I do love what transferwise is doing, thats awesome that the banks are riled up about it :)
They've also got a credit card (Sapphire Preferred, I believe) that has no currency exchange fees, and has both a chip (useful in Europe) and a magstrip (useful everywhere else).
If you set up a local bank account, keep the FBAR in mind.
That said, I think your resident country needs to have a relationship with the US. I was approved no problem as an Australian, but one of the devs I work with from Ukraine was declined.
https://www.paypal.com/cr/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-xborde...
https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/helpcenter/helphub/article...
Transferwise is awesome (much better UI), but not as good as OZ/USForex or XE in terms of rates.
When there is no such option: Wire transfer
Bitcoin is very volatile, so you could lose or gain unknown amounts during the "transfer" (even if it is within a few minutes).
Additionally unlike a traditional wire transfer you cannot prove that you're transferring it to yourself (it is an anonymous currency by design after all) therefore they could come after you for tax (or worse accuse you of laundering).
Wires are a rip-off. However the costs are knowable and there is a very low risk of any misunderstanding from the big G in either country.
I use a company called XE, and to be frank it is a huge PITA. But at least all money is completely traceable/verifiable (the broker is almost too paranoid about fraud, that's why it is such a pain) and the fees are relatively low. It would be very easy to prove with XE that I sent it to myself.
