that is financed through obligatory insurance schemes. The city of Buenos Aries has more than 40 hospitals so there is no shortage of healthcare.
As a retiree in Argentina, you will need to buy health insurance (you’re part of the “private sector”). However, it will cost you very little vs. what you may be used to paying in the U.S. In fact, some expats have said the cost of Argentinian health insurance is cheaper than their wildest dreams. You can get top-notch healthcare insurance for less than $100 US per month.
How good is it? It’s excellent. Doctors will even come to your house when you are sick and treat you in bed. Just imagine that.
As you can quickly begin to see there is much to love about retirement in Argentina. But you cannot truly decide unless you have spent some time in a location. What we suggest is to plan a mini vacation or mini retirement to get a feel firsthand of the people and the climate.
Then you will be able to decide if Argentina is for you.
Learn more about traveling, living and possibly retiring in Argentina:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/argentina
http://wikitravel.org/en/Argentina
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26516.htm
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html