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My wife and I have been kicking around the idea of moving to Uruguay. Initially we would probably buy a property we could rent out for a few years and then move there permanently. I work from home so that's not a problem and we have a business that is growing and it's hands off (real estate). We are both American citizens but would pursue citizenship in Uruguay, I have been in contact with a law firm that has been very helpful in providing information and resources regarding the move and the entire process.
With that said, I'd like to hear from those that live in Montevideo or Punta Del Este or those who have visited. What's your impression of those areas? Did you like it, why or why not? Any advice regarding a possible move? All comments would be helpful and welcome.
My wife and I have been kicking around the idea of moving to Uruguay. Initially we would probably buy a property we could rent out for a few years and then move there permanently. I work from home so that's not a problem and we have a business that is growing and it's hands off (real estate). We are both American citizens but would pursue citizenship in Uruguay, I have been in contact with a law firm that has been very helpful in providing information and resources regarding the move and the entire process.
With that said, I'd like to hear from those that live in Montevideo or Punta Del Este or those who have visited. What's your impression of those areas? Did you like it, why or why not? Any advice regarding a possible move? All comments would be helpful and welcome.
Why you want to live there? What are you escaping from? What other places are you considering? You really have to be tough on yourself when considering such a move.
Uruguay is a very different place than other parts of Latin America and its really far from where you are coming. That might be good or it might be bad. Its just people wash out all the time doing this and that is why people who know will always suggest you rent a place first and prove you will last there at least a year before you start looking at property. Only reason one might pursue property purchase first is for residency reasons otherwise spend a good deal of time there and see if its right for you.
As for Uruguay in particular, its a pretty laid back place. Not a lot of foreign influences there so it seemed very insular to me. One person I met said almost everyone lives their entire lives no more than 15 minutes away from where they grew up. The retail and nightlife are nowhere near as developed there and things in the stores are quite expensive as a result. You probably could find a cheaper simpler life though, except maybe Punta Del Este. I went in the winter though so PdE was almost deserted then so couldn't really give a true idea of what living there would be like. The "ideal" climate Uruguay supposedly has wasn't so ideal, it was in the 40s and raining or very cloudy almost the entire 10 days I was there. The people seemed pleasant enough, but I would be fooling myself if I could draw conclusions about them when I was just there for a visit.
As for Uruguay in particular, its a pretty laid back place. Not a lot of foreign influences there so it seemed very insular to me. One person I met said almost everyone lives their entire lives no more than 15 minutes away from where they grew up.
That's perfect for us. Not all American's can say that. Most, like us, moved every few years. I can't go home - you need to keep moving forward. We've lived in several Latin countries incl Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and would welcome being in a safer place.
Don't want to live on the ocean - perfectly happy being upland on a farm.
As to Chile - we looked into that but it's very seismic.
Why you want to live there? What are you escaping from? What other places are you considering? You really have to be tough on yourself when considering such a move.
Uruguay is a very different place than other parts of Latin America and its really far from where you are coming. That might be good or it might be bad. Its just people wash out all the time doing this and that is why people who know will always suggest you rent a place first and prove you will last there at least a year before you start looking at property. Only reason one might pursue property purchase first is for residency reasons otherwise spend a good deal of time there and see if its right for you.
As for Uruguay in particular, its a pretty laid back place. Not a lot of foreign influences there so it seemed very insular to me. One person I met said almost everyone lives their entire lives no more than 15 minutes away from where they grew up. The retail and nightlife are nowhere near as developed there and things in the stores are quite expensive as a result. You probably could find a cheaper simpler life though, except maybe Punta Del Este. I went in the winter though so PdE was almost deserted then so couldn't really give a true idea of what living there would be like. The "ideal" climate Uruguay supposedly has wasn't so ideal, it was in the 40s and raining or very cloudy almost the entire 10 days I was there. The people seemed pleasant enough, but I would be fooling myself if I could draw conclusions about them when I was just there for a visit.
Thanks for the response, we're not running from anything, just planning for the future when we retire (which is a ways off). As far as other places we've considered Ecuador and Costa Rica, if we move we probably would rent for a while before we commit to buying.
I'm a 26 year old American,. I decided to move out of the country (for a temporary amount of time) before going from my current job to an engineering job. I work online, so I thought I'd take advantage of my opportunity to live abroad.
I'm not expert on South America, but I know more than most people. What led me to Chile over the other South American countries is the lack of crime and non corrupt police. Chile without a doubt has the least amount of Crime and least corrupt police in South America. Want to bribe a cop? It'll be a nice ticket to jail. Uruguay, while safe by South American standards still has a pretty high rate of robberies and break ins. Aside from that, their police do not really like to help that much.
I'd have no problems visiting Uruguay, or just about any country in South America besides Venezuela.. but to live, I chose Chile.
Granted, my opinion is going to be biased because I came up with the decision to go to Chile based on my own research.. so it's hard to go against that.
One thing you absolutely must do, is do your research much deeper than some lonely planet travel guide listening to a bunch of people in dreadlocks talking about "how cool the culture is". You have to live here, make sure you choose the right place and best place.
There are some very livable towns in Uruguay. We loved Salto, for example. But I thought Montevideo was an unbelievably drab, dull city, and Punta del Este is just a tourist trap, mostly Argentines, with an unfriendly atmosphere., .
There are some very livable towns in Uruguay. We loved Salto, for example. But I thought Montevideo was an unbelievably drab, dull city, and Punta del Este is just a tourist trap, mostly Argentines, with an unfriendly atmosphere., .
Jtur is not the first person I heard this from in terms of Uruguay. For me, Uruguay still warrants a visit (what a cool flag), but I wouldn't want to spend that much energy and make the risk moving somewhere like that.
Being that "weed" is legal makes it very attractive to a certain segment of the population. I looked at it before retiring to Peru 10 years ago. But at the time Peru was much more attractive from a RE investment perspective.
Now that prices are up 300%, not so much.
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