Job Discussion Forums

[ditch6]

it may sound like a daft question but here goes...how do prices of computers in Chile compare with those in Europe? I know the cost of living is generally pretty similar but computer prices seem to vary from continent to continent.

I don't know whether to get one before flying and risk having to put it in the hold (new rules due to terrorist threat) or get one there but have to bring loads of disk.

I have to admit to being shamefully ignorant about the place I'm planning to live in for a while. So could someone kindly lift me out of my fog. Speaking of which, is Santiago really so smoggy as guidebooks suggest? Like Mexico City??

[PeroPero]

a commom laptop here costs about us1000.
i find them very cheap, actually.
desktops are even cheaper...you can get a good one for about us500.
...
the smog.....
well...
here is a pic....
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/daniel_isael/chile048.jpg
you can see the brown layer above the buildings... (honestly, i wouldnt worry about that..)

[ditch6]

thanks for the info and the photo.

it will make a change from the smog of my last home in the po valley in italy. am I right in presuming that was taken on a clear day?

[PeroPero]

huun
nope
it was taken at 3pm on a cloudy day....winter... +_+

[chile78]

That smog doesn't even look that bad. You should go to L.A.

About the computer thing, I got a laptop for about $900 CAD (probably like $650 euro). I figured that computers would be expensive down there but it doesn't look that way. And oh ya not sure if Europe uses 220 voltage (Chile does) but north america is 110, so if you buy a computer meant for 110 you need to buy an adapter.

Anyways thought I would give my 2 cents on that.

Cheers

[dribom]

Ok... the thing about smog in Santiago is that it's not consistent the way it is in other places.

Around January, Santiago has clear skies and is beautiful. Everyone leaves the city to enjoy the good weather in Vina or somewhere, and the pace of life has slowed down. Also, there aren't clouds trapping it in, and there's a nice breeze.

Come June you will want to die. It rains constantly, but the rain doesn't clear the air. The clouds and the mountains have everything trapped in. It's just a really acid environment.

So don't listen to anyone's reports on the smog or weather unless they've spent a whole year in Chile!

[DianaMa]

When you're here you'll start to hear radio reports about the air quality, there are some days that require some sort of a warning where children aren't allowed to play out doors etc.

well I lived through one of these days, I was in a "clean" neighbourhood and by about 10 am there was a thick layer of smog at street level. Well my eyes started watering, I got a massive headache (I never get headaches) I had to vomit and my skin felt horrible. Luckily this only happend once in June and I survived. But the smog here can be a real killer if you're sensitive to particulates in the air. Remember Stgo is number two behind Mexico City for smog.


cheers
Diana

[roro825]

what is this about having to put laptops in a hold because of the terrorist stuff? can I not bring my laptop on board like you can in the us?

[poetchica]

I've heard that what is really expensive in Chile are print cartridges for the printers. So if you're bringing a printer then bring some cartridges. Maybe someone out there can dispel this notion, but that was the last I've heard.

[chuckenchile]

Cartridges are cheap here, if you buy the right type of printer. Price your cartridge and work your way back to the printer in goes in. Refilling cartridges is about $1000-5000 pesos, depending on the ink.

There are smog days where cars with certain plate numbers can not drive. The smog problem is better than it was a few years ago. The Metro has more than doubled in size, the micros are being replaced with modern buses, and they have built highways under the river that runs north to south in Sanitiago removing thousands of cars sitting at stop signs all day.