Job Discussion Forums

[philrodz]

I have decided to fly in to Santiago in late July to teach for six months or so. Because I do not know anyone in the city I expect to first stay in a hotel or hostel. Then I will look for a place to live. To save on expenses I would prefer sharing a place with others, possibly some locals. I am in need of advice regarding the matter. For example, what is a reasonably cheap and safe part of Santiago? Where can I find listings for openings? What might I pay for a months' rent? And finally, where should I temporarily stay when first arriving? Any information or help would be greatly appreciated.

Phil

[grahamb]

Here's something from the Job Information Journal: http://www.eslcafe.com/jobinfo/latinamerica/sefer.cgi?display:1019774598-15590.txt
Bear in mind that this particular entry's from 2002.

[matttheboy]

I'm currently looking for a place to live here in santiago and i can tell you that it's not particularly cheap (especially by S. Am standards). Also Santiago is a pretty unpleasant place to live-poor urban planning, almost no buildings of historical or architectural note, just a mass of low and high rise modern buildings, awful traffic, agressive locals and horrible, choking smog. Personally i'd recommend crossing the border and going to mendoza in argentina, much nicer place and much much cheaper. I'm only here for the winter before moving to mendoza because my girlfriend is Chilena and the border is often shut in winter, making it difficult to see her!

Anyway, if you're still interested, i found this website in english which has locals renting their rooms and apartments as well-they're a bit on pricey side but i've visited a few pensiones (room in a house) which were horrible and about US$170/month. www.contactchile.cl Also you can try www.mercurio.cl which is the main paper for property listings.

Rent is between US$100 a month for a nasty room in a grotty pension and $4-500 for a decent flat (maybe more for a furnished place).

The best area to live is probably Providencia as it has the most going on and is close to all transport etc. Hope this has helped, cheers, Matt

[Weona]

Philrodz -

You're on the right track with chosing to come to Chile. I wouldn't recommend Argentina but that's just personal preference. Chile is must more interesting. Santiago, on the other hand, isn't the city I would recommend, but it's probably the easiest to find a teaching job and the city with the most to do and see!

Providencia is a nice place to live... lots of students, near the universities, and relatively cheap and affordable but the living conditions are nothing close to luxury.

Las Condes is more on the luxury side, relatively safe, but expensive. The location is great but if you're on a budget, I wouldn't recommend it.

Nunoa is a suburb of Santiago and cheap. I lived here when I first got to Chile for a little while and while the commute wasn't that fun (took about 20-25 minutes to get to el centro), it's a very affordable and friendly neighborhood.

I honestly don't know Santiago that well. I live about an hour west on the coast, but from what I know about it, it can be a very happening city. Hostels are all over the place, you won't have trouble locating them. Look some up online or visit a tourist information booth or store in the city. I wish I knew what the average months' rent would be, but I don't. It really depends on the location and safeness of the neighborhood. I can tell you that I paid roughly $200/mo USD to live with a family. This included laundry service, food, my own room, etc. If you find an apartment or hostel, I can't imagine you paying much more than that.

[eileen]

If you want a share, you can expect to pay between 90 and 160 lukas (luca=1,000 pesos), depending on quality and location. Contact Chile charges about 100 bucks to set you up, so make sure it's somewhere you want to stay if you decide to go with them.

In terms of where to live, Providencia is huge. It starts at Baquedano metro (plaza italia), and contains Salvador, Manuel Montt, Los Leones and Tobalaba, which is at the northernmost edge. I think Manuel Montt is the coolest area of Providencia to live in, in terms of places to go out at night. Suecia/Los Leones is quite posh and yuppie.

Personally, I think you should come and check things out and decide from here where you want to live. I tried to educate myself well before getting here, and ended up getting a place in Providencia but towards Nunoa. But now I'm moving downtown, because it's cheaper and more charming to my eye. Nunoa is not cheap, and there are few apt. buildings. You might be able to find a share there, but the cheapest 1br or 1 ambiente (studio) apts there, which were rare to begin with were about 150 lukas when last I looked. Also, there's lots of busses down Irrarazaval, but not on many other streets in Nunoa, from what I can tell.

It depends on what you're looking for. Bellavista might suit you, as might barrio brazil. My new place is near Bellas Artes, which is where I originally wanted to live but then I thought I'd be happier in Providencia.

Warning: many of the ads you see in the paper, particularly for departamentos amoblados (furnished apts), are posted by correadores, or agents. They will charge you between 1/3 and 1/2 a month's rent to rent you the apt. You can avoid that by asking if it's being rented by the owner. This is also very common with unfurnished apts (which may also mean no fridge, no stove and no light fixtures), but less so than with furnished ones.

If you want more details, ask away. I wish I'd known more before coming here!

eileen