I've been a telecommuter for the past 3 years, and after securing my methods of getting paid without hassle, I was able to move to Paraguay.
I've already met quite a few expats that do the same, however, there are still those out there that insist on finding work locally. By doing so, you're making a trade-off. Sure your employer is here, and your income doesn't fluctuate, but you're also having to compete with native speakers, and settle for much much less than you could make from back home.
Here's an article I wrote today on the topic. Would love to hear from others who have successfully used this method of living abroad.
http://www.whyparaguay.com/preparation/ … ve-locally
Earn Dollars, Spend and Live on Guaranis
FreeRangeJoel
28 April 2013 17:15:46
50
James
28 April 2013 18:05:51
11272
Hi Joel,
Brilliant article and great advice for anyone coming to Paraguay. Unfortunately you neglect to stress the importance of opening a bank account in some international bank (such as HSBC, Citibank or the like) in your home country that also operates in Paraguay or any other South American country, well in advance of leaving home. This facilitates the ATM transactions. I know that here in Brazil you can't make international transactions in just any old ATM. At least with the international banks mentioned you can use all of their ATMs and most of their networked ATMs too.
Also while it is perfect advice for Paraguay it may not be quite so easy in other countries to wire transfer funds, for example here in Brazil not only must one be concerned about the current exchange rate, but also the Central Bank's regulations about international transactions and taxes imposed by Brazil on financial transactions. So while you may not pay income taxes, per se, you can't get away from the tax man completely.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team
Pman
21 May 2013 01:39:56
52
Nice article, but I to disagree with you on the currency fluctuations being a good thing. When I first came to Paraguay about 3 years ago you got like 5500 guaranis for your dollar.
Overtime, with some small downticks, the Guarani has gotten stronger and stronger against the dollar (and Euro).
So everything got a lot more expensive if your income is in dollars and that is not even taking inflation into account.
This seems all pretty logical since the Paraguayan economy is still growing fast.
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