Thanks for all the great commentary. I will be adding Santiago to my list of cities to visit prior to ultimately moving (I'll be moving with just a couple suitcases to start until i get settled). The smaller cities aren't really a consideration for me since I do have the big city mentality. Thanks for all the suggestions.
BA versus Santiago
- Thread starter brent95m3
- Start date
I spent 3 months in Santiago for work, and found it pretty dull. Can't compete with BA on many fronts. However I would have to agree that it has the advantage in outdoor activities. Other than that, like jb5, I couldn't leave fast enough.
I'm also a 29 year old gay professional from Madrid living in Bs As now who has lived in big cities in both the US and Europe, and I have been numerous times to Santiago as well.
Based on your profile, it depends on what from that is the most important priority for you.
Financially in terms of inflation and cost of living, and politically, Santiago offers a lot more well-rounded consistency and today is better positioned for future growth than Argentina is.
However, there are a lot more companies, both European and American, that do business in Argentina, and have their Latin headquarters specifically in Buenos Aires. For someone like myself, that is looking to start working ideally for a large multinational, I feel like Bs As is the best of the two in terms of finding a job.
Culture-wise, Bs As feels more like being in Europe than being in Latin America and it will offer you more of the big city vibe you might crave and with it will come the pro's and con's. The pro's are obviously a wider range of cultural things to do, more dining options, a more internationalised overall first-world feel in most cases, etc. The con's however can be a huge damper and that is that the people are generally not as nice, respectful, or formal when it comes to just about anything (keeping a set appointment, being on time, general social etiquette, dating, jobs, etc) and this is totally the opposite in Chile, based on my experience. But this extremely slack, relaxed, and uncaring attitude can also have its positive side. Sometimes.
If dating and finding a partner is important to you, again this is based on my personal experience and that of some of my peers, but I have come to the consensus that the concept that we know as ¨dating¨ in the US or Europe is not the same here. I feel like the combined Argentine ¨live for the day, we dont know what is going to happen tomorrow¨ mentality mixed with the relatively new openness and acceptedness of gays (keep in mind that in some of smaller Argentine villages gays are still shunned) makes it a field day for gays in Buenos Aires and causes them to be uninterested in wanting to invest time to ¨get to know someone¨ in the same sense as we mean in the US or Europe, and just ride (no pun intended) the ferris wheel constantly.
However you will have no problem in finding someone for a night of fun every single night if you want or an ¨amigarche¨ as they say here.
The Chileans I have met tend to be more relationship-focused, more about chatting about who you are as opposed to what you like in bed, and more modest when it comes to having one-night stands.
For me, I am obviously in Bs As, and while obviously you can detect that I am not liking a few things, I do overall love the city and hope to stay for quite some time. Santiago is a great city as well. Like I said, I guess it just depends on what your top prioirty is.
Based on your profile, it depends on what from that is the most important priority for you.
Financially in terms of inflation and cost of living, and politically, Santiago offers a lot more well-rounded consistency and today is better positioned for future growth than Argentina is.
However, there are a lot more companies, both European and American, that do business in Argentina, and have their Latin headquarters specifically in Buenos Aires. For someone like myself, that is looking to start working ideally for a large multinational, I feel like Bs As is the best of the two in terms of finding a job.
Culture-wise, Bs As feels more like being in Europe than being in Latin America and it will offer you more of the big city vibe you might crave and with it will come the pro's and con's. The pro's are obviously a wider range of cultural things to do, more dining options, a more internationalised overall first-world feel in most cases, etc. The con's however can be a huge damper and that is that the people are generally not as nice, respectful, or formal when it comes to just about anything (keeping a set appointment, being on time, general social etiquette, dating, jobs, etc) and this is totally the opposite in Chile, based on my experience. But this extremely slack, relaxed, and uncaring attitude can also have its positive side. Sometimes.
If dating and finding a partner is important to you, again this is based on my personal experience and that of some of my peers, but I have come to the consensus that the concept that we know as ¨dating¨ in the US or Europe is not the same here. I feel like the combined Argentine ¨live for the day, we dont know what is going to happen tomorrow¨ mentality mixed with the relatively new openness and acceptedness of gays (keep in mind that in some of smaller Argentine villages gays are still shunned) makes it a field day for gays in Buenos Aires and causes them to be uninterested in wanting to invest time to ¨get to know someone¨ in the same sense as we mean in the US or Europe, and just ride (no pun intended) the ferris wheel constantly.
However you will have no problem in finding someone for a night of fun every single night if you want or an ¨amigarche¨ as they say here.
The Chileans I have met tend to be more relationship-focused, more about chatting about who you are as opposed to what you like in bed, and more modest when it comes to having one-night stands.
For me, I am obviously in Bs As, and while obviously you can detect that I am not liking a few things, I do overall love the city and hope to stay for quite some time. Santiago is a great city as well. Like I said, I guess it just depends on what your top prioirty is.
T'Brigadier
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There is no comparation between santi vs BA cristh sake. BA its in the same level than NY, Tokio, Rome. Santiago can only be comparated with Mendoza.
[quote name='T'Brigadier']There is no comparation between santi vs BA cristh sake. BA its in the same level than NY, Tokio, Rome. Santiago can only be comparated with Mendoza.[/quote]
I was at a wine bar in Santiago and the cheapest by the glass offering was from some obscure loire appellation.
That could happen in New York, Tokyo or Rome. That would never happen in Buenos Aires
It happened to be quite good, better than more expensive chilean offerings.
I was at a wine bar in Santiago and the cheapest by the glass offering was from some obscure loire appellation.
That could happen in New York, Tokyo or Rome. That would never happen in Buenos Aires
It happened to be quite good, better than more expensive chilean offerings.
Brent, I'm actually in the process of moving to Santiago after 1.5 years in Buenos Aires. I've visited Santiago about a dozen times, and finally made the decision based on some of the following:
- Proximity to the outdoors: Many people have already mentioned it, but easy access to the outdoors is long and expensive. Mountains and beach are easily within 1 hour of Santiago, and given this, it's obviously much cheaper to enjoy my outdoor hobbies
- Stability of currency/potential of future growth: Although dani28 mentioned that more multi-national corporations are in Buenos Aires, the possibility of getting jobs there is virtually impossible, as they require residency before accepting you as an employee (which if you read the other threads on this top, you'll find to be quite difficult). Chile, on the other hand, requires little more than a certified college transcript (to enter as "Professional"), and will allow you to first find a job then apply for residency legally. I also find the cost of living to be a bit lower in Santiago, and given their more stable peso, makes a difference for my pocket at the end of the month.
I wouldn't be honest if I didn't point out a few things that are definitely different from Buenos Aires:
- Nightlife: This doesn't sound like it's a priority for you, but unlike Buenos Aires' bars (which almost never close), Santiago is all but dead on Sundays (honoring the Catholic tradition is much more entrenched in the culture) and bars/nightlife is much less vibrant. I still have a great time on the weekends, but if you're into the heavy partying that Buenos Aires can offer, then yes, Santiago's scene will seem lacking. As far as food, I'm a trained chef, which means my opinion on food is supposedly well-qualified, and I think the food in Santiago is excellent and more diverse in types than Buenos Aires. However, there are fewer restaurants, meaning that the diversity itself is of a smaller sample size.
- Ability to make friends: I've been told, but personally haven't had much time to try making new Santiago friends, that the Chileans are a more closed-off society. Even some of the Argentine/Uruguyans who moved to Santiago said they had trouble integrating into society. That said, I'm an expat in both countries, so I figure that I have to work harder at making friends in either place than if I was from South America.
- Feels more like a Western City - Not sure if this is a positive or negative, but for better or worse, Santiago (in parts) definitely feels like a city in the US. Buenos Aires has parts that feel more like Europe, with respect to architecture. In fact, Chile has a bilateral trade agreement in place with the US, whereas Argentina doesn't trade nearly as freely, and I think this has an influence on the overall "feel" of Chile.
Either way, I like both cities, and they each have specific things to offer. Based on what you said about activity, Santiago is definitely better (although there are shuttles to the mountains & beaches, but renting a car is pretty easy & faster too). Good luck!
- Proximity to the outdoors: Many people have already mentioned it, but easy access to the outdoors is long and expensive. Mountains and beach are easily within 1 hour of Santiago, and given this, it's obviously much cheaper to enjoy my outdoor hobbies
- Stability of currency/potential of future growth: Although dani28 mentioned that more multi-national corporations are in Buenos Aires, the possibility of getting jobs there is virtually impossible, as they require residency before accepting you as an employee (which if you read the other threads on this top, you'll find to be quite difficult). Chile, on the other hand, requires little more than a certified college transcript (to enter as "Professional"), and will allow you to first find a job then apply for residency legally. I also find the cost of living to be a bit lower in Santiago, and given their more stable peso, makes a difference for my pocket at the end of the month.
I wouldn't be honest if I didn't point out a few things that are definitely different from Buenos Aires:
- Nightlife: This doesn't sound like it's a priority for you, but unlike Buenos Aires' bars (which almost never close), Santiago is all but dead on Sundays (honoring the Catholic tradition is much more entrenched in the culture) and bars/nightlife is much less vibrant. I still have a great time on the weekends, but if you're into the heavy partying that Buenos Aires can offer, then yes, Santiago's scene will seem lacking. As far as food, I'm a trained chef, which means my opinion on food is supposedly well-qualified, and I think the food in Santiago is excellent and more diverse in types than Buenos Aires. However, there are fewer restaurants, meaning that the diversity itself is of a smaller sample size.
- Ability to make friends: I've been told, but personally haven't had much time to try making new Santiago friends, that the Chileans are a more closed-off society. Even some of the Argentine/Uruguyans who moved to Santiago said they had trouble integrating into society. That said, I'm an expat in both countries, so I figure that I have to work harder at making friends in either place than if I was from South America.
- Feels more like a Western City - Not sure if this is a positive or negative, but for better or worse, Santiago (in parts) definitely feels like a city in the US. Buenos Aires has parts that feel more like Europe, with respect to architecture. In fact, Chile has a bilateral trade agreement in place with the US, whereas Argentina doesn't trade nearly as freely, and I think this has an influence on the overall "feel" of Chile.
Either way, I like both cities, and they each have specific things to offer. Based on what you said about activity, Santiago is definitely better (although there are shuttles to the mountains & beaches, but renting a car is pretty easy & faster too). Good luck!
Santiago is an awful place. So bland and just dead, I don't like the people there at all they are weird and cold. More taxi drivers tried to rip me off in a month than in a year in buenos aires. Their spanish is extremely ugly in my opinion.
I found only one good thing about the city - a little shop near the plaza de armas that sells the most delicious hot prawn, cheese and salad sandwhiches. They taste better than anything you can get in buenos aires in fact with the flight being so short I might go to santiago next time I need to renew my visa just to eat a couple of these sandwhiches
I found only one good thing about the city - a little shop near the plaza de armas that sells the most delicious hot prawn, cheese and salad sandwhiches. They taste better than anything you can get in buenos aires in fact with the flight being so short I might go to santiago next time I need to renew my visa just to eat a couple of these sandwhiches
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