LatAm Expat & Nomad Daily Guide for Tuesday, September 22, 2026
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00The LatAm Expat Nomad Daily Guide Status Board
| Story | Friday | Now | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN General Assembly | Lula–Mamdani meeting announced; no Lula–Trump bilateral on the books | General debate opens today: Lula first among leaders, Trump second, Fujimori and Kast also today | Milei addresses the UN on Wednesday 23 September |
| Argentina FX & IMF | Blue 1,530 / 1,550; risk 524 (18 Sep) | Blue unchanged at 1,530 / 1,550 (21 Sep); risk 533 (21 Sep); review enters day two | Milei meets Rubio today; US$803M IMF payment Friday 25; EMAE + poverty Thursday 24 |
| Brazil FX & vote | PTAX 5.1569 / 5.1575; Ibovespa 185,229 (-0.41%) | PTAX 5.1111 / 5.1117 (21 Sep) — strongest since 11 September; 12 days to the first round | Lula at the UN today; IPCA-15 inflation Friday 25 |
| Mexico | FIX 17.2450 (determined 18 Sep); IPC -0.78% | FIX 17.2203 (determined 21 Sep); Hurricane Polo offshore, Category 5 forecast, tropical storm watch Tecpan–Manzanillo | Banxico + mid-month inflation Thursday 24; US talks resume 28 September |
| Chile | Closed for public holiday; observado 958.42 (21 Sep) | Observado 952.00 and UF 40,991.75 today; Senate votes the reform’s last article today | Chamber votes Wednesday 23 September |
| Colombia FX | TRM 3,192.92 valid 19–21 September | New TRM 3,192.53 in force today only | New TRM certified this afternoon, valid from Wednesday |
| Bolivia | Diesel at Bs17.95 (about US$1.63) under Supreme Decree 5716; IMF bill through Congress | Law 1765 enacted; Monday strike patchy; assembly today decides on extension | IMF board vote expected 2 October; the Fund has not confirmed a date |
01Getting Around
Bolivia: Monday’s diesel strike was patchy. Three Santa Cruz federations called theirs off, and La Paz drivers ran normally. Valley transport groups blocked the old Santa Cruz–Cochabamba road. A transport assembly today decides whether to extend the stoppage to 48 or 72 hours. Check with your bus company before heading to a terminal, especially on western routes. Our Bolivia diesel report has the background.
Uruguay: Back to normal. The port workers’ union SUPRA ended its strike at 07:00 this morning as scheduled. Its next decision point is an assembly on Thursday 24 September.
Mexico (Pacific coast): Hurricane Polo is offshore and strengthening fast. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Tecpan de Galeana to Manzanillo. TheNational Hurricane Center forecasts a Category 5 hurricane by Wednesday, with the core near or just off the southwestern coast. Recheck flight and road plans on the Pacific corridor daily.
Peru: The Puente Inca route at Machu Picchu remains closed through 25 September; the citadel itself is open on the standard circuits. Elsewhere, normal Tuesday operations.
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia & Ecuador: Normal operations. In Ecuador, the midnight-to-05:00 curfew in Guayas, Manabí, Los Ríos and El Oro runs to 30 September under Decree 498. Quito remains inside the decree area but outside the curfew. Our Ecuador report has the details.
02Cost of Living & Money
Fresh references are in for every major market: Monday’s PTAX and FIX, today’s TRM and observado, and Argentina’s Monday closes.
| Currency | Reference in force this morning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (BRL) | PTAX 5.1111 / 5.1117 (21 Sep) | Strongest fixing since 11 September. Selic benchmark interest rate 13.75% in force. |
| Mexico (MXN) | FIX 17.2203 (determined 21 Sep) | Banxico decides Thursday 24 September at 1 p.m., Mexico City time. |
| Chile (CLP) | Observado 952.00 (today); UF 40,991.75 | Peso firmer than Monday’s 958.42. UF worth about US$43.06. |
| Argentina (ARS) | Oficial 1,485 / 1,535; blue 1,530 / 1,550; MEP 1,531.6 / 1,536.5; CCL 1,595 / 1,596.4; tarjeta 1,930.5 / 1,995.5 (21 Sep) | Blue unchanged through Monday’s close; country risk 533 (21 Sep). |
| Colombia (COP) | TRM 3,192.53 (valid today only) | New TRM certified this afternoon, in force from Wednesday. |
| Peru (PEN) | SUNAT 3.354 / 3.362 (21 Sep) | Official reference rate; the sol remains the region’s steadiest currency. |
| Costa Rica (CRC) | Spot about 447.5 (estimate) | Estimate; no fresh reference from the central bank (BCCR) this morning. |
| Uruguay (UYU) | Retail about 40.2 (est.) | Retail board estimate; check fresh quotes at today’s open. |
Brazil. At Monday’s PTAX sell rate of 5.1117,US$1,000 converts to R$5,111.70, and a R$5,000 rent costs about US$978. That is the real’s strongest fixing since 11 September; last week’s fixings ranged between 5.1490 and 5.1696. Politics is the counterweight. Lula speaks at the UN this morning with a planned warning to Trump, twelve days before the first round. The polls are mixed. The pollster Veritá puts Flávio Bolsonaro ahead in both rounds. Other pollsters show Lula leading the first round, with runoff simulations statistically tied. Our Brazil election report and our Brazil real report have more.
Mexico. At the FIX determined Monday of 17.2203, MXN 10,000 of spending costs about US$581. Thursday 24 September brings two events. Mid-month inflation and July activity data come at noon, Mexico City time. At 1 p.m. the central bank, Banxico, decides on its rate, held at 6.50 percent since May. Forecasters are split between a third straight pause and a cut to 6.25 percent. Formal US–Mexico trade talks resume 28 September in Washington.
Chile. The peso firmed to 952.00 in today’s observado: a CLP 800,000 rent now runs roughly US$840 a month. The UF stands at 40,991.75 (about US$43.06); a 20 UF lease bills CLP 819,835, about US$861. In Congress, the Senate votes today on the political reform’s final article. The bill raises the bar for founding and keeping parties. The Chamber of Deputies votes on Wednesday.
Argentina. The blue dollar, the informal street rate, held at 1,530 / 1,550 pesos through Monday’s close. Selling US$1,000 in cash brings about ARS 1,530,000. A US$1,000 card spend bills at roughly ARS 1,995,500.At the blue selling rate, a million-peso monthly budget is about US$645.The IMF mission’s second day comes with country risk at 533,up nine points from Friday. The first-half primary surplus (the budget balance before interest payments) was about 0.6 percent of GDP. The program’s full-year target is 1.4 percent; the reserve target, by contrast, was beaten. President Javier Milei meets US Secretary of State Rubio this afternoon in New York and addresses the UN on Wednesday. More in our Argentina GDP report and our updated country-risk report.
Colombia. Today’s TRM of 3,192.53 converts US$1,000 to COP 3,192,530 and puts a COP 3,000,000 rent at about US$940. Anew TRM is certified this afternoon and applies from Wednesday. In longer-term money news, the digital bank Revolut set out its Colombian plans on Monday. It plans a pilot before year-end, a public opening in the first half of 2027 and 1,000 ATMs over five years. Our Revolut report has the detail, and our Colombia peso report has the context.
Peru. At the reference rate of SUNAT, Peru’s tax agency, of 3.354 / 3.362,a S/3,500 rent costs about US$1,041.President Keiko Fujimori addresses the UN this morning, New York time, twelve days before the 4 October local elections. At home, the fallout from a candidate’s killing in Caraz reached the top of the criminal police on Monday. Our Peru elections report tracks the case.
Costa Rica. At an estimated spot rate of 447.5colones per dollar, a ₡700,000 rent costs about US$1,564. The colón remains historically strong, as our Costa Rica report explains. Costa Rican economist Rebeca Grynspan leads the straw polls for UN Secretary-General.
03Visas, Residency & Tax
| Where | What changed | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Colombia | Standing deadline: the permanent-visa transfer under Resolución 9316 of 2024 must be done by 31 October 2026 — 39 days from today. Separately, Revolut’s banking licence of 15 September moves toward a year-end pilot. | If your permanent visa was issued before October 2022, book the transfer appointment well before the deadline. New banking options do not change visa rules. |
| Panama | The US$300,000 real-estate residency threshold under Decree 193 of 2024 has no written expiry. October 2026 is the legal two-year review point for the amount, not an automatic rise to US$500,000. | Nothing forces a purchase to close by 15 October. Confirm the current decree text with your attorney before committing funds. |
| Peru | No decree on detaining irregular migrants has been published as of Tuesday morning. The Organization of American States (OAS) is cleared to observe the 4 October local elections. | If your visa or residence permit is valid, nothing changes — carry proof of status. Our Peru report has the checklist. |
| Ecuador | Decree 498’s curfew continues in four coastal provinces to 30 September. The decree also suspends the legal protection of homes and private mail in eight provinces and three cantons (districts) for 60 days. | Warrantless searches are lawful inside covered areas; carry ID and plan around the curfew. Our Ecuador report has the details. |
04The Week’s News in Brief
| Where | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | Reuters reports Trump will hold a pull-aside meeting with interim president Delcy Rodríguez at today’s leaders’ reception in New York — the first in-person encounter since Washington removed Maduro in January. | A diplomatic reopening may ease Venezuela’s risk profile at the top level. One meeting does not change conditions on the ground. |
| Bolivia | President Paz enacted Law 1765 approving the US$1.9 billion IMF loan; officials expect a first disbursement of about US$250 million within days and board approval on 2 October. The Fund has not confirmed a schedule. The Catholic Church offered to mediate the diesel dispute. | The fiscal path is clearer; the street answer comes from today’s transport assembly. Our Bolivia diesel report maps the decree. |
| Peru | The Interior Ministry transferred General Víctor Revoredo, the criminal-police chief. The murdered candidate Susy Aponte Polo had accused him of ordering an attack. The move is a reassignment, not a suspension, in a reshuffle of 23 senior officers. Three people are detained, including the alleged gunman and a suspected financier. | The case tests whether Peru can investigate its own police twelve days before the local vote. Our Peru elections report has the facts. |
| Chile | The Senate votes today on the last pending article of the political reform (Bulletin 17640-06). It raises membership floors for parties and scraps the three-region registration route. The Chamber votes Wednesday. | Party rules shape how Chile is governed for years; for expats, nothing changes in daily life. |
| Colombia | Nine grenades hit a police station in El Carmen, Norte de Santander, in a drone attack. Separately, a court bid seeks to freeze payments to Sweden’s Saab under the Gripen fighter-jet contract. The government also announced the first agricultural census in twelve years, with results in 2028. | Security pressure in the border departments continues alongside slow institutional work; neither changes expat routines in the major cities. |
| Nicaragua | The government announced the release of 1,500 prisoners for Monday 21 September. | Large releases can shift the street mood in the short term; no expat-specific advisories have been issued. |
05Weather & Safety
Mexico, Pacific coast: The National Hurricane Center’s 9 p.m. Monday advisory put Hurricane Polo 495 km (305 miles) south-southeast of Manzanillo, with sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph). The Center forecasts rapid strengthening to a Category 5 hurricane by Wednesday,with the core near or south of the southwestern coast. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Tecpan de Galeana to Manzanillo — tropical storm conditions are possible there by early Wednesday. Forecasters expect 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 inches) of rain incoastal Guerrero and Michoacán through Thursday. Some spots may get 300 mm (12 inches). Coastal Oaxaca, Colima and Jalisco may get 75 to 150 mm (3 to 6 inches). The Center warns of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, and of dangerous surf and rip currents from today. Tropical Storm Odalys, farther west off Baja California, is the season’s other active system. If you live or travel on the Pacific corridor, check the NHC advisories twice a day. Recheck road and flight plans before departure.
Peru: After Saturday’s killing of a candidate in Caraz, prosecutors have three detainees and a contract-killing investigation open. The case is a police matter, not a general change in risk. The 4 October local elections proceed with OAS observers, and daily life in Lima and the tourist corridor is unchanged.
Elsewhere: No regional emergencies in force this morning. The Atlantic season’s only active system, Tropical Storm Fay, is far from land southwest of the Azores.
06What’s On
Buenos Aires: The Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez sings at the Teatro Colón tonight. The Colombian band Morat opens the first of four Movistar Arena nights this week at 9 p.m. The Mexican rock band Caifanes plays the Vorterix venue on Wednesday. Thursday is La Noche de los Bares Notables, a night for the city’s historic cafés and bars. FIT, Latin America’s largest tourism fair with more than 1,900 exhibitors, opens at La Rural on Saturday 26 September.
Santiago: 5 Seconds of Summer plays the Movistar Arena tonight. Chilean singer Francisca Valenzuela follows at the Gran Sala Sinfónica on Wednesday. Robbie Williams closes the week at the Estadio Bicentenario on Sunday 27, with tickets from CLP 57,500 (about US$60).
Lima: Robbie Williams sings in Peru for the first time — Arena 1 on the Costa Verde, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September at 9 p.m.; Thursday is sold out; Wednesday tickets were still on sale on Sunday.
Bogotá: Orquesta Aragón plays two nights on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September.
07The Calendar Ahead
| When | What | Where | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 22 September | UN general debate opens: Lula, Trump, Fujimori and Kast speak; Milei meets Rubio; Bolivia transport assembly; Chile Senate reform vote; new TRM this afternoon | United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia | The week’s diplomatic centerpiece, 12 days before Brazil votes. |
| Wednesday 23 September | Milei addresses the UN; Chile’s Chamber votes the reform; S&P Global’s early September business surveys (flash PMIs) | United States, Chile, Global | The first full-month read on momentum after the Fed’s hike. |
| Thursday 24 September | Banxico decision at 1 p.m.; Mexico mid-month inflation and July activity at noon; INDEC, Argentina’s statistics agency, publishes July economic activity (EMAE) and first-half poverty data; Uruguay port-union assembly | Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay | Banxico has held at 6.50 percent since May; the EMAE and poverty prints frame the IMF review’s backdrop. |
| Friday 25 September | Argentina faces a US$803 million payment to the IMF; Brazil’s IPCA-15 mid-month inflation | Argentina, Brazil | The first cash test of the IMF-mission week; the economists’ consensus forecast puts IPCA-15 inflation at 4.5 percent year on year. |
| Monday 28 September | US–Mexico formal trade talks resume; UN debate’s final day | Washington, New York | Tariff reductions are on the table after the Sheinbaum–Trump call. |
| Friday 2 October | IMF board expected to vote on Bolivia’s US$1.9 billion credit | United States, Bolivia | An expectation stated by Bolivian officials, not a confirmed schedule. |
| Sunday 4 October | Brazil first-round election; Peru local elections with OAS observers | Brazil & Peru | Twelve days away; the Brazilian result is likely to shape the real in October. |
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the UN speeches change anything for expats today?
Not directly. Speeches set tone, not rules: no visa, tariff or currency measure takes effect from a General Assembly podium. The calendar around them matters more. Lula and Trump speak back to back this morning with no bilateral meeting scheduled. Reuters reports a Trump pull-aside with Venezuela’s interim president at today’s reception. Our UN report covers the US–Brazil issues that do touch expats: tariffs, consular services and the real before the 4 October vote.
Should I change Pacific-coast travel plans because of Hurricane Polo?
Review them daily, especially from Wednesday. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Tecpan de Galeana to Manzanillo. The National Hurricane Center forecasts Polo to reach Category 5 by Wednesday, with the core near or just off the southwestern coast. The main risk is heavy rain: 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 inches) in coastal Guerrero and Michoacán through Thursday. Some spots may get 300 mm (12 inches). Flooding and mudslides are possible, and surf is dangerous from today. If you have flights or long drives on the Pacific corridor, recheck the forecast and your carrier before each leg.
My rent is in Colombian pesos. Did my rate change today?
Slightly. The new TRM of 3,192.53 is in force today only, replacing 3,192.92. At the new rate US$1,000 converts to COP 3,192,530, and a COP 3,000,000 rent costs about US$940. The rate moved by 0.39 pesos per dollar from the weekend. A new TRM is certified this afternoon and applies from Wednesday. Our Colombia peso report has the context.
Connected Coverage
- Lula and Trump Speak Back to Back at the UN Today: What the US–Brazil Rift Means for Expats
- Revolut Colombia Plans a 2027 Launch and 1,000 ATMs: What Expats Need to Know
- Bolivia Ends 20 Years of Cheap Diesel: What the 83% Price Rise Means for Expats
- Brazil’s Election, Two Weeks Out: What Expats Need to Know Before the 4 October Vote
- Peru’s 4 October Local Elections After the Caraz Killing: What Expats Need to Know
- Uruguay Port Strike Today: What the 24-Hour Stoppage Means for Expats
- Argentina’s Economy Shrank in the Second Quarter: What the GDP Print Means for Expats
- Costa Rica Severs Relations With Cuba: What Expats and Travelers Need to Know
- Peru to Hold Irregular Migrants in Military Facilities: What Foreign Residents Need to Know
- Ecuador’s New State of Emergency: Where Decree 498 Applies and What Expats Need to Know
- Argentina Country Risk: What Expats Need to Know
- Brazil’s Real at Two-Week Lows: What It Means for Your Money
- Colombia’s Peso Slides Past 3,100: What Expats Need to Know
Sources: United Nations (general debate speaker order, 22 September 2026); Reuters (Lula–Mamdani meeting, 21 September 2026; Trump–Rodríguez pull-aside report); National Hurricane Center (Hurricane Polo advisory, 21 September 2026); DolarAPI (Argentina rates, 21 September 2026); Argentina Datos (country risk 533, 21 September 2026); Banxico (FIX 17.2203 determined 21 September 2026); Banco Central do Brasil (PTAX via Olinda, 21 September 2026); Banco Central de Chile via mindicador.cl (UF 40,991.75 and dólar observado 952.00, 22 September 2026); Superfinanciera via datos.gov.co (Colombia TRM 3,192.53, valid 22 September 2026); SUNAT (Peru reference 3.354 / 3.362, 21 September 2026); open.er-api.com (CRC and UYU estimates, 22 September 2026); Bolivian Official Gazette via The Rio Times desk (Law 1765, 20 September 2026); Peruvian Interior Ministry via The Rio Times desk (Supreme Resolution 234-2026-IN, 20 September 2026); The Rio Times desk reporting (20–22 September 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief