Hello Cory:

Do you know where in Uruguay that you want to live? Are you city people so that you may be considering Montevideo or are you more interested in Punta del Este, the interior's small towns or possibly Colonia where you can shoot over to Buenos Aires in one hour on the ferry?

I am only familiar with Punta del Este as far as living in Uruguay. Punta is the high end of Uruguay and therefore very nice. Restaurants, hotels, homes are plentiful and nice. There are also 3 private schools that I know of for your childrens' education and they are not expensive in comparison to private schools in the U.S. That is, a yearly tuition cost $2,200 plus books.

Homes and condos in Uruguay are not leveraged, meaning there are no mortgages and all closings are in U.S. dollars on the table at the time of settlement.

Spanish is important to learn to live in Uruguay. Although many many people speak english and you can get by with some spanish. People are very willing to help.

Uruguay is a lovely country both in terms of being beautiful and its people are very welcoming. We found that making friends is very easy.

If you are coming to Uruguay in October, you will enjoy the beginnings of spring. In Punta del Este the expats begin showing up in November and throughout December and then all hell breaks loose in January when the Argentines show up. School for the kids gets out before Christmas and then they go back to school in early March.

Uruguay is somewhat of a throw back. It is a calm life. A little simpler life. Many houses do not have central heat in the winter so they burn fires in the fireplace. People still sew and make their clothes. Television has not taken over their lives - - conversation is still important and having an assado (the backyard bbcue) with family and friends happens every week.

Uruguay has 3.4M people and therefore is very manageable. Montevideo has 1.6M and the rest of the country is open. There is hardly any crime and specifically, no crime to persons. In Punta del Este we have the crime of burglary because so many homes are vacant in the off season. But unlike their neighbors, Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay is a haven relatively free of crime.

If you have any specific questions please ask.

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I appreciated your comments to Cory. My wife and I are older (I am retired) and also have several questions. She is hesitant to learn Spanish even though she had four years of it in High School. I am indifferent, but would like more information about how wide spread English is there.
She is a Medical Coder and we have doubts about finding that kind of work there. She also has a BS degree in Education and is extremely efficient with data input. Thirdly, transportation, are motor scooter allowed to be brought in?

Thanks,
Ron and Candace

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I am happily retired in Costa Rica as a permanent legal resident but a new proposed immigration law (not grandfathered !) could force many friends to find another country because they will not qualify. For example, a CR pensioner who currently must prove retirement income of at least $600 per month would suddenly need to prove income of $2,000 or more. This would cause a mass exodus !

What are the requirements for legal residency in Uruguay? Is there a web site that provides that info in detail? Is there a classified web site that lists rentals? (I rent a large, attractive, fenced, 2-bedroom home walkable to our crime-free town center for $350 per month.)

Can a non-resident own a business?

How is the bus system? (CR's is the best on Earth.) Would I need a car?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Daddydog
Atenas, Costa Rica
www.costarricabybus.com

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Hi Cory,

Just one thing -- you have to learn Spanish. It is a Spanish speaking country and if you are going to stay in an English speaking bubble why not stay in the US? You can have a nice social life speaking English with your ex-pat friends, but don't you want to talk to your neighbors?

Plus, prices quadruple when you don't speak Spanish. You think Costa Rica takes advantage of foreigners -- here you quickly get in the habit of counting your change all the time.

Robbery, muggings, and short changing are rampant, but no one gets stabbed, shot, or beaten. I am from Los Angeles and I would call this place crime free, in spite of the fact that I have been mugged as have most everyone I know.

Good luck in your plans, but consider that your entire perspective of Uruguay depends on understanding what is going on, and that requires understanding Spanish.

Elena Valentine

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Hi...great to hear about your travels... a good information sheet is on the www trekamericas net page. Also some good travel and health hints...hope you have a great trip.....Normando

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