Are Foreign expats in Buenos Aires the ones that couldn't hack it in their own countries?

[Che Vos]

I love foreigners and expats. I am amazed you love my country, Argentina so much. My friend date American guy and he cheat on her so she have bad experience but now she is not so happy with expats. She and I have argument. She says that most expats here are losers in their country and can't afford to live in their country. She said no American or Western girl date them and they losers in their home countries so they come to Argentina for thinking it will be easier for them.

It sounds like on this board many foreigner expat not have so much money. They come with retirement savings from your government. Besides those retirement people what everyone thinks about the expats that come to Argentina. They come to Argentina because they can't make it in their own country?

 

[Finance Prof]

I love foreigners and expats. I am amazed you love my country, Argentina so much. My friend date American guy and he cheat on her so she have bad experience but now she is not so happy with expats. She and I have argument. She says that most expats here are losers in their country and can't afford to live in their country. She said no American or Western girl date them and they losers in their home countries so they come to Argentina for thinking it will be easier for them.

It sounds like on this board many foreigner expat not have so much money. They come with retirement savings from your government. Besides those retirement people what everyone thinks about the expats that come to Argentina. They come to Argentina because they can't make it in their own country?

This is an interesting question. Your friend sounds like she may be a bit bitter from her ex-boyfriend. For Argentina I don't think it's the same as other countries in Latin America. For example, I traveled around a bit in Brazil and also Colombia and Venezuela in the past few years. I would so this would more apply to other countries like Colombia and Venezuela. In those countries I actually did not like hanging out with the expat scene. Many of them were degenerates and I would agree many in Colombia probably couldn't hack it back home in the USA.

 

[Uncle Wong]

Your friend sounds jaded but I do think in certain countries not including Argentina girls are probably more impressed with a foreigner for a number of different reasons. I know from traveling around in Colombia there are a lot of Passport Bros. I didn't like hanging out with them either. I wasn't impressed with Colombia at all.

What is a passport bro? Growing number of men are ditching American women to find love overseas

Men in remote work positions are looking overseas for romantic relationships and claim that American women do not have the traditional values they desire.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Sylvie]

I do believe quite a few expats from North America are here for cost of living reasons. I do believe they also love the quality of life. Maybe financially they can't hack it in their home countries but that is more a case of their home countries getting too expensive for them.

I don't understand the fascination of the younger age ranges to live in a country where they can't really make money unless they are digital nomads. I recently read of a nurse that is here in Buenos Aires trying to work when she can make over $100,000 USD back in the USA in probably almost any major metro area or possibly even remote smaller cities. This makes ZERO sense to me. I read in a post she was only in her 30's. It seems irresponsible to live here when you can be making significant income.

 

[Billy Goat]

I do not think there is any shame to admit that one can't "hack it in their own country" if you mean financially. I'm not sure if that is what you are referring to or something else. I know many of my retired friends here simply can't hack it in the USA on their meager Social Security payments. They only are getting by because of the low cost of living here compared to the USA or Canada.

 

[Spend Thrift]

I can "hack it" back home. But probably just barely and I couldn't have as comfortable a life here. True I couldn't hack it back in USA with love life. Here in BA I have a new boy toy every other night. Such would NOT be the case back in Seattle. Let's call a spade a spade.

 

[Che Vos]

Thanks to all. I also want to say I don't mean disrespect you. I genuinely want to know what you think? Many of my friend here in Buenos Aires never want to date expat people. My friend her boyfriend live in Buenos Aires many years and he doesn't want to learn Spanish. I find strange as I want to learn English from a kid my parents want me to learn but many expats come here and live and don't speak Spanish.

 

[McDonald]

I think the appeal for many expats if first cost of living but like many, I fell in love with the city and country. I will be the first to admit it that I can't hack it finally in the United States. Too rich for my blood! And maybe Argentina will become too rich for my blood too!

 

[David]

There are a lot of Passport Bros in Colombia. I probably hated that the most out of all the places I traveled to in South America. The amount of Americans and Canadians there that couldn't speak Spanish and just clearly there for the sex was pretty horrible. In Medellin it seems like people have had enough with these guys as well. I was there a few months ago and there were signs in some stores that locals are posting telling foreigner to go home.

 

[Avocado]

I never heard this term passport bro. Interesting. I know the type of tourist but didn't know there was terminology like this. We here in Argentina are welcome to foreigners and expats. Most of us have many friends that are from other countries. Our country is welcome to anyone.

 

[Larry]

I don't think Argentina has the ugly tourism that some countries in South America have. I noticed this type in the early 2000's in Brazil but I think the high cost of living has pushed them out. I don't think Argentines care much about passport.

 

[Howard Stern]

I will be the first to admit I can't afford to move back to the USA! Nor would I want to. For what I'd pay in rent cost alone in NYC I finance my entire life here in BA.

 

[Wally]

There are a lot of Passport Bros in Colombia. I probably hated that the most out of all the places I traveled to in South America. The amount of Americans and Canadians there that couldn't speak Spanish and just clearly there for the sex was pretty horrible. In Medellin it seems like people have had enough with these guys as well. I was there a few months ago and there were signs in some stores that locals are posting telling foreigner to go home.

Yep. This is the type of sign you see in some places in Medellin.

 

[Spend Thrift]

Yep. I used to go to Medellin but I stopped. Too many gringos ending up dead. 25 this year alone including 4 Americans this month alone!

This passport bro probably didn't expect his vacation to turn out like this. Also, many reported Tinder date scams and muggings.

US man found dead in Medellin hotel after a night out with friends

Colombian cops reportedly found hallucinogenic substances in the hotel room where Tennessee resident Phillip Mullins was found dead Saturday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Pink Panther]

Yep. I used to go to Medellin but I stopped. Too many gringos ending up dead. 25 this year alone including 4 Americans this month alone!

This passport bro probably didn't expect his vacation to turn out like this. Also, many reported Tinder date scams and muggings.

US man found dead in Medellin hotel after a night out with friends

Colombian cops reportedly found hallucinogenic substances in the hotel room where Tennessee resident Phillip Mullins was found dead Saturday.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Wow I didn't hear about this in the news. 4 Americans dead in 1 month? 25 deaths this year by tourists? I read some of those. I heard about people using Tinder to scam or even kill tourists. My friend said her uncle had this happen in Brazil. I asked the details and they said her 68 year uncle was meeting a 22 year old beautiful girl. I stopped her right away and said in what world does a 68 year old senior citizen think that a 22 year old legitimately wants to date them?

 

[Dazed & Confused]

Interesting post. I'm a females expat in my last 20's and I have been backpacking around much of Latin America. I have noticed a trend with these passport bros. Especially in Colombia and Venezuela and I met a few in Peru as well. Many of these guys that I've seen or met up with I have become friends with. We hang out at bars or restaurants. I can tell you many of them are very nice and just fed up with girls back in their home country.

One guy Jake that I met up with in Mexico told me that most girls in his city are just jaded and very materialistic. Unless you have a nice car, great apartment or house, have a great job and have money, you're just a loser with no future.

And he feels like girls in Latin America don't care as much about that stuff. But he got the shock of his life when he got serious with one of these girls. He dated her for a year, and he got engaged and brought her home to meet his parents. They loved here. She was very smart and educated. They moved back to Florida where he lived. He would send me frustrated Whatsapp messages that his girlfriend Liz basically turned into all the kind of girls he had dated in the USA. It's probably the culture and environment in the USA that turns the materialistic side into people.

He is devastated as he brought his fiance to the USA as he thought she loved him but he said girls are like monkeys always swinging from branch to branch until they find a better one. He went down to Colombia but know he has doubts whether the girl really likes him or she just wants to get to the USA so she can find someone else.

 

[Flamingo]

Definitely I think many of the expats in Buenos Aires either couldn't hack it financially, professionally or with love. And from the sounds of the old forum and this one too, they can't hack it in Argentina any better! Ha.

 

[FuturoBA]

There's hundreds of different reasons. At the top of most is cost of living. Doesn't mean everyone is broke back in their home countries, although sure many have been priced out of living a comfortable life there. Some want to stretch their dollars, retire early, have a change of scenery, cultural reasons, or many more.

For me, I live comfortably but want to go to a more metropolitan area, closer to parks, activities, no need for a car/driving everyday, a 15 minute city so to speak. And although I could afford to move closer to such an area, it would deeply dip into my savings and years to retirement. In BA I would be that much closer.

 

[earlyretirement]

There's hundreds of different reasons. At the top of most is cost of living. Doesn't mean everyone is broke back in their home countries, although sure many have been priced out of living a comfortable life there. Some want to stretch their dollars, retire early, have a change of scenery, cultural reasons, or many more.

For me, I live comfortably but want to go to a more metropolitan area, closer to parks, activities, no need for a car/driving everyday, a 15 minute city so to speak. And although I could afford to move closer to such an area, it would deeply dip into my savings and years to retirement. In BA I would be that much closer.

I completely agree with @FuturoBA. There are so many reasons that I've seen. I've been an expat for over 22 years in one form of another. I have permanent residency in many different countries. I've owned and operated several corporations in many different countries. I've franchised my company to 5 different cities in different countries. And I own properties in many countries.

There are hundreds of reasons as FuturoBA mentioned, but I do agree for most people it comes down to cost of living. It wasn't the case for me. For me, when I originally moved to Buenos Aires, I was making far more in the USA vs. abroad but I wanted to challenge myself and I also saw a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take advantage of the arbitrage of cheap real estate and a booming tourism industry.

I've talked to hundreds of expats in the past 22 years and there are many reasons. For most, it is probably financially related. For some it's love and they met a significant other in another country, while others want to move closer to family members. Some move for educational purposes to study abroad. Yet others it's just quality of life and falling in love with the city and the country.

I wouldn't look at it as "can't hack it" per se. Sure, for some that is true. But there are tons of different reasons. I think that people should be proud when they see people moving to their home country. It means they loved it so much they would totally uproot their lives back in their home country to change their life to move to a new country.

For me, there wasn't just one thing. I really love Buenos Aires and I'd love it even if it was the most expensive city in the world. I have life long friends there and I feel it more of a home or as much a home as the USA.

 

[Esposas]

Good question @Che Vos. I know in my husband's case he moved for love. We were living abroad but I moved back to Buenos Aires to be closer to family. I know many friends that are married to foreign spouses so that is the reason for many people.