Notes on Latin America
Preface
There are two indexes that I may refer to in this communication:
www.costofliving.org or www.coli.org Wherever in the world I have an extended stay, the cost of living is a factor. The USA, Australia and New Zealand are the more expensive. Rents in Hong Kong are high, but the COL is otherwise relatively low. (Just stay away from the Mid Levels and other tourist areas.)
Malaysia, Thailand and Paraguay are among the least expensive. Uruguay and Chile are the most expensive countries in all of Latin America, but have redeeming factors that make them my two favorite countries in the region.
www.transparency,org The issue of corruption may mean more to me than most people. So be it. Transparency International has a Corruption Perception Index that has credibility with me. The less corrupt countries tend to have high qualities of life. Uruguay (“The Switzerland of South America”) is the least corrupt country in Latin America–with Chile being a distant second. Almost all countries in the top 15 have populations under 15 million. (Australia is the one exception.) Denmark and New Zealand usually top the annual rankings.
www.xe.com Exchange rates mean less to me than most. What I can buy with the money once it has been converted is the mcguffin. How far will my US dollars go where I am visiting? I have been in Australia when an Aussie dollar cost US$1.19. I have been there when the cost was US$0.68. In the former situation, my expenses were covered by a client. If not, I probably woud have either gone elsewhere or stayed in Hong Kong, where I lived 2006-2015.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita. Per capita Purchasing Power Parity.
Uruguay
Despite its relatively high cost of living, this country of 3.5 million is an immensely appealing country by every standard.
Is very European. Probably the least ethnicly diverse country in the Western Hemisphere, its population is largely a mix of people tracing their heritage to Spain and Italy. Was one of the later countries to be colonized, as it had neither the gold nor the silver that attracted dthe Conquistadors to other countries in South America.
