Ever read a travel article like ‘How to Live Like a Local in (insert latest hot city here)’? Sure. We all have. Were you disappointed that the article didn’t tell you how to live like a local?

Instead, it was a travel article suggesting the locals spend all their time lounging by the beach/mountain top/sidewalk café and never get any actual work or living done? If you want to know how to pass like a ‘local’ in Buenos Aires, read on. You won’t be misled.

How is it like to live in Argentina?

Argentina is a a vast country and has several environments, but in places where expats are most likely to remain, the climate is comfortable. Buenos Aires has four seasons. The summer months can be hot and muggy, but thankfully, the humidity doesn't last long, and for most of the year it's a temperate climate.

Is it hard to move to Argentina?

Security is always a concern for expats and people planning a move. Like many countries with monetary challenges, Argentina has some crime issues. Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and other major cities can be prone to petty crime. Still, brutal crimes are rare in areas popular with expats in Argentina.

Is Argentina cheap to live?

According to numbeo.com, the cost of living in Argentina is 50% to 60% less than in the U.S. All told, you can expect to live adequately on $1,500 per month. If you were particularly practical, you could hope to get by on about $1,000 per month.

Do they speak English in Argentina?

While Argentina's official language is Spanish, Argentina has experienced so much international movement that Arabic, Italian, German, English, and French are also uttered—at least in pockets throughout the country. There are also over one million speakers of different tribal languages, including Quechua and Guaraní.

What is considered rude in Argentina?

Most Argentines eat with a knife in the right hand and a fork in the left. Using a toothpick in public is considered bad manners. Blowing one's nose or clearing one's throat at the table is also considered poor manners. Eating on public transport is seen as poor etiquette.

What is the average living cost in Argentina?

Many expats and retirees manage to live quite comfortably on $1,000 to $1,300 per month, and couples on around $1,500 to $1,800 a month. Reasonable rent gives a big boost to Argentina's affordability, specifically for those who choose to reside outside the more popular tourist regions.

Is education in Argentina free?

Note that undergraduate study at all Argentine public universities is tuition-free and leads to professional degrees.

In conclusion

If you’re in Buenos Aires as a tourist, you’re likely to sleep in late. The brunch buffet at the hotel lasts until 11 and your first tour excursion doesn’t leave until noon. That gives you plenty of time to lie in bed, take a relaxed shower, check out the email, and do other housekeeping duties. A local is up before dawn making sure their clothes are pressed, fresh, and spotless. If there are kids in the house, they’re bundling them off to school. No real time to sleep in and be lazy. By the way, splash on plenty of perfume or cologne – you’ll find out why later.

Learn more about life in Argentina

Argentina is not only a good country to live in, it's also a great destination for retirement. Read on to learn how to make your life as an expat in Argentina a success. Also, don't forget that Argentina just introduced a Digital Nomad visa, making living in Argentina easier than ever!

Jerry Nelson is an American writer living the expat life in Buenos Aires. Some of the adventures Jerry has enjoyed, he jumped into the ocean from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Aden, cut off a goat's balls as part of a mating ritual in Indonesia, raced a NASCAR around the oval in Charlotte, created a small coin purse out of live Tarantulas in Australia's outback, spent six-weeks with the Sinaloa cartel along the U.S./Mexican border and sailed a 16th century schooner through the sound and into the open ocean.

Never far from his coffee and Marlboros, Jerry is always glad to discuss future working opportunities. Email him at [email protected] and join the quarter-million who follow him on Twitter.