Photo: Omnespsx · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🇨🇱 Chile

Santiago de Chile

Santiago is South America's most orderly city: a real metro, fast fibre, snowy mountains an hour away and the continent's best infrastructure.

7.3Zabel scoreHow we score →

1.200–1.800 €/mes120 Mb average, South America's best fibreMediterranean: dry hot summers, mild rainy winters

Score breakdown

Cost of living

7.0

Cost of living

Weight 25%

Internet & work

9.0

Internet

Weight 15%

Safety

6.0

Safety

Weight 15%

Nomad community

6.0

Community

Weight 15%

Weather

8.0

Climate

Weight 10%

Paperwork & visa

7.0

Bureaucracy

Weight 20%

What it really costs

Prices checked on the ground by Zabelers. Each line shows when it was last verified.

Accommodation

450–750 €

Studio in Providencia

2026-09 · Portal Inmobiliario

Groceries

250–330 €

Monthly single basket

2026-09 · Numbeo

Restaurant

6–9 €

Set lunch

2026-09 · precios locales

Transport

~35 €

Monthly Bip! card

2026-09 · Red Movilidad

Coworking

130–220 €

Monthly desk

2026-09 · webs de coworkings

Where to live

Providencia

Céntrico, con metro y servicios

Good for: Convenience

The catch: Little character

Ñuñoa

Barrio residencial con plaza y bares

Good for: Neighbourhood life

The catch: Fewer metro stops

Lastarria

Cultural, museos y cafés

Good for: Atmosphere

The catch: Touristy and pricey

Where to work

Coworkings

Urban StationCoworking por horas en Providencia
Flexible for short stays

Cafés with wifi

Colmado CoffeeCafé de especialidad con enchufes
Good wifi and quiet mornings

Time zone: CLT (UTC-4), with daylight saving

What living here is really like

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

Anyone arriving from elsewhere in the region notices the jump: a punctual metro, fast fibre and paperwork that works. In exchange, prices approach European levels.

Síntesis editorial · First stay

Best part:: Order and infrastructure
Worst part:: High prices for the region

Sources: Chile Travel · Numbeo Santiago

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

Over months come weekends in the mountains and wine valleys; winter smog and a socially cool city are the most repeated complaints.

Síntesis editorial · Long stay

Best part:: Mountains and wine
Worst part:: Winter smog

Sources: Start-Up Chile

Day to day

Internet: Mundo/VTR 600 Mb fibre ~30 €/month
Safety: Safe in the usual districts; avoid the centre late at night
Healthcare: Very good private healthcare; visit ~40 € with international insurance
SIM / eSIM: Entel/WOM 30 GB SIM ~12 €
Best season: October to April; winter brings smog to the valley
Community: A discreet nomad scene but a solid startup ecosystem thanks to Start-Up Chile

Living here legally

Visa

90 visa-free days for EU; no specific nomad visa, though a temporary paid-activity visa exists

Check your visa →

Tax

Tax resident after 183 days; for the first three years only Chilean-sourced income is taxed

Flights & connections

SCL connects across the Americas plus direct flights to Europe and Oceania

Lisbon vs. similar cities

City	Zabel score	Monthly budget	In short
Buenos Aires	7.6	900–1.500 €	Buenos Aires has more culture and is cheaper; Santiago simply works better
Lima	7.1	900–1.400 €	Lima is cheaper and more culinary; Santiago wins on infrastructure and safety

Transparency

Last checked: 2026-09-18

Official sources

Prices are checked against the dated sources shown. Editorial experience summaries cite their public sources; verified Zabeler accounts are identified separately. Official procedures always take precedence.