The Best & Worst Countries for Living Abroad (Expat survey)

[TonyTigre]

In the latest Expat Insider report, Panama took the first spot. Argentina was not in the top 10, and it's not in the bottom 10 either. Actually, it's not even listed. Maybe they never heard of Argentina?

Well, let's see how Argentina actually stacks up if the expats living here are asked "Are you happy with your lives as an expat living in Argentina?" Surely Argentina is better than Kuwait which was last on that list.

Overall, are you happy with your lives living in Argentina?
(Even if you're not an expat yet, you can still give your vote based on your willingness to consider being an expat here in the future based on your experience visiting the country. We will just adjust the weight accordingly.)

Full list here:

The Best & Worst Countries for Living Abroad - InterNations

Discover the Expat Insider 2024 edition: one of the biggest expat surveys worldwide lets you see the world through expat eyes.

www.internations.org

 

[Digital Nomad]

Very strange @TonyTigre because Buenos Aires routinely makes the BEST list for digital nomads. Speaking of which, I wonder what the difference is of digital nomad and expat as they are often used interchangeably. Seems weird that Argentina is nowhere to be found on the list.

I've been here a few months now and I'm very happy here. Internet speeds are fast. Cell signal works great and cost of living are low and it's safe here and people are friendly. It was fairly easy meeting people here and found a girlfriend within 2 months of living here. I couldn't be happier.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Is Expat Insider some popular magazine or blog? I don't really keep track of any of these expat blogs. The only time I see something is when someone on this forum posts about them. @Digital Nomad always posts some good articles

These Are The 5 Most Popular Digital Nomad Destinations Right Now According To Travelers - Travel of Path

These Are The 5 Most Popular Digital Nomad Destinations Right Now According To Travelers - Travel of Path Source: https://www.traveloffpath.com/these-are-the-5-most-popular-digital-nomad-destinations-right-now-according-to-travelers/ By: Vinicius Costa Digital nomadism is at a new peak of...

www.expatsba.com

I've been living here many years and I'm very happy here. I don't know what criteria Expat Insider uses but the people I know that are expats are happy here with the exception of the economy so unpredictable here. It changes so suddenly and many aren't prepared for that. Still I don't think you can be a reputable expat blog and not have Argentina on the list. It's very popular with expats.

 

[Vince]

I am also surprised Argentina isn't on the list. To be fair, outside of Buenos Aires I don't really hear about many expats outside of Buenos Aires. In much of Argentina the internet was non-existent before Starlink. Even here in CABA tin gated communities outside of the city there are neighborhoods with no fast Internet.

I am happy here in Argentina and I have been here for over 15 years. I am married and have 2 kids and they also like it here. There are some frustrations here but I am happy here.

 

[Wally]

I am also surprised Argentina isn't on the list. To be fair, outside of Buenos Aires I don't really hear about many expats outside of Buenos Aires. In much of Argentina the internet was non-existent before Starlink. Even here in CABA tin gated communities outside of the city there are neighborhoods with no fast Internet.

I am happy here in Argentina and I have been here for over 15 years. I am married and have 2 kids and they also like it here. There are some frustrations here but I am happy here.

Up until a few years ago I don't think Argentina was too popular for expats living here long-term. Digital expats that just come for a few months mostly came when it gets cheap but then leave when it gets expensive. Still Argentina should be on this list if they have countries like Colombia and Brazil on the list. Strange.

I've been here a while and very happy here. Married and that probably adds to how happy I am level (at least some days) 🤣

 

[Larry]

Not sure why they don't have Argentina on the list. Peru should also be on this list. Not many expats there yet but that might change in the future. High quality of life and more affordable than Argentina. I am happy hear but I don't like that the economy is very unstable. I would like to know what factors they consider. There are a lot of downsides to Argentina. The banking situation here is very bad.

 

[James Bond]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I'm happier now that I moved out of Argentina. I lived there several years mostly because I was dating an Argentine there. Buenos Aires is a nice city but I would say there are better places in the world. Still strange they don't even mention it since they have Brazil listed.

I have moved to Malaga recently and it is head and shoulders better than Buenos Aires. In Argentina many people are uptight and on edge all the time. Things are unstable with the economy and it was like that the entire time I lived there. Up until 2 years ago you couldn't even use your foreign credit card and banking is a nightmare. I couldn't even use ATM machines because of the puny withdrawal limits! And having to depend on Western Union and cuevas isn't ideal either.

Renting places long term is a total nightmare there! Either you get stuck paying higher rates going through Airbnb or have to pay 6-12 months upfront on most places. Most people don't own places that are willing to be your guarantor. Grocery markets mainly sucked there and high prices. There is this feeling that everyone will stab you in the back there or con or cheat you.

People understandably are on edge or stressed out. Inflation is just crazy there. Few can comprehend 300% inflation levels. When you live there you make excuses and try to make excuses but as soon as you move out you realize how horrible things can be there.

It has good sides and generally safe but overall there I would say I am much happier leaving Argentina.

 

[Blockchain]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that I'm happier now that I moved out of Argentina. I lived there several years mostly because I was dating an Argentine there. Buenos Aires is a nice city but I would say there are better places in the world. Still strange they don't even mention it since they have Brazil listed.

I have moved to Malaga recently and it is head and shoulders better than Buenos Aires. In Argentina many people are uptight and on edge all the time. Things are unstable with the economy and it was like that the entire time I lived there. Up until 2 years ago you couldn't even use your foreign credit card and banking is a nightmare. I couldn't even use ATM machines because of the puny withdrawal limits! And having to depend on Western Union and cuevas isn't ideal either.

Renting places long term is a total nightmare there! Either you get stuck paying higher rates going through Airbnb or have to pay 6-12 months upfront on most places. Most people don't own places that are willing to be your guarantor. Grocery markets mainly sucked there and high prices. There is this feeling that everyone will stab you in the back there or con or cheat you.

People understandably are on edge or stressed out. Inflation is just crazy there. Few can comprehend 300% inflation levels. When you live there you make excuses and try to make excuses but as soon as you move out you realize how horrible things can be there.

It has good sides and generally safe but overall there I would say I am much happier leaving Argentina.

I would consider myself a digital nomad. I haven't been here long enough to be considered an expat. I guess the difference between the two is time? I have many friends that are digital nomads and not sure how long they will stay in a country but they say they are expats so maybe they are the same thing.

I posted another thread about this but I think many things in Buenos Aires are overrated. I kept hearing how great the food is there and especially steaks but I honestly don't think the steaks are anything to write home about in the typical restaurant there. I tried Don Julio and it was very good but I can also get an excellent steak in Dallas. And the steak at Don Julio is almost the same price. They don't have much variety of food here of local dishes.

Not sure what the deal is with noise but it is a loud city! I have been in 3 Airbnb's now and only one of them was quiet but the others were noisy. BA got a lot of hype when it was very cheap but not sure I'd want to put up with a lot of the hassle here unless it was very cheap which it is not.

People aren't as friendly as other Latin American countries. There is a lot of dog sh*t on the sidewalks here. Just an example of lack of respect. The banking situation SUCKS here. All those places on that Expat Insider list have normal banking where you can withdraw cash at an ATM and more than just a few bucks!

I'm leaving next week and will be glad to get back to the USA. The supermarkets here are terrible and overpriced for what you get.

 

[Bharat]

In the latest Expat Insider report, Panama took the first spot. Argentina was not in the top 10, and it's not in the bottom 10 either. Actually, it's not even listed. Maybe they never heard of Argentina?

Well, let's see how Argentina actually stacks up if the expats living here are asked "Are you happy with your lives as an expat living in Argentina?" Surely Argentina is better than Kuwait which was last on that list.

Overall, are you happy with your lives living in Argentina?
(Even if you're not an expat yet, you can still give your vote based on your willingness to consider being an expat here in the future based on your experience visiting the country. We will just adjust the weight accordingly.)

Full list here:

The Best & Worst Countries for Living Abroad - InterNations

Discover the Expat Insider 2024 edition: one of the biggest expat surveys worldwide lets you see the world through expat eyes.

www.internations.org

I like Argentina for visiting but I would never live there full time. I from India and very big lack of diversity in BA. Mostly only white people there and I'm not sure I could easily date someone there. I tried meeting people and try to date during my time there but females there don't seem receptive to dark skinned Indian males. It not just me either as I ask my friends and they have the same experience.

It was safe there but as other people mention going to Western Union was hassle. When I went they only had 1,000 peso bill and nightmare carrying around all those bills. I don't know how people can live like that. Probably why it not even on the list.

Lot of mosquitos and dengue fever. The amount of mosquitos was shocking to me. I couldn't live like that.

Also you city very loud! The amount of noise pollution horrible. And people always try to cheat you. I bought fruit in the market and they charge me double of what they charge my friend from Argentina that buy same day. I don't like this kind of treatment.

It would not be a good place to live for many expats from other countries.

 

[GraceH]

I like Argentina for visiting but I would never live there full time. I from India and very big lack of diversity in BA. Mostly only white people there and I'm not sure I could easily date someone there. I tried meeting people and try to date during my time there but females there don't seem receptive to dark skinned Indian males. It not just me either as I ask my friends and they have the same experience.

It was safe there but as other people mention going to Western Union was hassle. When I went they only had 1,000 peso bill and nightmare carrying around all those bills. I don't know how people can live like that. Probably why it not even on the list.

Lot of mosquitos and dengue fever. The amount of mosquitos was shocking to me. I couldn't live like that.

Also you city very loud! The amount of noise pollution horrible. And people always try to cheat you. I bought fruit in the market and they charge me double of what they charge my friend from Argentina that buy same day. I don't like this kind of treatment.

It would not be a good place to live for many expats from other countries.

I happen to love Buenos Aires and Argentina in general but I do agree with some of these negatives people are mentioning.

I also have some black friends that came down and they were freaked out there were so few black people here. I asked them if it took away from the experience and they said no but that they could never live here as people were gawking at them all the time.


So good points about many not wanting to live here.

 

[Finance Prof]

In the latest Expat Insider report, Panama took the first spot. Argentina was not in the top 10, and it's not in the bottom 10 either. Actually, it's not even listed. Maybe they never heard of Argentina?

Well, let's see how Argentina actually stacks up if the expats living here are asked "Are you happy with your lives as an expat living in Argentina?" Surely Argentina is better than Kuwait which was last on that list.

Overall, are you happy with your lives living in Argentina?
(Even if you're not an expat yet, you can still give your vote based on your willingness to consider being an expat here in the future based on your experience visiting the country. We will just adjust the weight accordingly.)

Full list here:

The Best & Worst Countries for Living Abroad - InterNations

Discover the Expat Insider 2024 edition: one of the biggest expat surveys worldwide lets you see the world through expat eyes.

www.internations.org

Here is the Methodology for the Survey. In the end it just seems like Argentina didn't have enough responses at all. Argentina probably mostly has international retirees. Companies mostly exited Argentina over the past few years. It sounds like they needed at least 50 survey participants for Argentina which they didn't get.

______________________________

The Expat Insider 2024 survey was conducted by InterNations from 1 to 29 February 2024.
The online questionnaire was promoted through the InterNations community as well as the company newsletter and social media profiles, but responses were not limited to InterNations members.

The target audience included all kinds of expats, from international retirees and self-made expats who looked for work abroad to foreign assignees (i.e., employees sent on a corporate assignment abroad), and others who moved for a variety of reasons. A total of 12,543 expats participated in the survey, representing 175 nationalities living in 174 countries or territories worldwide.

The results are published in the form of an overall ranking of popular expat destinations, with additional information on five topical indices: Quality of Life, Ease of Settling In, Working Abroad, Personal Finance, and Expat Essentials. For a country to be listed in any of the indices and in the overall ranking, a sample size of at least 50 survey participants per destination is required. In 2024, 53 destinations met this requirement. In most destinations the sample size exceeded 75 respondents. For example, in Germany and the UAE, over 1150 and 680 expats, respectively, participated in the Expat Insider 2024 survey.

 

[James Bond]

Here is the Methodology for the Survey. In the end it just seems like Argentina didn't have enough responses at all. Argentina probably mostly has international retirees. Companies mostly exited Argentina over the past few years. It sounds like they needed at least 50 survey participants for Argentina which they didn't get.

______________________________

The Expat Insider 2024 survey was conducted by InterNations from 1 to 29 February 2024.
The online questionnaire was promoted through the InterNations community as well as the company newsletter and social media profiles, but responses were not limited to InterNations members.

The target audience included all kinds of expats, from international retirees and self-made expats who looked for work abroad to foreign assignees (i.e., employees sent on a corporate assignment abroad), and others who moved for a variety of reasons. A total of 12,543 expats participated in the survey, representing 175 nationalities living in 174 countries or territories worldwide.

The results are published in the form of an overall ranking of popular expat destinations, with additional information on five topical indices: Quality of Life, Ease of Settling In, Working Abroad, Personal Finance, and Expat Essentials. For a country to be listed in any of the indices and in the overall ranking, a sample size of at least 50 survey participants per destination is required. In 2024, 53 destinations met this requirement. In most destinations the sample size exceeded 75 respondents. For example, in Germany and the UAE, over 1150 and 680 expats, respectively, participated in the Expat Insider 2024 survey.

View attachment 6564

This makes sense then. Back several years ago they had more international firms but with how crazy Argentina is, many exited Argentina. And over the past 2 years many expats that I know and locals too have moved out of Argentina. More probably will leave.

 

[IrishLad]

I split my time here and in Spain. Lately more in Spain. Things are ok here but honestly quality of life is higher in Spain, IMHO. Or more friends lately have moved to Portugal and also like it.

 

[RN in BA]

There are positives and negatives of Argentina. I'm not an expat but I would like to relocate here someday. People are making fair points about the negatives.

Anything financial related there is complicated. I started looking into long term leases and Argentina has to be one of the most painful places in the world trying to get a long-term lease. People are flaky there. Also, good jobs there for a living wage are almost impossible to find there. That was the most shocking to me.

People say how affordable it is but I didn't think it was too cheap when you factored everything in. But I liked the city and would possibly move here in the future. I am fluent with Spanish.

 

[Spend Thrift]

BA is a decent city. I'm not sure about the rest of the country. I want to explore more.

Renting a place long term was frustrating! I had to pay a year up front which looking back was ok. I like my place and the owner is friendly. I just pay for electricity and gas which are insanely cheap here.

I get homesick and prefer the US but costs have gotten out of control there. I can't have this lifestyle in the States. I think if cost of living was the same price, many American expats would prefer to be in the States. Much cleaner, friendlier people, more peaceful, better food, and things work well back home. Here is kind of a clusterf*ck and chaotic.

 

[No Pesos]

Quality of life is ok if you have USD. City is still safe but it's too expensive relative to local wages.

 

[oil rush]

Banking system is a mess but I enjoy the country. Great wines and decent quality of life. I have a lady friend there which keeps me visiting every few months. Still beats most cities in Latin America and regularly is mentioned as the best place to live in Latin America. The Economist just named it once again as the best city to live in Latin America. I'm surprised it didn't even get mentioned.

 

[España]

I split my time here and in Spain. Lately more in Spain. Things are ok here but honestly quality of life is higher in Spain, IMHO. Or more friends lately have moved to Portugal and also like it.

I also have a property in Marbella and also in Buenos Aires. Spending less time in Buenos Aires the past few years. But I would say I am happy in Argentina but I have had my fair share of issues too. @TonyTigre I think it's fair to say Argentina beats Kuwait.

 

[VINO]

Argentina definitely should be on the list. It's head and shoulders better than most of these countries which I have visited. I love living here.

 

[Bob]

I vote for happy life in Argentina. Although I would probably recommend against marrying one. I have tried 4 times now and didn't work out.