Why an American Picked Uruguay Over the US and Bolivia - Video

Jeffrey has lived in Uruguay for 17 years. He left the US over 26 years ago, spent years in Bolivia, and now calls Carmelo - not Punta del Este - home. In this episode, he gives a long-resident's take on what Uruguay actually delivers: peace, safety, sanity. Less opportunity for business, smaller market, slower pace - and for him, worth every trade.

**Chapters**

0:00 Why we sat down with Jeffrey
0:49 What surprised him when he arrived
1:28 The reason he chose Uruguay
2:29 American vs Uruguayan culture
3:13 How Uruguayans received him
4:19 Integration: outsider or local?
4:55 Running a business in a small market
5:36 The workforce in Uruguay
6:20 What he misses from the US
6:48 The one real challenge of Uruguay
7:33 What he'd do differently
8:05 Is Uruguay safe in 2026?
8:41 Uruguay for people escaping instability
10:18 His advice to pre-movers
10:46 Pre-conceptions that turned out wrong
12:10 Would he still move to Uruguay in 2026?
12:29 Uruguay in three words
13:10 The three things he enjoys most
13:35 What he'd change
14:08 Final message to anyone considering Uruguay
15:21 Closing

**Episode topics**

Punta del Este vs Carmelo (coastal vs campo), Uruguay vs US culture, what life in Bolivia taught him about pace, safety in 2026, running a small Airbnb, integration after 17 years, why he moved from Punta to Carmelo, and why Uruguay is "sanity" for people escaping instability in the north.

**About the guest**

Jeffrey is an American expat who left the United States over 26 years ago. After years in Bolivia, he moved to Uruguay in 2009 and now lives in Carmelo, where he runs a small Airbnb business. He brings the perspective of someone who has watched Uruguay change over nearly two decades - and who chose ''campo'' life over the coastal glitter of Punta del Este.

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