Cities in South America
33. Santiago de Chile, Chile
Landing in a mediocre 33rd place out of 57 in the Expat City Ranking 2021, Santiago de Chile offers both highs and lows to its expat population. It ranks 10th worldwide in the Finance & Housing Index and even 6th in the Finance Subcategory. Close to seven in ten expats (69%) are happy with their financial situation (vs. 64% globally), and 86% state that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to cover their expenses (vs. 77% globally). This is quite interesting since 59% rate the local cost of living negatively (vs. 34% globally), ranking the city 36th in the Local Cost of Living Index.
Santiago also shows a somewhat mediocre performance in the Urban Work Life Index (33rd): two-thirds (67%) rate the state of the local economy positively (vs. 62% globally), 43% are happy with the local career opportunities (vs. 45% globally), and 63% are happy with their work-life balance (vs. 66% globally). Despite these average results, 79% of expats are happy with their job in general, compared to 68% globally. They even rank the city 2nd worldwide for this factor, right after Ho Chi Minh City.
While the city places 37th in the Getting Settled Index, it lands among the bottom 10 in terms of expats feeling at home (53rd). Exactly three in ten (30%) do not feel at home there, eleven percentage points more than the global average (19%). What is more, personal safety (49th) also seems to be an issue: 14% do not feel safe in Santiago (vs. 8% globally). Combined with a high dissatisfaction with the affordability of healthcare (49% vs. 21% globally) and political stability (31% vs. 16% globally), this explains why Santiago only ranks 45th in the Quality of Urban Living Index.
