Should You Move Back Home After Latin America in Your Late 30s
Or is the grass just gentrified and overpriced on the other side?
Something nobody tells you when you first hop on that one-way ticket to Latin America with dreams of palm trees, beautiful women, and $2 steak dinners.
Eventually, usually sometime after you turn 35, the little voice creeps in: “Should I move back to the U.S.?”
I saw a tweet recently that went viral in expat circles. A guy wrote:
“Many of the guys who are 35+ here secretly plan to move back to the US soon… it’s hard to go from high standard of living in the West and adjust to life here. Fun when you're young, but the downsides become more apparent as you get older.”
I don’t fully agree with him
But I don’t fully disagree either. The truth is more nuanced, more class based, and more dependent on your city, income, and mindset than most people want to admit. You’ll get one take from a guy living off crypto in Medellín, another from a married couple running an Airbnb in Oaxaca, and yet another from someone raising kids in Monterrey.
Short Outline Of the Article For those that aren’t subscribed
Why this question hits harder in your late 30s
What “quality of life” in the U.S. really looks like now
Why Latin America can offer better housing, safety, and healthcare—if you know how to play the game
How to think about raising a family, building a legacy, and growing old abroad
When going back to the States actually does make sense
Why This Question Creeps In After 35
Frankly life abroad IS sexier in your 20s. Everything is new. You’re out of the Matrix. Dating feels effortless. Your rent is 400 bucks, and your biggest problem is picking the right mezcal at the bar.
But by your mid-30s, the dopamine might wear off. You start thinking about your cholesterol or some shit like that. You’re wondering how you’d handle an emergency. You notice your tolerance for certain inefficiencies dropping fast like bureaucracy, potholes, the neighbor’s barking dog. And if you’re dating seriously or thinking about kids, a new level of scrutiny kicks in. You’re no longer just a nomad. You’re building something or at least should be…