Should You Work Remotely From Buenos Aires, Argentina?
Are you considering moving to Buenos Aires, Argentina to work remotely? Not sure if it’s a good idea? Well, I lived in Buenos Aires for 3 years and I’m here to tell you what I think about working remotely from Buenos Aires!
**Don’t forget there could be tax implications in your home country if you decide to work remotely from abroad!
Buenos Aires is a great place to live, no doubt about it. But is it a good place to work remotely?
My answer is YES, if you have the opportunity to, I think you should definitely work remotely from Buenos Aires.
Here’s why...
Time Zone
Depending on the time of year, Buenos Aires is only 2 or 3 hours ahead of USA central time. This is really convenient if the rest of your work colleagues are in the USA. The amount of hours ahead depends on the time of year because Argentina does not change times for daylight savings. So you have to be sure to keep that in mind when the USA changes their clocks!
And if you’re European and want to work remotely, Buenos Aires is not so far behind that it would be too inconvenient for you either. So if you’re looking to work remotely from another country, the close time zone to the USA makes Buenos Aires a good candidate for you!
Other Digital Nomads/Expats/Visitors
There’s no doubt Buenos Aires attracts thousands of visitors each year. And a lot of those visitors aren’t just on vacation, but staying longer. This means you’ll always be able to find someone to talk to about your stay in Buenos Aires or exchange ideas with. Think about it. As you’re considering moving to Buenos Aires, so are hundreds (maybe thousands!) of other people! And those people are looking for folks to connect with when they move to Buenos Aires too!
Once you’re working remotely from Buenos Aires, you’ll easily be able to plug into the expat community through advertised meetups, groups on facebook, finding other visitors through your hostile or digital nomads by working out of the Buenos Aires We Work location.
Having this large expat community will help you assimilate better so you can enjoy your expat life working remotely from Buenos Aires!
Internet Strength/Availability
This one is a biggie and probably the most important factor for someone considering working remotely from Buenos Aires! You can’t get any work done without good internet and I’m happy to let you know Buenos Aires has very good internet.
I was impressed with the strength and availability of WiFi throughout Buenos Aires and in my apartments. We had Cablevision Fibertel in both our apartments and had very few problems (if any!) once it was set up. And most restaurants and cafes will have WiFi available when you prefer to work outside of your apartment.
The costs also weren’t too high and should fit into your budget. Our monthly bill was around $75 USD (paid in Arg. pesos) each month for internet and television.
If you’re wanting to work remotely from Buenos Aires, you shouldn’t have any problems with the internet and WiFi.
Now that I've given you some reasons why working remotely from Buenos Aires is a good idea…. Let me give you some tips!
Tips for Successful Remote Working from Buenos Aires
Learn Spanish
Learning Spanish will dramatically improve your life in Buenos Aires. Not many people living in Buenos Aires speak English (or other languages) so learning Spanish will make things so much easier for you. Now I’m not saying you can’t get by because you can certainly get by without knowing Spanish. But everyday tasks such as setting up your internet, making a doctor's appointment, ordering at a restaurant or checking out at the grocery store will be easier.
I know learning a language can be difficult, especially as an adult. And I myself did not become fluent in Portuguese or Spanish when I lived in Angola and Argentina. However, I did get to a basic intermediate level. Being able to have basic conversation went a long way when trying to communicate.
The best thing I did when I moved to Buenos Aires was enroll in a spanish school (Expanish). I studied there for 6 weeks straight and it helped my Spanish tremendously. And attending a language school is also a great way to meet other expats and digital nomads!
Move First
In my previous post about renting in Buenos Aires, I highly recommend going to Buenos Aires and staying in an AirBnB or a hotel/hostel for a few nights while you get the lay of the land.
You may think from reading online you know where you want to live, but it can change when you actually move to Buenos Aires. Before I moved there, I thought I wanted to live in the Palermo neighborhood. All the travel blogs made it sound like the cool hip neighborhood with all the millennials. But once I was living in Buenos Aires I realized Palermo would have been too loud for me and I was really thankful I didn’t move there.
Definitely do your research and narrow down to 2 or 3 neighborhoods before moving to Buenos Aires and once you move there, you can tour them the first week and really check the ins and outs of each neighborhood. And check out the apartment buildings you’re considering to see what stores/businesses are around or if it’s a nosy street.
My best advice is to not sign a lease online! Research neighborhoods, narrow it down then visit them in person before signing any long term leases or rental agreements!
Check the Wifi Signal
This tip goes along with the above one.
While you’re touring potential apartments or hostels, check the wifi strength and availability if possible. You can usually bring your laptop or cell phone and go to speedcheck.org to test the internet.
I understand this isn’t always possible but if you can, it can’t hurt to be certain of the internet quality before committing to a place for the long term.
As you can see, Buenos Aires is a great place to work remotely from. You’ll have great internet and plenty of other expats and digital nomads to keep you company. So, what are you waiting for? Book a one-way plane ticket and get your Buenos Aires adventure started!
Ready to move to Buenos Aires? Be sure to download my activity checklist with over 50 activities you have to do while in Buenos Aires!
I also created an overseas packing checklist to help make your new country feel like home!
