Living Tranquilo in Punta del Este, Uruguay

Tranquilo, meaning tranquil, is the philosophy and unofficial national motto of Uruguay. Early in our stay, I was using the Google Translate app in a government office, and it wasn't working well. The kindly government worker could see my frustration. She smiled, patted me on the shoulder, and said, 'tranquilo.' Google sprang to life and translated it as 'tequila.' Finally accurate! We had a good laugh.

While this was a humorous misunderstanding, the sentiment behind "tranquilo" resonated deeply. It perfectly captured Uruguayan culture's relaxed and easy-going nature.

Discovering Uruguay and Our Decision to Move

The historic streets of Colonia, a charming town explored by Bob and Zohreh.|©iStock/FrankvandenBergh

Following my university degree, I was commissioned as an Army officer and sent to Hawaii. After finishing my military service, I joined a Hawaii-based oil company, and my work initially took me to Singapore, where I met my wife, Zohreh. Later, we moved to Australia and back to Singapore again. Seeking stability for our kids, we moved to Hawaii, but our nomadic lifestyle left its mark—our children now work in Kuala Lumpur and London. As empty nesters, we returned to Singapore for another seven years before moving back to Hawaii. In early 2020, I bought a copy of International Living’s Escape to Uruguay—just in time for COVID. In late 2022, we revisited the idea and made a three-week trip in early 2023, exploring the coastal cities and towns between Colonia del Sacramento and Punta del Diablo. Our “ah-ha” moment came when we first saw Punta del Este’s Brava coastline—we knew we could live here!

Concerned about the winter after decades in the tropics, we returned to Uruguay in July and August of 2023 to experience it first-hand, and to explore more of the country. We stayed in towns along the Río de la Plata and the Río Uruguay, including a second visit to historic Colonia, some nights in charming Fray Bentos, and visits to the hot springs near Paysandú and Salto. East of Montevideo, we explored the fascinating, alchemy-influenced Piriápolis, trendy José Ignacio, and Uruguay’s best surfing town, La Paloma.

Traveling through these diverse cities and towns confirmed that Uruguay was a wonderful little country, and Punta del Este was our ideal spot. We even survived the winter, which turned out to be mild. Confident in our decision, we made the move to Punta del Este in November 2023.

Pros and Cons of Life in Uruguay

Many expats in Uruguay cite "craziness" back home as a reason for their move. There was an element of that for us, but just enjoying expat living was a bigger factor.

For pros, “the people” can be a cliché, but not here. Tell a Uruguayan you are moving here, and their face lights up with a big smile, and they welcome you. Minimal immigration hurdles are a major plus: no mandatory investments, minimal income requirements, and no taxes on foreign income. Other pros include political stability, peaceful borders, the lowest crime rates in South America, great natural beauty, and of course, tranquilo.

The cons are the high cost of living, remoteness, bureaucracy, lack of a postal system, and limited (albeit high-quality) food variety. Despite many great restaurants, international cuisine options are scarce, making it a “Disneyland for carnivores” but bland for diverse palates.

Having lived in expensive cities like Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, and Honolulu, we experienced less sticker shock than most new arrivals. While Uruguay shares a high cost of living, its median annual income is much lower, under US$10,000. Imported goods, particularly housewares, tools, electronics, and cars, are expensive.

One significant saving in Uruguay is in real estate. Due to the small population, abundant land, and low construction costs, properties are much cheaper than in Hawaii or Singapore. A small studio in Punta del Este can be bought for under US$100,000, while a 1,000-square-foot apartment in a more upscale area costs around US$500,000. We chose to rent a two-bedroom apartment near the ocean for about $2,500 per month.

Uruguay’s medical system is very good overall, but there is a catch: if you are over 60 or have pre-existing conditions, most hospital organizations won't allow you to join. However, there's a workaround. You can start a simple business called a Monotributo, which is untaxed and has no reporting requirements. The business activity can be as simple as “artisanal food preparation,” such as occasionally baking cookies to sell to friends. Forming a Monotributo enrolls you in the Uruguayan equivalent of US Social Security, which entitles you to join any Mutualista—a hospital group similar to Kaiser in the US—at a low cost.

Choosing Where to Live

Mansa Beach in Punta del Este, with its calm waters and beautiful scenery.|©iStock/Rudimencial

Determining the best place to live involves many variables and requires compromises based on your interests, finances, family, career, language abilities, age, and health. In temperate Uruguay, you can find something for almost everyone except those with tropical or Nordic preferences.

Two general points about Uruguay:

• The farther inland you go, the more essential Spanish becomes and the more isolated you are from the "outside" world.

• The farther east of Montevideo you go, the more seasonal the coastal towns become.

Punta del Este, a peninsula between two long beaches, offers diverse living experiences. The west side, Mansa, has calm seas and vibrant year-round commercial activity, while the east side, Brava, features rougher seas and a stunning, less-developed coastline.

For now, we’ve chosen Brava, partly due to my love for Stand Up Paddle (SUP) surfing. When we buy a property, we’ll reassess our options. At our ages, proximity to good medical care is prudent. Punta del Este, being the last year-round town east of Montevideo, has sizable hospitals just a 10-minute drive from us.

Having lived in various homes and apartments in Singapore, Australia, and Hawaii, we now prefer apartment living to avoid maintenance. Many Punta del Este condos include maid service or offer it at reasonable rates.

Considering future mobility, Uber and the efficient public bus system, CODESA, make it easy to get around. However, we opted to have a car to explore more of the country. We’ve chosen a Brava location, just a three-minute walk to the beach and a 15-minute walk to grocery stores, restaurants, the largest shopping mall in Punta del Este, and other amenities.

Life in Punta del Este

The Atchugarry Museum of Contemporary Art in Uruguay.|©iStock/Rudimencial

Unlike many international centers, Uruguay has few corporate expats on short-term rotations. Expats here tend to be true migrants, with a mix of retirees, younger singles, couples, and families, including returning Uruguayans with foreign spouses.

Punta del Este is often considered a bubble, an affluent playground for wealthy Argentinians and Brazilians, and is highly seasonal—packed from Christmas to March and tranquil the rest of the year. The workers who keep it running smoothly live mostly in nearby, lower-cost Maldonado.

The quality of life in Punta del Este is excellent if you can afford it, with a temperate climate, beautiful beaches and countryside, and good food and beverage options, including fresh seafood and nearby wineries. We enjoy waterfront dining along Mansa Beach and occasional lunches at countryside wineries like Garzón or Aguaverde. The vibrant arts scene, highlighted by the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Atchugarry (MACA) and Museo Ralli, offers frequent free cultural events.

Punta del Este’s population swells from 20,000 to over 250,000 during "The Season" from Christmas through February, peaking during New Year’s week. We stayed this year to witness the madness, with massive concerts along the Rambla, including a performance by internationally famous DJ David Guetta.

Our plan is to follow the locals and leave town during the season, spending time in Hawaii catching up with friends, catching waves, and indulging in spicy food. When we purchase an apartment here, we’ll likely lock up our personal belongings and rent it out during the high season. Rental rates from Christmas through February are jaw-dropping—a frontline two-bedroom apartment can gross $40,000 over two months, covering a lot of travel expenses elsewhere.

The Expat Community

There are several highly informative Uruguay expat Facebook groups where members generously share their experiences about moving to and living in Uruguay. These groups are invaluable for up-to-the-minute “nuts and bolts” questions, though the Facebook format can make information hard to retrieve.

To address this, I created a reference hub website, www.UruXpat.com, which consolidates and categorizes the most relevant information from these Facebook groups and other sources for easy access. The site covers topics like immigration, banking, real estate, shipping, and healthcare. UruXpat also links to leading expat Facebook groups and resources like the Punta del Este Expats Group, which is run by Joy Kopp and her husband, Jim, who were featured in a 2020 International Living article.

Currently, UruXpat is content-focused, but I also plan to use it for Monotributo sales of various books. The site is free to join and highly useful for anyone considering a move to Uruguay.

Final Thoughts

If the rationale for choosing Uruguay as a place to live had to be condensed down to one word, it would be where we started: tranquilo—it is stable, safe, at peace with the rest of the world, imbued with a welcoming and kind-hearted culture, and blessed with great natural beauty. We feel very fortunate to be able to make this our home.