Why You Should NOT Move to Santiago, Chile

The most popular post by far on this blog describes why Chile is the best country to move to, mainly because the constant flow of terrible news about the economies of Europe and the USA drives some people to seek an alternative; but, relocating to Chile is a poor choice for many people.

The biggest problem with Chile is that it is difficult for a foreigner to find work, and the available jobs outside the mining industry pay substantially less than in the USA and Europe. Humans are a tribal species and every country subscribes to the false idea that foreigners take jobs from locals without spending money to create demand for local goods and services. A prudent migrant would save enough to stay in Santiago for a year, as that is the amount of time that may be required to secure employment, and Chile does not allow foreigners to easily open their own businesses. Many foreigners teach English, as Chileans highly value native speakers, but the pay is low.

The most common complaint about Santiago is that it is polluted in winter. The Bellas Artes neighborhood near the Santa Lucia hill is so polluted that real estate costs less than other parts of the city, even though it is attractive and sports narrow streets that are easy for pedestrians to navigate. Santiago pollution is caused by the power plant south in Rancagua, powering refining at El Teniente, one of the largest copper mines in the world. Mary and I passed the last two northern hemisphere winters, southern summers, in Santiago, and we reckon that the pollution in those months is similar to cities in the western USA such as Los Angeles, Denver, and Phoenix. We dislike winter in Santiago because it is colder than California.

The cost of electric power in Chile is double that of the USA, so most people in Santiago live in homes without air conditioning, even though the city is as hot as Denver in summer. People cope by swimming in pools, taking cold showers, and vacationing on the coast.

Chile is as expensive as Denver, Phoenix, and Austin, although it is cheaper than Europe, New York, and California. Mexico and Panama are better destinations for people seeking economical value in a pleasant climate.

Chile insults foreigners by throwing us out of the country every 90 days and refusing to allow us to open bank accounts, forcing the use of ATM machines, where the banks chisel us with fees. Bankers are crooks that run politics in every country, and it’s revolting to subsidize their incompetence.

It’s difficult to be a tenant or landlord in Chile. The meddling government forces landlords to suffer deadbeat tenants in rental units for 4 months prior to eviction, so most landlords require tenants to find a cosigner who is responsible for the rent if the tenant doesn’t pay. As a result, I was rejected 3 times for apartments and it took a month to find one, although one of the landlords would have accepted me as long as I paid 12 months rent in advance. Not only does this make it difficult to be a renter, but real estate is also a primary option for foreigner investors who want to avoid the risk of buying a small business.

Airline service to Chile is poor. Mary and I flew at reasonable cost from Panama the last two winters, but this year the price doubled to $1600. We decided to live this winter in Scottsdale, Arizona, where we found an apartment in 4 days that costs $800/month. We’ll miss Santiago and perhaps we’ll return next year.