South America vs Europe: Which Is The Best For The Location Independent Professional? (And Why)
Photo by Genista.
Buenos Aires or Barcelona? Caracas or Crete? Florianopolis or Florence? Given the choice which South American or European city would you live in?
As a location independent professional - someone who can work from anywhere - choosing which country to live and work in, whether it’s your first port of call or the next step on your journey, can prove to be a tricky decision to make. There are numerous factors to take into consideration including:
- Language
- Cost
- Culture
- Infrastructure
- Family/Friends
- Safety
- The nature of your business
Having spent most of my life living on mainland Europe and now married to a South American, my wife and I are continually torn between the beautiful and efficiently run Zurich and the raw energetic exoticism of Rio de Janeiro.
Neither city is by any means completely representative of each continent but from our point of view both offer us the most in terms of lifestyle, family and friends, culture and weather that we’re looking for.
If we had to choose between South America and Europe today I know where we would book our tickets to and here’s why…
At this stage in our lives and as LIPs, South America offers us more than Europe for the very reason that it remains unchartered territory for both of us. Claudia and I haven’t been to any South American country other than Brazil.
We both believe that we need a sense of adventure; the chance to enjoy different cultures, to meet new people and to experience life out of our comfort zones. It’s through these experiences that I think we’ll grow as individuals and keep our relationship strong.
Of course there are many other reasons why South America presents the more attractive option at the moment including:
- The cost of living is far cheaper in a place such as Rio compared with somewhere like Sienna.
- The lifestyle is more relaxed and easy going in Florianopolis than in London.
- The climate is hotter and sunnier more of the time in Recife than it is in Rotterdam.
For us these pros outweigh the cons such as police corruption, debilitating bureaucracy, high crime levels, unstable political regimes and currencies that you tend to come across in one or two South American countries.
Both South America and Europe offer a great deal for a LIP. In terms of variety of culture and food, reliable public services, strong currency, first world sophistication and the sheer history of the place Europe is hard to beat. I would choose the low costs, sun and heat of South America now (that might be because I’ve just spent a month snowed under in the Alps!) but I know that we have plenty to explore in beautiful places such as Dubrovnik, Prague and Split.
If I offered you a first class ticket to any destination in Europe or South America where would you go and why?
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Comments
Great question, and a difficult one to answer. My mood changes practically once per hour on this idea (which can make it difficult to go anywhere!).
There are so many places I have been and loved and so many places I’ve yet to see and am excited about. But…I think my next LIP trip might involve a year in Crete. Not just because you mentioned it in your piece, but because of how it appealed to me when I visited there.
I love the food and it’s incredibly healthy. The history of the island is incredible, too. The people are friendly.
But an important factor for me is the size of the place. Crete is large enough to spend a good year exploring, yet small enough to feel that after a year you have really compiled a complete picture of the culture, the geography, the people, the go-to restaurants and beaches, the tucked away artists’ corners…
Sean
It is a good question, and something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately.
I think I would have to choose South America, for many of the same reasons, firstly I have never been there, while I have seen quite a lot of Europe, and having just spent some time in the Swiss Alps, I could really do with somewhere a little cheaper to live!
Though I am just entering the LIP life myself, and will be travelling alone at first, so Europe does still have the appeal of family and friends close by, but I think the adventure of the unknown would soon make up for that!
Personally, I’d have to choose Europe at this point. Why? Well, I’ve never been there, I’m not really the adventurous type, and I’m in love with medieval and renaissance art and architecture. However, once I’ve been to Europe a couple of times, South America sounds like another good place to go.
Even though I would really like to go to both places, I am going to Central/South America to start. There are several main reasons: 1) the cost of living is just so much cheaper in S. America, 2) the weather is warmer, the living easier, and 3) since I currently live in the USA, I don’t need a plane ticket to get to S. America. Although I am sure I will make it over to Europe someday, probably when I have more income to spare.
I’m from the States, and have been based in Argentina for nearly a year. Buenos Aires in particular certainly has a lot to offer - decent business infrastructure, good cost of living, and a more or less familiar standard of living, too. I also enjoy a really solid network of expats in similar circumstances here - of course I enjoy my local friends, but when you’re away for an indefinite amount of time it’s also nice to know people in the same boat.
I certainly wouldn’t turn down a free plane ticket to Europe for a change of pace, but the higher cost of living is a major deterrent for me. I haven’t researched it since I don’t have any plans to go any time soon, but from what I’ve heard visa issues might be an issue for Americans who want to spend more than a few months in the Schengen countries, unlike here.
While I don’t have any plans to leave Argentina, I occasionally think about Central America or even Thailand! As my Spanish continues to improve, though, I really appreciate being able to communicate with locals, and it makes me less and less eager to go somewhere I only speak a few words of the local language.
I love the flexibility of my work, but having virtually endless options can make things very difficult! I often think about going somewhere else just because I *can*, but on the other hand I figure if I’m happy where I am, maybe just knowing I can make a change if I need to is good enough for now. 
I loved Istanbul and would go back there in a heartbeat. The blend of Asiatic and European culture, the travel opportunities nearby, the beauty of the Bosporus, the mosques and Grand Bazaar were amazing to me. Then add the cuisine including all the little meze dishes and Turkish coffee. And hamams!
There was decent internet access so for me working towards location-independent status, that’s a plus, too.
Since I have never been to South America, I would have to say there. Rio sounds like a fun and interesting place to visit.
I’m with Greg…’done’ a lot of Europe and not much of South America so for me, it’d be South America. The major thing stopping us from doing South America at the moment is the language thing - our experience of Panama was a shocker so we won’t be going unprepared or ill-advised (by guidebooks & websites) again. Nevertheless, personally for me it does make things much more challenging and stressful.
@Amy - I know what you mean about the “just because you can” thing…but I think you’re right -if you’re happy where you are, then just knowing you can is a nice enough feeling!
Well, I’m about to take a 3 week family vacation in Spain, which has been on the agenda for years, so I’d be happy to upgrade our economy Qantas/Air France tickets for first class if you’re offering!
But aside from this, I’d probably rather fly to Rio in Brazil than anywhere else in Europe. I’ve never been to South America and I’ve seen a lot of Europe. And after spending months travelling through Mexico and Central America I discovered a real love for the Latin cultures and Spanish language, and I used to teach Brazilian foreign exchange students and they’re vibrant, passionate people. Brazil would be a blast!
Kelly
Thanks for all your interesting comments everyone!
@Vanessa - I know what you mean about internet problems. We had some electrical grid problems last time we were in Rio but luckily they didn’t last the whole day. Peru is definitely on our hitlist when we spend some time in South America. Do you happen to know what kind of costs we’d be looking at if we rented a one bed apartment in Lima for a month?
@Sean - You’re right about the food! I spent a few days there a while back when I was on my way to Samos and it was wonderful.
@Ian - Agree with you regarding the friends and family in close proximity bit. I’ve just come back from the Swiss Alps myself. Whereabouts did you stay?
@Joshua - I’m no art buff but I’m thinking you might like Rome…
@Byron - No plane ticket! I’ve grown a little weary of airport terminals over the years but I’m not sure I could handle a very long bus ride. How would you travel down yourself?
@Amy - It’s true that as a LIP you don’t have to be travelling constantly. It’s having the choice and the freedome to do so if you feel like that counts. But if you’re happy and settled where you are why leave?!!
@Monica - I’ve not been to Istanbul but I’ve heard it’s great. Doesn’t Bill Gates have a huge palace there or have I got that wrong?
@Mike - Rio is a great place to start. November is a nice time of year to go when it’s not incredibly hot. But if you’re interested in the carnival then go towards the end of February.
@Lea - I agree, I found it a bit daunting organising things on my own in Rio but as you’ve already got a bit of spanish and as you can speak french the portuguese won’t be too hard for you to pick up either. I think you’d be fine and I also know an excellent portuguese teacher in Rio who’d boost your confidence in no time.
@Kelly - As I’ve just spent lots on tickets to Thailand (definitely not first class though!) I unfortunately have to retract my offer!! Enjoy Spain!
If you need to talk to clients in the United States, South America has the advantage of being in or near U.S. time zones. If you’re in the Eastern Hemisphere, you have to take calls from clients at off hours.
In Europe, there are so many options for different reasons. I love Haapsalu, so that’s definitely high up on my list. Since I go there frequently, I should probably pick a different location. Berlin for friends. Some unknown city in France would be nice: Albeit Paris is the top destination there, I like to “hide” in areas with less rush. There’s the entire bicycle trip I would like to do from Paris to Amsterdam. But I also want to go to an icon painting class in Kuopio, and there’s town on Sicily I’d like to visit. But the coolest place to go would probably be Longyearbyen (unless it turns out to just be hyped up).
When you say South America, you’re touching on my Labrador-to-Cape Horn-via-Cuba road trip plans. I have a friend in S.P., but I always wanted to visit Buenos Aires for some reason.
Great question Greg and I can answer that without having to think twice. For me it would be South America since I have never been there.
I grew up in Europe and seen most European countries on extended holidays. When I was younger I was all about security, planning, control and luxury. Nowadays I’m more for adventure and fun and living life in the now without planning everything down to the last detail (Europeans tend to do this extensively).
I dream of visiting and traveling in South America one day. I write for a real estate cum travel site and when I research those locations it just want me to jump into the next plane and have adventure.
South America! I’ve spent five years living in London and I love it there but the lure of the unknown is too great. South America seems more exotic to me at the moment and heading back to Europe would seem like a step backwards. I do expect to head back to London or elsewhere in Europe at some point but I’d like to check out some other spots in between.
For me it is a difficult choice between equally zingy Barcelona and Lima. I adore Lima, but when I lived in Peru about three years ago (in Chiclayo, a smaller, northern city) I found that the internet occasionally would go off city-wide for a day at a time! I wonder if this still happens?