What's it really like living in Chile as an ex pat?

What would be the average cost of living per month in $ for a family of three (daughter is 6) living in a modest apartment, being sensible about spending regarding food, clothing etc? Do most ex pats send their kids to a private school or do some send their kids to public schools? Is public transport cheap and reliable? Please give us lots of info.

I'm an ex pat living in Chile for about four years now. I'm not here with a family but I think I can give you a fairly reasonable idea of the cost of living, transportation, etc.

A modest apartment here (in the capital city Santiago) will run you about $400-$500 USD a month. With a little patience and perserverance you may find one for even less. Depending on the area the price can vary considerably. You want something in a safe area and close to transportation. It's advisable to choose an apartment building with a concierge desk at the entrance. They are much safer from home invasion, which is one of the most common problems here.

As for food costs, as a single person, I can get eat VERY well for $80, that would include paper products, cleaning supplies and food. If I am feeling frugal I can still manage quite well for about half that. If you don't mind shopping in a non-traditional manner, there is a place called la Vega where you can spend about half of what you would in the supermarket. It's a type of crowded, open market, but the deals are wonderful and the fruits and vegetables the freshest you will ever find. Some areas also have a local "feria" (like a flea market) one day a week that is similar to la Vega but on a smaller scale.

Clothing can be found dirt cheap if you know where to shop for it. There is an area called Patronato and it is street after street of nothing but clothing for sale. For example, you can find a blouse for less than $4 or $5, pants and skirts too. A word of advice here, if you are a woman that wears larger size clothing or especially larger size shoes, it is very difficult to find anything of decent quality to buy. If your shoe size is more than an 8 or 9 in US sizes, you may want to bring a few pairs from home with you. Large size men don't seem to face that issue as much here for some reason.

Schools... now this will be one of the biggest adjustments for you. The education system is very different here. You will definitely want to shop around for a good school. Normally the private schools are best but there are some public ones that will do just fine too. All children are required to wear uniforms to school and that expense comes out of your pocket, as well as the cost of any books and school supplies. I do not have children but I can put you in touch with a group of ex pats that do and who will better address this issue for you.

Public transportation.... aye, there's the rub. The now infamous Transantiago is the public transportation system down here. It was a good idea gone very wrong.

It has been a thorn in the side of the government since it began due to very poor implementation of the new transportation plan. Reliable? Yes, mostly. Cheap? Compared to other places, I think so. Easy to use? Once you get familiar with it. It's about 75 cents to take the bus or use the subway (called the Metro). The metro is just slightly more at rush hour but not much. Using the Transantiago system at rush hour is very much like being crammed into an overstocked cattle car and about as comfortable. Taxis are considerably more than the bus or Metro, but still not an unreasonable form of transportation if you need to get somewhere.

Keep in mind that all of this information applies to life in Santiago. Things are very different outside the capital city. I have posted a link below to a Yahoo group called Chilegringo's. If you go to the webisite you can browse through some of the message board archives and you will certainly find a wealth of first-hand information for the issues you have inquired about. If you can't find what you need, just post your questions to the group. The list is friendly and very helpful. You can also contact me directly if you have any other questions I might help you with. Good luck in your new venture!

The UK is a long way from Chile.
Try posting somewhere nearer,like Brazil,Argentine,Mexico?

Half of Chile's population live in the Santiago/Valporaiso areas and these two cities are very different from the rest of the country. I find Chile a very cheap place to visit but I come from London. The Chilean Lake District is beautiful but goes to sleep in the austral winter but if it gets too cold you can go north.


Take a look at Chip Chile which is a very good source of information for the expat.

http://www.chipsites.com

El Mercurio is useful as well but you need to understand Spanish
http://www.elmercurio.cl