Where to live in Santiago?

You come to exchange or have an internship in Santiago de Chile, and you have to decide where you are going to live. You do not know the country well, much less in which neighborhood, of all the great Santiago, it suits you. That is why with the team of International Students Santiago we want to give you a little help so that you can clear up doubts and know where you can find accommodation

Someone out there told you about a good neighborhood to live in Santiago, but the truth is that you don't know very well. You have doubts, because the one who told you is another foreigner just like you, with the only difference that he arrived a little before you. And, the truth is that a "good neighborhood" is one that meets the requirements you want. Now, of course, there are factors that influence the determination of a "Good Neighborhood", such as security and connectivity, for example.

It all depends on the lifestyle you have or want to follow, where you will study or work. There are those who prefer to do everything on foot, and then, for them, the best thing is to live where there is more commerce or close to work (or university), however, there are those who prioritize tranquility and security, and in this case being in Santiago Centro it would be fatal.

The same goes for the type of accommodation you are looking for; Student house or shared apartment? Both have characteristics that envy one another. For example, in a student house you will live with at least 8, 13, even 20 more people, and that for a person who comes alone can be good since you will have new friends very quickly, but when we talk about the issue of order and cleanliness already with 8 people it is a bit chaotic, a house tends to have large common areas, sometimes even a swimming pool or barbecue area. On the other hand, the shared apartments in which you will have a maximum of 3 people with whom to share it, but you will form greater ties of friendship, you make sure that the issue of coexistence will be more organized and easier, in general modern buildings in Santiago also have pool or barbecue area. Another type of accommodation is the apartament studio, only for one person, this is for people who need tranquility and want to have their own space. But everything has its advantage and disadvantage.


Which neighborhood to choose?

Perhaps the most important question would be what is your priority, what do you appreciate most and least. Maybe making a list ordered according to your priorities will help you to clear the variables. Example, living closer to the university, or closer to a subway, or in party area or quieter places.

Santiago is divided into Communes and the communes have different neighborhoods, but the areas to live as a foreigner are Providencia, Las Condes, Vitacura and Ñuñoa. People always think that living in the center of Santiago is the best option, however in Chile we do think that, the center of Santiago by day has a lot of movement but at night it tends to be poorly lit and unsafe. We hope to help you and guide you a little in this blog to make the best decision.

A good tip is that before you rent anything, you know your decision very well, we recommend you rent a hostel for the first week and go see the options while in Santiago, and if you need more help you can always send us a message, we We respond to everything and we are always ready to help (International Students Santiago or our instagram @iss_chile or our whatsapp +56963727468) we know many student houses and shared apartments, so do not hesitate to contact us.


Las Condes:

It is considered one of the best areas to live in Santiago, since it has many green areas, good connectivity, it is one of the safest areas in the Chilean capital. When we talk about prices these range between 250.000 and 320.000 Chilean pesos (270 - 340 euros, 290 - 370 dollars and 7.220 - 9.240 Mexican pesos), everything will depend on where you want to live and if it is a house or apartment.


Barrio El Golf: This is the most expensive place to live in Santiago to rent a room, a rent here in a shared apartment can reach 320.000 Chilean pesos (340 euros, 370 dollars and 9.240, Mexican pesos) at most, sometimes , you can find cheaper even at 250.000 Chilean pesos, so that you have a reference, El Golf neighborhood is between the stations of line 1 of the metro, Tobalaba and Alcántara, here you will find the main restaurants, large companies (office area), better hotels, among other things. This area you will find supermarkets relatively close, also it is worth mentioning that student houses you will not find here only shared apartments.

Barrio Escuela Militar: This is not a neighborhood as such, it is where the Line 1 metro station, Military School is located. The accommodation has an average of 270.000 Chilean pesos (290 euros, 310 dollars and 7.800 Mexican pesos), for us this is the best area to live in Las Condes since it has great connectivity with all kinds of transport services, it has supermarkets, Restaurants, many green areas for sports, besides being safe, you will not find student houses either.

Barrio Los Dominicos: This is not a neighborhood as such, but it is where the metro line 1, Los Dominicos Station ends, here if you can find some student houses but prices tend to be exaggerated, at night when you want to party you will always have to take a transport because both discotheques and bars are far from this area. This place is the closest they can be if they come to universities like; Universidad de los Andes, Universidad del Desarrollo, a Duoc UC campus and when we speak closely it is approximately 30 minutes by public transport.

Barrio Cristobal Colon: This area is the one that is located near the Cristobal Colon Metro, which is the limit of the communes of Las Condes and Providencia, here you can find a couple of student houses and several shared apartments, this area has several restaurants, supermarkets and good bars , you are at a metro station of the largest shopping center in Santiago, the Costanera Center. The prices of this neighborhood are in 270.000 Chilean pesos (290 euros, 310 dollars and 7.800 Mexican pesos) approximately.

Vitacura:

Vitacura is one of the safest areas of Santiago, also, the most expensive area to live, you will find good restaurants, the best disco, the best bars, it is not an area that exchange students usually live. Since it does not have metro stations that connect this place with the rest of Santiago, there are no student houses either, accommodation in a shared apartment can even reach a maximum of 340.000 pesos (360 euros, 390 dollars and 9.820 Mexican pesos). Vitacura is recommended for foreigners who come to intership in Santiago, since they are quieter and safer areas.

Ñuñoa:

Ñuñoa is the emerging area for foreigners to live, is an area that is still residential, it already has several nearby metro stations and the accommodations no are high as in other areas of Santiago, are between 230.000 and 280.000 Chilean pesos (250 - 300 euros, 270 - 320 dollars and 6.640-8.090 Mexican pesos) approximately.

In this area you will find many bars, supermarkets, but very few student houses, we have knowledge of two or three.

Providencia: 

Providencia is the perfect mix between connectivity and security, that is why the largest number of student houses are in this area, but within Providencia there are good areas and others that are not so good, we consider it as the navel of Santiago (for exchange students), since you are close to the party area, bar area, bohemian area, it also has many parks and although it is a chaotic area during the day, very busy, with a lot of commerce, at night it is also safe.


Barrio Tobalaba: It is not a neighborhood as such but it is what is close to the Tobalaba station on line 1, here you find the Costanera Center shopping center, you also have several nearby supermarkets and bars, this area can reach 300.000 Chilean pesos (320 euros, 350 dollars and 8.670 Mexican pesos), this area is highly recommended for foreigners who come to intership.

Barrio Suecia: This neighborhood is between the Pedro de Valdivia and Los Leones stations on line 1 of the metro, this neighborhood will find several supermarkets nearby, it is a fairly safe area, during the day it has a lot of traffic, the good thing is that during the whole night you will have urban buses working; In this area you will find Orrego Luco street, which is a pedestrian street with many bars and nightclubs. The average rent in this neighborhood is 250.000 Chilean pesos (270 euros, 290 dollars and 7.220 Mexican pesos)

Barrio Manuel Montt: This neighborhood has everything, lots of connectivity, good bars and clubs, it is close to the Santiago nightlife area, in a few minutes you can get anywhere, this neighborhood is in the 250.000 Chilean pesos (270 euros, 290 dollars and 7.220 Mexican pesos). This is a large neighborhood so you have very quiet residential areas and others with a lot of traffic, here you will find many student houses as well.

Barrio Italia: This is a bohemian neighborhood where you will find many good bars, restaurants and cafes, it is very well connected with two meters relatively close as Metro El Salvador (line 1 of the subway) and Santa Isabel station (line 5 of the subway), has several supermarkets nearby and neighborhood markets; In this place, room rentals are in the 250.000 Chilean pesos (270 euros, 290 dollars and 7.220 Mexican pesos).
The largest number of student houses are in this area and although there are also shared apartments, the most common are the houses.
The bad thing is that it is relatively close to point 0, where demonstrations that take place in Santiago begin or end, and the other, at night the streets are quite dark.
Part of our team lived in this area and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the place it is one of the neighborhoods in Santiago that we like the most.

Barrio Baquedano: Currently it is the point 0 of the demonstrations, the rent have dropped a lot in this area that has several student houses, currently they can find places for 200.000 Chilean pesos (210 euros, 230 dollars and 5.780 Mexican pesos), we do not recommend live in This area because it has become dangerous especially on Fridays, also mention that it has no lighting at night. Currently it is a very bad area to live, a few years ago it was good, but not now.

Barrio Bellavista: This is considered a party area, Pio Nono street is the main one, it is full of discotheques and bars, foreigners like it, but for Chileans it is not a good area especially at night that becomes dangerous, it is side of the Baquedano neighborhood, described above. In this places theyy usually steal from foreigners who party alone. When we party in this area, we go and return by taxi or Uber or with some other mobile application.
There are a couple of student houses on Calle Bellavista a little further up that are fine because it doesn't have so much chaos, but to be honest it's not an area that we recommend living. This neighborhood is in the 230.000 Chilean pesos (250 euros, 270 dollars and 6.640 Mexican pesos)

Santiago Centro: 

Many foreigners who come to study in Santiago or to work believe that living in the city center is the best option and the truth is that it is not, in fact we consider it to be one of the worst places currently, it is true that they exist areas in the center that are exempt from this criterion as it is close to Cerro Santa Lucia or Barrio Lastarrias, but they are few. In this area you will find a residence that is promoted as the best one that is close to La Moneda station on line 1 of the subway, but it is an extremely insecure and dangerous area at night and in the day too, we know of people that they have been stolen their computers or cell phones in restaurants and cafes, this residence has a value of approximately 200.000 Chilean pesos (210 euros, 230 dollars and 5.780 Mexican pesos) but this is for shared rooms. We know from a good source that they charge 600.000 (640 euros, 690 dollars and 17.320 Mexican pesos) for a single room in a studio-type apartment, this is too much money, the most that a single-room apartment could cost you is 400,000 Chilean pesos ( 430 euros, 460 dollars and 11.550 Mexican pesos) so this type of place is not an option.

In summary, the rent in Santiago will depend on the neighborhood you choose and the type of accommodation it is, student house or apartment, but the average is between 200.000 and 320.000 Chilean pesos (210 - 340 euros, 230 - 370 dollars and 5.780 - 9.240 Mexican pesos) and we are talking about a maximum of 320.000 Chilean pesos, do not pay more than that, nothing is worth it, only if you are looking for an apartment for yourself (we said that the Barrio El Golf, in the Las Condes area is the most expensive and if you wanted an apartment for yourself alone in this place you could pay a maximum of 500.000 Chilean pesos, in Providencia 450.000 Chilean pesos and in Santiago Centro 400.000 Chilean pesos).
So when looking for something definitive, check the options well, if you need help, whatever, if you need data on student houses or data on where to find information on shared apartments, do not hesitate to write to us, this is a FREE service that we do, because we like to help.
We leave you again where you can send us a message; On facebook you find us as International Students Santiago or our instagram @iss_chile or our whatsapp +56963727468.

We hope this information guides you and helps you, to know what it includes when you rent a room, I invite you to read this article What is included when renting a room?