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Moving to Argentina in 2022 helped Grayson Ferguson repay his student loans.
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But his expenses began to increase after the 2023 election, so he had to look for more green pastures.
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He moved to Albania, where his financial situation and mental well -being would be hoped.
I am from America, but I could not achieve the American dream if I stayed in the United States.
I graduated from the college on the heels of the big recession in 2008. It seemed that no one was hiring. I created a career to write tourist magazines and news publications to keep up with a student loan payments, which started about $ 900 a month.
When Covid hit, I lost customers and my financial situation became awful. Loans and rental rent increased nearly $ 2,000 a month before the car payments. I moved with my sister and then tried to live in a trailer with cheap dirt, but I couldn’t compensate for the income I lost.
In 2021, I decided to leave my life in the United States and move to Argentina with my two dogs. I was hoping that the lower costs of living abroad would help me reduce costs and reduce my debt.
For a while, everything clicked. I saved money and started paying debts, but with financial success came a darkest country for life abroad. I was struggling to contact the locals and my isolation led to complete depression.
As the economic situation of Argentina and my mental health fell apart, I decided to move to Albania. I hope this is the solution I’ve been looking for.
Life in Argentina helped me pay my loans
When I searched for a new home outside America, I realized that I needed a country that allows for a longer stay, was accessible and would allow me to bring a pit bull.
In March 2022, I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which met all my criteria. As a freelance writer with American clients, I did not need job approval and could continue to extend my stay as a tourist by crossing the border every three months. I was a little confronted with the local Spanish dialect-I take too much time to find “ll” sounds like “Sha”, so the tortilla was pronounced Tor-Ti-sha. But I got up.
At that time, a US dollar was trading for about 110 Argentine pesos. However, the unofficial exchange rate, which is widely used by locals, although considered illegal, increased the dollar value to 200 pesos.
When I moved to Argentina in 2022, the inflation rates were astronomically high, but as someone who did not win in Peso, this move still reduced my costs significantly. In addition to having no car payment, my pre -paid mobile number costs about $ 4 a month, while my fitness room membership approaches $ 15.
Finding a place to stay with the help of local real estate agents took time, but in the end I landed a completely furnished apartment, decorated in what I would call a chic aesthetic on Dumpster-Dive. It cost me $ 400 a month, including utilities. In Arizona, my rental bills, a car payment and utilities cost $ 1635.
With reduced costs of life and customers slowly returned after forge, I made good progress in paying my debt.
The financial benefits did not last long
After the presidential election in Argentina in 2023, things began to change. The newly elected Javier Miley immediately cut utilities and subsidies for transport and depreciates the peso. The degree of poverty has reached its highest level in two decades.
The impact was felt throughout the country and my own rental and utility costs living in Buenos Aires increased significantly.
I have also struggled with the growing sense of loneliness since I moved to Argentina. Despite my best efforts, I did not make close friends and began to experience depression.
I affected him because of the progress I reached with the payment of my debt, but economic changes make it difficult to pay a loan.
Then one of my two dogs died. I knew I had to make a change before my emotional state would decrease even more.
With the same parameters as before, I went looking for an accessible country to move to
Like someone who enjoys staying at the top of travel trends, Albania has aroused my interest. Coastal photos looked so nice that I decided they were generated by AI. I noticed that US passport holders can enter for 12 months as tourists without applying for a residence permit.
In April 2025, I moved to a two -bedroom apartment in the capital of Albania, for about $ 600. With utilities, the first month costs $ 650.
Albania still remains a new expat destination. It does not have the brand of attractiveness of Spain or Italy, but the locals I have asked for have noticed a major increase in outsiders in recent years.
Albania’s economy seems stable, which should provide me with predictable monthly costs. I would say that most things are more expensive here than in Argentina. A cup of coffee costs me only $ 0.59 per cup.
It will take some time to find out how much reserve money I will have to pay off at the end of the month, as there is a move -related movement, such as buying new dishes and a vacuum cleaner for the continuously flooded dog. I would be glad if my expenses start to look away close to what my early days in Argentina were.
I learned that you cannot be prepared for everything when you move abroad
When I moved to Argentina, I decided I was prepared. I had surveyed the country and his from time to time an unstatic economy that was financially useful for non -peso workers.
But moving abroad involves the transfer of power. Jumping an airplane and accommodating somewhere new is invigorating, but also terrifying. You cannot report the unknown.
I chose Argentina for financial profit, but I had no idea that I would struggle to make friends or that the extended isolation would lead to depression. I would still not change anything about this difficult patch – this is part of my trip.
Experience with digital nomad is liquid and your experiences are not always positive. This smoothness washed me in Albania. The friendly nature of the country makes me hope that my life will improve not only financially but also mentally.
Do you have a story to share about moving for financial reasons? Contact the editor, Charissa Cheong, of ccheong@businessinsider.com
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