Living Abroad With Uruguay's English-speaking Expats

I appreciate living abroad in Punta del Este, Uruguay, even more now that I've met so many expats who like living here as much as I do. On a recent brilliant summer day, I discovered a group of English-speaking expats (including a fair number of IL readers) meeting at Lady Marion’s café, located across from the beautiful, calm waters of Punta del Este’s Playa Mansa.

Living Abroad in Punta del Este

About 35 people were gathered for the monthly meeting of the English Speakers’ Club. People ranged from retirees to young couples with small children to working professionals, and came from countries that included not only the U.S. and Canada, but South Africa, Argentina, Australia, and Hong Kong…as well as Uruguay.

I have to admit that Julie and I have always been content to be hermits, mostly keeping to ourselves and maybe the immediate neighbors. In fact, in more than seven years of living abroad, this is the first gathering of this type that I’ve been to…and I immediately saw the value of what I’ve been missing, as we shared experiences about everything from home renovation to Uruguay’s fantastic and affordable health care system.

But best of all for me, was seeing how happy everyone was to be here; how much they appreciated Uruguay. We’re sharing a First-World environment with beautiful beaches, good people, and perfect summer weather…weather that we appreciated even more when hearing news of ice storms and power outages back in the U.S.

If You're Living Abroad, What Can You Buy Near the Beach?

If you haven’t made it down here yet, there are still plenty of affordable properties available from which you can enjoy the beaches, fine dining, shows, and casinos. Or if you’d prefer--as I do--you can look to a peaceful, quiet, wooded neighborhood less than a mile outside of town. A quick check of one of our local websites shows these two- and three-bedroom apartments and houses on the market today: 66 ocean-view apartments and three houses for less than $150,000….more than 250 apartments within two blocks of the beach for under $150,000 and 34 for less than $80,000…40 houses with an ocean view ranging from $75,000 to $200,000.

The English Speakers' Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 11.00 a.m. at the Lady Marion Café on Playa Mansa. If you’re in town, be sure to stop by…there’s no better way to learn, first-hand, why people enjoy living here.

Lee Harrison
Roving Latin America Editor, International Living

P.S. The Uruguay Owner's Manual tells you everything you need to know about living here…including where to find colonial homes, beachfront bungalows, and fashionable apartments from $40,000. While stocks last, this Manual is 20% off (only with this link).

To read more IL articles about living abroad, see:

Living Abroad in Ecuador, Where $1 Bills Go a Long Way

Moving Overseas--How Winton and Debi Did It

How I Live in First World Comfort…Without Paying For it

Uruguay's "Hidden Assets" Revealed

Rescue an Old Colonial in the Most Historic Part of Montevideo