Looking for a cheap place to write for 6 months - 1 year

[LuckyLuke]

Any favorite spots in Chile? A spot on the water but with something of a city vibe would be great if that exists...

I haven't traveled much in Chile, but Viña del Mar is a good mix of city/beach. It does get touristy in the summer and a lot of the folks from Valparaíso come to the beach there.

 

[RichardP]

La Serena is a beach and university town. Like most places on the beach, it's not the cheapest place to be though. Popular with Sanjuaninos.

 

[jbeas176]

my vote is live in buenos aires and visit the beaches when you fill the need. there are plenty around you. jorge newberry airport is great for in country travel and buquebus is great for uruguay

 

[Shpongle]

Chile's lovely, but having been there this year and living out of my vehicle, Santiago (Region Metropolitana) is anything but affordable compared with northern Argentina and Paraguay. Friends of mine there who have shared salary details and costs of living have confirmed that.

numbeo.com supports this view., at least within Santiago. Paraguayan cities are 40-50% cheaper, and northern Argentina is similar (a little higher).

Outside Santiago, it's better, but too far south and you're stuck withing rising fuel costs and rising goods costs (even food). Beyond Puerto Montt, you can consider yourself "outside of civilisation" as some Chileans I met made very clear, and which I soon found to be true.

People mention the Pacific coast and I suppose so, if you're really into the beach, but I wouldn't do the coast anywhere near Santiago, it's too populous. The Isle of Chiloe is beautiful and probably has surf spots... but depends on your capacity for living on the edges of society -- quite rural.

I went to La Serena, I didn't much enjoy the vibe there. In my eyes, it's a bit of a run-down mining town which happens to have a beach. But it's probably cheap enough to live in comfortably. Chile's northern regions are in my view not its most beautiful aspect.

Having said that, Chile south of Santiago is the most worthwhile place on the continent to be if you're serious about incredible natural beauty, buying power, and quality of life.

 

[mymantaray]

Chile's lovely, but having been there this year and living out of my vehicle, Santiago (Region Metropolitana) is anything but affordable compared with northern Argentina and Paraguay. Friends of mine there who have shared salary details and costs of living have confirmed that.

numbeo.com supports this view., at least within Santiago. Paraguayan cities are 40-50% cheaper, and northern Argentina is similar (a little higher).

Outside Santiago, it's better, but too far south and you're stuck withing rising fuel costs and rising goods costs (even food). Beyond Puerto Montt, you can consider yourself "outside of civilisation" as some Chileans I met made very clear, and which I soon found to be true.

People mention the Pacific coast and I suppose so, if you're really into the beach, but I wouldn't do the coast anywhere near Santiago, it's too populous. The Isle of Chiloe is beautiful and probably has surf spots... but depends on your capacity for living on the edges of society -- quite rural.

I went to La Serena, I didn't much enjoy the vibe there. In my eyes, it's a bit of a run-down mining town which happens to have a beach. But it's probably cheap enough to live in comfortably. Chile's northern regions are in my view not its most beautiful aspect.

Having said that, Chile south of Santiago is the most worthwhile place on the continent to be if you're serious about incredible natural beauty, buying power, and quality of life.

Thanks, very helpful.

 

[VincentKMcMahon]

Chile is the most soulless place on Earth. Move there and forget about writing anything anyone will ever want to read.

Move to San Telmo. Get the cheapest place you can find where you have your own place. Live off the rest, meet people and and write

 

[Shpongle]

Chile is the most soulless place on Earth. Move there and forget about writing anything anyone will ever want to read.

Move to San Telmo. Get the cheapest place you can find where you have your own place. Live off the rest, meet people and and write

Really. Pretty much every site on the internet states Chile's Quality of Life index as very high.

numbeo.com's stats say the same, purely by anonymous user submissions / votes. But okay, there is always room for another opinion.