What Expats Should Know About Santiago, Chile?

by Kyle
(Santiago, Chile)

1. In which city are you living?

Santiago, Chile

2. What is the spoken language, and how much local language do you need to know for daily living?

Spanish. You could get by without it, but I wouldn't say it would be easy to do so.

3. How is the weather?

It's moderate. Keep in mind that during the winter most places don't have central heat and during the summer most places don't have air conditioning.

4. Is this a good city for families/singles/couples?

I am married with no kids, so I would say yes, it's a good city for couples.

5. Are there English speaking universities? Or any special programs in the English language at a local university?

There are classes that you can take in English but I have never heard of anything like an entire degree of classes taught only in English.

6. How is the accommodation?

Totally depends on the neighborhood and how much you're willing to spend.

7. How is the healthcare?

Coming from the U.S. it's comparatively very cheap and is good and safe as long as you go to one of the fancy hospitals. Public hospitals/public healthcare is horrendous.

8. Is it a pet friendly city?

If by pet friendly you mean -- stray dogs everywhere, then yes :)

9. Is household help easy to find?

Yes.


10. How is the traffic and the public transportation (buses, trains, taxis)?

Very reliable if not a bit crowded.

11. How is the communication - Cell/land phone, T.V/Cable/Satelite, Internet connection, international calls?

You can find internet almost anywhere, but there are only like two major companies that basically have a duopoly and work very hard to screw their customers over.

12. What is the dress code to work and in public?

In work a lot of places require uniforms (more so than in the U.S.) and in public pretty much anything goes though if you are a female and wear a skirt above the knee, prepare to be harassed.

13. How is shopping for groceries, household items and clothing?

Good.

14. Tell us about sport, entertainment, night life, restaurants.

Eating out anywhere nice is actually more expensive than in the U.S. and usually less worth it. Chileans aren't fans of spicy food so I find a lot of the cuisine here pretty flavorless.

15. How is the expats community?

Awesome! It's a small world and feels like everybody knows everybody, but people are supportive and open minded.

Kyle Hepp is an American expat living in Santiago, Chile with her Chilean husband.

Kyle is a wedding photographer. Her wedding photos are beautiful and unique. You can find them on her blog Kyle Hepp