This is the best time in the world to be living in Argentina as an expat (low cost of living)

Hi folks:

My name is David, and I am currently writing to you from Cordoba, Argentina. I am an American, and have been riding my motorcycle from the USA => Argentina over the last two years.

I have decided for the next 4-6 months to be living in Argentina. The idea is to build my online business. I want to break down why I believe this is one of the best places to live if you're earning USD or Euros. Then I'll tell you about how much I've spent on average living here for approximately what cost. Finally I'll break down the best places I think that deserve attention when considering Argentina. I hope you find this post useful. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Why here, and why now?
The Argentine economy has been flaky for some time, which has resulted in two currency values: an official currency exchange (around 6 pesos/dollar) and a black market, they call it here 'dolar blue' rate. This is currently around 10 pesos. You can check out the current rates at http://www.dolarblue.net. Now the difference between these two values is (10 - 6) / 6 = 66.6%. This discrepancy is among the highest it's ever been. You'll want to arrive with USD or Euros in hard currency; or if not, you can bring your Bitcoin or find someone with a bank account abroad where you can transfer money and receive the dolar blue rate. Cash is the easiest to exchange and you can sell to shop owners; as well as the average Argentine. They buy USD and Euros because their own currency experiences a 30% inflation effect every year. The Argentines cannot legally buy foreign currency as well because their President wants people to hold onto their pesos. So you cannot take out USD once you come here... you'll be limited at taking out money at the official (bad) exchange rate. This is also one of the reasons why you'll find people eager to buy your USD or Euros.

What are the benefits?
First and foremost; the cost of living. It's very possible to live here for $500 USD or less per month. Here's my breakdown below:
Rent (for a private room in a shared house with 3 Argentenians): $170
Cell Phone bill: $8
Food: $140 (Groceries; I never eat out; this also includes alcohol)
Gas: $15
Other Assorted: $100
Total for November: $438.00

But for that consider the price of a 1 liter of beer: $1.20; the price of a decent bottle of wine: $2-3 the price of a kilo of good beef ($5). Compared to the USA I was paying 3X the price to live there! Ground beef is more expensive in the USA than steak is in Argentina.

Plus the people are beautiful; there is a wonderful mix of Spanish/Italian/German/etc. The most beautiful people I've seen outside of Colombia.

Where to be:
Mendoza: Close to the Chilean border; has lots of wineries nearby; rivers; and the Andean mountains.

Cordoba (this is where I'm living): A nice University town close to the sierras. You can find rivers; hiking, and rock climbing.

Buenos Aires: Huge NYC style city. If you like NYC, you'll like Buenos Aires. I find it fun for a week but after that it gets old.

How is the Internet?
Not great; not bad. I'm currently on a 3MB connection; but you can find 6MB and 10MB as well.

Any questions? Hopefully you liked this post. I'm new here and am trying to add value to the community. I hope I put this post in the right place.

Thank you!

 

Are the prices in USD going up or down? Because you say there is a 30% inflation in peso.

I guess you are on a visitor visa as you are saying you are new there. How easy to stay in Argentina for longer periods than visitors or permanently?
Does the locals understand you when you speak English?
Are rents same in everywhere, crowded or rural area? Which one is better, central places of crowded cities or less crowded places?