Positives & Negatives of Living in Buenos Aires
So you’re thinking about moving to Buenos Aires? Or you’re a digital nomad considering living here for a few months? Well, after living here for 2.5 years, let me share with you a few things we love about living here and a few things we could definitely do without.
Prefer to watch this blog instead?
Click here —>>
Moving to or visiting Buenos Aires? Be sure to check out this activity list I created with over 50 things you have to do when you’re in Buenos Aires!
—— Things we Love ——
Walking Everywhere
If you already live in a large, dense city, this may be obvious to you. But Andrew and I came from Texas where everyone has a car because the cities are too spread out to walk anywhere. This was one of the main reasons we wanted to move here, actually. We liked the idea of being about to get everywhere on foot. Usually within a few blocks radius of your home you’ll be able to find everything you need from supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies and restaurants. In our experience we’ve also had close walking access to large parks, movie theaters and sightseeing/touristic areas.
We’ve really enjoyed being about to walk everywhere we need to get during our time here. When we moved here, our company gave us the option to purchase a vehicle but we decided not to. And it’s been the best decision. We quickly realized everything we need to do could be accessed by walking or hailing a taxi.
If you’re looking to live someplace where things are close to you and you won’t need a vehicle to get places, Buenos Aires is definitely a good place to check out. There’s also a robust public transport system with buses and subways. And taxis are also a cheap way to get around the city.
The Food
Do you enjoy eating? Of course you do! Don’t we all?! Well, Buenos Aires has you covered. The food here is so good. They are most famous for their meat. Especially meat grilled on a parrilla. We actually aren’t meat eaters but there’s so much other delicious food too. Some of our favorites are the empanadas and provoleta. Provoleta is basically a large chunk of cheese that is grilled on the parrilla and seasoned. It gets crispy on the outside and gooey and cheesy on the inside. Yes, you have to try it. When we leave, I’m going to miss it so much!
There’s also a large Italian influence here so the italian food is delicious, especially the homemade pastas and helado (ice cream). I would say after Argentine food, Italian is the second best type of food you can find here. They also have lots of new restaurants popping up in the Palermo area of town that take foreign foods from Mexico, Peru, USA, Vietnam, etc. and put their own spin on them. It’s a great area to find fusion foods.
If you’re thinking of spending any time in Buenos Aires, you’ll definitely be spoiled for choice of yummy and satisfying foods.
Local Travel
Buenos Aires is a great place to travel from. The city has direct flights to all the smaller cities and regions country-wide. And while some domestic flights can be as short as 45 minutes, (to Cordoba) the longest flights you’ll find are down to Ushuaia and those are still only 3 hours. So you can easily get places on Friday to enjoy a weekend in the country-side. Domestic flights are also pretty cheap, usually less than $350USD each.
Not only is it easy and cheap to get around Argentina, it’s also a great way to learn more about Argentine culture. BA is great but you have to get out to see more of the country.
In the South, you have Patagonia and El Fin del Mundo. To the West, you will find Bariloche and the Lakes District which is a gorgeous place to hike and enjoy the scenery. In the North, there’s Iguazu Falls where you can spend 2 days walking among the huge waterfalls that separate Argentina and Brazil.
When you travel around, you’ll get to see Argentina through new activities, landscapes and flavors.
—— Things we Dislike ——
Walking on the Sidewalks
On the flip side of walking everywhere, that means everyone else is walking too. And the sidewalks can quickly become a contact sport! We’ve found that Portenos (Argentines that live in BA) don’t always walk on the right side. They might walk on the left or just bump into you if they don’t feel like moving. It’s like a big game of chicken. And that gives me anxiety. If someone does bump into you, don’t expect an apology! Back in the US, you’ll get a “Oh, sorry” or “I didn’t see you, so sorry”. But nope, not here. If anything, they’ll look at you like it’s your fault! So this part has definitely taken some getting used to.
We have heard from friends that have lived in New York City that it is very similar, so maybe it’s not an “Argentine thing” maybe we just aren’t used to such a dense city population.
When you’re on the side walks, not only do you need to watch out for people you need to keep your eyes down too for dog poop! Yes, dog poop! A dense city means there’s lots of dogs that use the sidewalks as a bathroom. It’s not the dogs fault but a lot of owners don’t pick up after them. So you really have to look down a lot to avoid stepping in something gross. And this happens in the nicer neighborhoods too. We’ve lived in two “nice” neighborhoods and there is still dog poop everywhere!
So if you’re walking around BA be sure to keep your eyes peeled for people bumping into you and dog poop!
City Noise
Again, having lived in much less dense cities, we hadn’t experienced city noise in our home before. Of course you’re going to hear cars, buses, honking, etc. when you’re walking around but I wasn’t prepared for how loud it would be in my apartment. We lived next to a parking garage and all day I would hear it ringing when a car would enter or exit (to warn people walking). It took me so many months to “get used to it”. But honestly, I’m not sure if I ever got used to it. And we had a bus stop outside our apartment and despite being on the 13th floor, we could hear very loudly every time a bus would stop and leave.
Little things like this would add up through the day. Where it felt like I couldn’t get any peace in my own home. And on weekends, there was a guitarist/singer who would come to the park next to our apartment and play with a loudspeaker to collect tips. We could hear every word of his 4 hours of songs on every Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes we would go to the movies on the weekend even if we had no interest in the movie - it was just to get out of our apartment.
Before you pick out an apartment to live in while you’re in BA, be sure you walk around outside a few times. Maybe go back on a weekday and weekend to really get a feel for the noise and crowd levels to make sure you’re making the best choice for your peace of mind.
Drivers
If you’ve done any travelling you probably already know that drivers in other countries can be pretty wild. But there’s something different about them in Argentina that I haven’t really experienced anywhere else. And maybe that’s just because we live inside the city center and walk among the cars to get anywhere. But to be blunt, the drivers are just plain rude here. I had a girlfriend who was walking with her baby in a stroller and crossing through a crosswalk. The light was red but the car decided to come to a “rolling stop” and his car very gently taped her stroller. You can imagine how upset she was. But things like that are normal here.
Pedestrians do not have the right away - ever. Even when you have a crossing sign, it’s best practice to double check before stepping into the street because drivers have been known to run red lights when they don't see anyone coming. And if it is clear and you decide to cross the street, sometimes a driver will come out of nowhere and speed up to get super close to you. It reminds me of the game Grand Theft Auto. The one where you get points to hit people? Yeah, it feels like that living here sometimes.
Just be prepared that the drivers can be very dangerous and pedestrians do not have the right away, no matter how many people you see walking around the city.
If you’re still ready to make the plunge and move to BA, you won’t be disappointed. It really is a great place to live. I’m sure you’ll enjoy living here too. The people, culture, food, travel and experiences have been beyond worth putting up with the negatives.
Moving to or visiting Buenos Aires? Be sure to check out this activity list I created with over 50 things you have to do when you’re in Buenos Aires!
Before planning your move, be sure to sign up for my free overseas packing checklist. And read the blog post on Estancias in Argentina! You won’t want to miss them!
