Hi, I’m Dave.
I’m an expat.
I live in Buenos Aires.
Yes, I know that if you’ve been reading this site for any time now, you probably know a bit about me. But, to put it mildly, a lot can change in almost two years (and boy, has it ever). I’ve gone from being a complete newcomer, who didn’t speak a word of Spanish to a seasoned veteran, who doesn’t speak nearly as much Spanish as he thought he would!
As I’m about to start what I’ll call “Buenos Aires 2.0,” let me start by briefly recounting ”Buenos Aires 1.0:”
I moved to Buenos Aires from New York City in August 2008. After 14+ years in NYC, I was burnt out and needed a change of scenery. Buenos Aires was attractive because it was similar to New York in many ways – large city, good restaurants and nightlife, lots of activity, etc. However, it was about one-third of the cost which was very attractive. I planned to be here for a year or two, living on some savings and doing consulting work and technology projects for clients in the States. I figured that the worst that could happen was that I would have to go back to the States after a year or so and get a full-time job. In the meantime, I would have learned another language and experienced a different culture.
When I arrived, I immediately explored the city, blogged about my experiences, started Spanish lessons and set out to meet other expats. Over the course of about 18 months, I found my way around the city, wrote a bunch of blog posts that clearly showed my naivety here, picked up enough Spanish to get by and made a lot of great friends. I managed to do some traveling to Iguazu, Ushuaia, El Calafate, and Oktoberfest in Cordoba. I lived on the beach in Florianopolis, Brazil for two months (amazing). I ended some business relationships and started a few new projects that I had been meaning to work on for years. I got more involved in Buenos Aires real estate. I ended some personal relationships and started others. All in all, I had a great time and it was an amazing experience.
In October 2009 however, it looked like my time in Buenos Aires was drawing to a close. I had a number of business matters that required me to be back in the States. A couple of projects in Buenos Aires had not panned out as I had hoped, and clients in the States were hoping that I would be closer to NYC. Plus, I missed snowboarding a lot and could live rent-free in Killington, Vermont for the rest of the ski season. So, I made plans to return to the States just before Christmas.
When they say “life is full of surprises” they certainly mean it. Shortly before I left for the States, I met someone who became very special to me. We discussed how to continue our relationship long distance, both knowing that those things rarely work out and trying to plan ways to spend time back and forth between the States and Argentina. I left for the States in December planning that she would come out in February or March. This is where Buenos Aires 2.0 begins.
I’m going to save a lot of the details for some future posts, but suffice it to say that I decided to move back to Buenos Aires full-time. This time though, I’m not looking at it from a short-term expat’s perspective, but rather as someone who will be here for the long-term. I already spent three weeks here in February and have been here for four weeks so far. I’m heading back to the States shortly to take care of some final things and do some packing, but I’ll be a full-time porteño in July!
As part of the Buenos Aires 2.0 story, I now have a DNI, rentista visa, 2-year apartment lease with guarantia, car and a bit of a different view on things. Plus I have a lot more experience (though still a poor grasp of the Spanish language). I hope you enjoy the new blog posts and I look forward to your comments and meeting more great people!
No related posts.
welcome back!
I look forward to meeting you. I should be back `home` this spring – Baires spring.
Sounds good! I look forward to meeting you too.
Welcome back, Dave! Looking forward to catching up in person soon.
Thanks, Henry! Me too.
Welcome home, Dave!
Our path to BsAs has been similar, though not identical. But I did arrive the same month as you, and I also recently ratcheted up the commitment to my Argentine lady. Hope the return is going well!
Thanks Reed and congrats! I hope to meet up sometime…
Dave,
Get the fuck out — I can't keep up with you. I swear, I'll check back a couple of months from now and you'll be living in freaking Moldova with a new life plan! *laugh* Seriously, happy you are settling in!
xo
Michele
You can't keep up with me? LOL. I can't keep up with me…
Lots of great things happening… Hope all is well with you and the family!
Dave, single question – double taxation. The rentista visa, I thought you could not own property and have this visa. Doing so put you 'into the game' if you will economically speaking thus put you on the tax radar? Granted, a car is not a house (real estate), but property is property (I thought). How are you approaching this problem?
I have been in BsAs for a few years now doing the 90 day shuffle, but due to some changes in my US company I now need to change some things, document wise. Trying to walk a fine line to avoid having 67% if my salary taken out in combined taxes by US and Arg.
thanks bunches,
Dave (also)
Good questions. I have not really dealt with this yet, but yes, this is something to be aware of. There is a minimum number of income you must make before you need to file a tax return here. I still need to investigate a lot of these options and have not done that yet.
Now, the US does have an expat tax exclusion that allows the first $90,000 of your income to be tax free. They also have a rental credit as well of up to $24,000/year.
Great to hear the expat online community is alive and kicking. Can't wait to move there. I've visited 3 times so far, and this next time will be for an unknown amount of time!
Does anyone give you crap for being American? I remember people wanted to talk about President Bush all the time, although, everyone is extremely nice.
Welcome to BA! It's very expat friendly here. No crap for being American although most Argentines keep asking why I would leave NYC for Buenos Aires… The grass is always greener…
Hi,
Can any one tell me what visa I would have to get if I wanted to come and live in BsAS permenently but be employed by a US company?
Kuno
Kuno, if your company wants you to work here, they should go through the process of getting you a work visa. If you just want to live here while working for a US company that does not require you to be here, the easiest thing is to just stay here on a tourist visa. It's good for 90 days and can be renewed once at immigration for another 90 days. Most people do that and make a day trip to Uruguay to get another 90 days or overstay their visa and pay the $300 peso fine when leaving.