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Living in Argentina

Retiring in Argentina: a second act in the south

Argentina offers retirees a European-style city, wine country, mountains and lakes, with good private medicine and a simple pension-based residence permit. The trade-off is a tax system that reaches worldwide income and assets once you stay more than a year.

Updated 8 min readSourced from official announcements

Key facts

  • Pensionado residence needs a foreign pension of at least five SMVM a month per applicant; permits last up to three years, renewable.
  • Foreigners living in Argentina for reasons other than work become tax resident from the 13th month.
  • Residents pay income tax on worldwide income at 5–35%, with a foreign tax credit; Argentina has 22 tax treaties in force, not including the United States.
  • Residents also pay the personal assets tax on worldwide assets above a threshold (ARS 384.7 million for 2025).
  • There is no federal inheritance tax; Buenos Aires province has its own.

Argentina has long attracted retirees from Europe and the Americas: for the climate, the food, the culture and a way of life built around family and long dinners. Since 2024 it has also become more expensive for people paid in dollars or euros, and its tax system deserves careful planning.

This guide covers the residence options, health care, where to live, costs and tax. It is general information. Speak to a qualified immigration lawyer and tax adviser before you move.

Residence: pensionado and rentista

Two residence categories suit retirees. Both are explained in our guide to residency vs citizenship in Argentina.

  • Pensionado. For people who receive a pension from a foreign government, an international organisation or a private company for work done abroad. You must show monthly income of at least five times the SMVM (the national minimum wage) per applicant. Residence is temporary, for up to three years, and renewable.
  • Rentista. For people who live on their own resources or lawful income from abroad, such as rents or investment income, at the same five-SMVM threshold.

Income must enter Argentina through authorised banks and come from lawful sources. Foreign documents need an apostille or consular legalisation.

After three years of temporary residence, non-Mercosur nationals can generally apply for permanent residence. After two continuous years of legal residence, you can apply for ordinary naturalisation as an Argentine citizen under Ley 346. The forum for those applications is disputed while the Supreme Court considers an appeal; see our legal status update.

Some retirees prefer not to move their tax home at all. They spend several months a year in Argentina as visitors. Check how long your nationality may stay, and remember that staying more than 12 months can make you tax resident.

Health care

Health care is often the deciding factor. Argentina has a strong private sector built around prepagas, prepaid health plans, and a group of internationally accredited private hospitals in Buenos Aires.

For older members, three points matter:

  • Prepaga law bars plans from refusing someone because of age, and the original law protected members over 65 with ten years in the same plan from age-based increases. DNU 70/2023 changed parts of this law, so ask each plan which rules apply.
  • Premiums rise with age and are adjusted monthly with inflation.
  • Most prepagas ask for an Argentine identity document (DNI), which requires residence.

Since DNU 366/2025, public hospitals may charge non-resident foreigners for non-emergency care, and several provinces do. Many retirees keep an international policy for serious illness and treatment abroad, and add a local prepaga for everyday care. Our guide to private healthcare in Argentina covers plans, prices and hospitals.

Where to live: four climates

Argentina’s length gives it very different climates within a few hours’ flight.

Region Climate Why retirees choose it Watch for
Buenos Aires Humid, mild winters, hot summers Culture, best hospitals, international airport Summer humidity, city noise
Córdoba and the Sierras Hill climate, distinct seasons Village life an hour from a large city Distance to top specialists for some conditions
Mendoza Dry, sunny, cold nights Wine, mountains, a city with services Desert summers, altitude in the high valleys
Patagonian lakes Cold, snowy winters Scenery, quiet, summer on the lakes Long winters, distance

Buenos Aires suits retirees who want concerts, museums and a short drive to a leading hospital. See our guides to Buenos Aires neighbourhoods and art and design in Buenos Aires.

Córdoba is Argentina’s second city, with its own international airport and private clinics. The Calamuchita and Traslasierra valleys offer village life in the hills; see Córdoba and the Sierras.

Mendoza combines a pleasant city with vineyards and the Andes; see Mendoza wine country. Salta, in the north-west, has dry, sunny winters and a colonial centre at about 1,200 metres; see Salta and the north.

Bariloche and the lakes suit active retirees who enjoy winter; see Patagonia living.

What it costs

Argentina is no longer a bargain for people paid in dollars or euros. Since 2024, inflation has fallen but local prices have risen faster than the peso has weakened, so costs in dollar terms have gone up. Property is priced in dollars; staff, health plans and daily life are priced in pesos and adjusted often.

Premium housing, private health plans and household staff in Buenos Aires are no longer cheap by international standards. For a line-by-line budget with dated figures, see our guide to the cost of living in Buenos Aires. Budget for the peso items in quarterly reviews.

Tax: the key planning issue

When you become resident. Under the rules summarised by PwC, foreigners who live in Argentina for reasons other than work become tax resident after 12 months, from the 13th month. Retirees fall into this group.

Income tax. Residents are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates from 5% to 35%. The thresholds are now adjusted twice a year for inflation. A credit is available for foreign income tax paid, capped at the Argentine tax on that income. PwC’s summary does not set out a special exemption for foreign pensions. In practice, a resident must report a foreign pension, and how much Argentine tax is due depends on how the paying country taxes it and on any treaty.

Treaties. Argentina has 22 tax treaties in force, including with Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland and Brazil. There is no treaty with the United States. Treaties with China, Japan and Luxembourg were pending ratification as of June 2026.

Personal assets tax. Residents pay bienes personales on worldwide assets above a non-taxable minimum, which was ARS 384.7 million for 2025, with a separate exemption for a home. The 2025 rates ran from 0.5% to 1%, and they are set to fall to 0.25% by 2027. Argentine bank deposits and government bonds are exempt.

Inheritance. There is no federal inheritance or gift tax, but Buenos Aires province levies one under certain conditions.

Our guide to tax residency and CBI explains the rules in more detail. Plan the move with an adviser in both countries before you arrive.

Retirement and citizenship

Some retirees want an Argentine passport without spending years in residence. The Argentina citizenship by investment programme, announced on 2 October 2026, offers a US$350,000 contribution or a US$800,000 bond and has no stated residence requirement. Citizenship alone does not make you tax resident; the ordinary residence rules apply. Its legal basis, DNU 366/2025, was ruled against by the Cámara Nacional Electoral in June 2026 and is under appeal to the Supreme Court; see our legal status update and cost guide.

Note. Residence thresholds and tax rules change often. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is there a retirement visa in Argentina?

Yes. The pensionado category gives temporary residence of up to three years, renewable, to people with a pension from abroad. Migraciones requires monthly income of at least five times the Salario Mínimo Vital y Móvil (SMVM) per applicant. Because the SMVM is a peso figure, check the current amount before you apply.

Will Argentina tax my foreign pension?

If you become an Argentine tax resident, Argentina taxes worldwide income at progressive rates from 5% to 35%, with a credit for foreign tax paid. Foreigners living in Argentina for reasons other than work become tax resident from the 13th month. How a specific pension is taxed depends on the paying country and any tax treaty, so take advice.

Can retirees get private health insurance in Argentina?

Yes. Most foreign residents use a private prepaid plan (prepaga). The law bars plans from refusing members because of age, but premiums rise with age, and DNU 70/2023 changed parts of the law. Ask each plan for a written quote.

Which part of Argentina is best for retirees?

It depends on climate and pace. Buenos Aires offers culture and the best hospitals; Córdoba's hills and Mendoza's wine country offer a drier climate and a slower life with a city nearby; the Patagonian lakes have cold, snowy winters.

Does Argentina have an inheritance tax?

There is no federal inheritance or gift tax. Buenos Aires province levies one under certain conditions. Succession law and forced heirship rules also matter, so take advice on your estate plan.

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