City in Chile
Santiago
Santiago is Chile's capital. Its 32 urban comunas, the Provincia de Santiago, counted 5,385,737 people in the 2024 census and 828,368 of them were born abroad. INE and SERMIG estimate that nearly two in three US citizens living in Chile are in the Región Metropolitana.
- Country
- Chile
- Region
- Región Metropolitana de Santiago
- Population
- 5,385,737 in 2024. Provincia de Santiago, the 32 urban comunas from Cerrillos to Vitacura (INE Censo 2024, counted population; our sum of the 32 comunas).
- Settings
- In a city, In the mountains
- Weather
- Four seasons
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
The Fernshore Index grades a place factor by factor. Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
70 of 100StrongCountry figure
Price level 0.476 of United States prices (2025).
Climate
59 of 100MixedOwn figure
Santiago's own normals (Quinta Normal station): 8 comfortable months a year (February to May and September to December); monthly average daily highs run 15.7 to 30.4 °C and no month has over 150 mm of rain. January's high is just over the 30 °C line.
Safety
55 of 100MixedCountry figure
Global Peace Index 2026: 52nd of 163.
Healthcare
79 of 100StrongCountry figure
WHO UHC service coverage index 84 (2023).
Schools
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
We have no sourced figure for this yet.
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
We have no sourced figure for this yet.
Work and career
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
Weak: neither test holds. SERMIG's 15 temporary residence categories include none for remote work for a foreign employer or clients (the paid-work category needs an employer in Chile), and fixed broadband is 23.73 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line.
Retirement
85 of 100StrongCountry figure
Strong: retirees and people with steady rents or financial income can apply for temporary residence from abroad, the permit admits an application for permanent residence, and the law sets 24 months of temporary residence for that. No age minimum or deposit is printed, and no income amount (the test is basic needs by a ministry's indicators).
Internet
53 of 100MixedCountry figure
23.73 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
English
45 of 100MixedCountry figure
EF EPI score 517, between the 499 and 550 anchors. The page does not print its edition year.
Visa, United States passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for NZ passports is being checked
Why it is here
Why Santiago is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
More detail
- The 32 comunas of the Provincia de Santiago counted 5,385,737 people in the 2024 census, 29% of Chile's 18,480,432.
- The 2024 census counted 828,368 people born abroad in these 32 comunas, 15.4% of their residents and nearly 86% of the Región Metropolitana's 964,835 foreign residents. Santiago comuna alone had 176,956, 40.3% of its residents.
- INE and SERMIG estimate 14,783 US nationals living in Chile at the end of 2023, 9,387 of them in the Región Metropolitana. The largest comuna counts are Las Condes 1,996, Lo Barnechea 1,198, Providencia 1,030, Vitacura 883 and Santiago 767.
- SERMIG lists an office in La Florida (Boulevard Plaza Vespucio) and its Santiago address at San Antonio 580, which has no in-person service.
The country
More on Chile.
Cost of living
What life costs in Santiago.
Cities
Other cities in Chile.
Questions about Santiago.
How many people live in Santiago?
The 32 comunas of the Provincia de Santiago, the urban city, counted 5,385,737 people in the 2024 census, 29% of Chile's 18,480,432. Santiago comuna, the historic centre, counted 438,856. The census counts people present, so these are not adjusted figures.
How many foreigners live in Santiago?
The 2024 census counted 828,368 people born abroad in the province's 32 comunas, 15.4% of residents, and 176,956 in Santiago comuna, 40.3%. In the region, Venezuela leads by birthplace at 45.8%, then Peru and Colombia. The census does not break out the launch passports.
Which Santiago comunas have the most US citizens?
INE and SERMIG estimated 9,387 US nationals in the Región Metropolitana at the end of 2023. By comuna: Las Condes 1,996, Lo Barnechea 1,198, Providencia 1,030, Vitacura 883, Santiago 767 and Ñuñoa 532. Smaller comunas are grouped together, so the list is partial.
What is the weather like in Santiago?
Average daily highs run from 15.7 °C in July to 30.4 °C in January (Quinta Normal, 1991 to 2020). Eight months count as comfortable on our scale; June to August are under 18 °C. Rain is 286 mm a year, mostly May to August, with 80 mm in June and under 5 mm in November to March.
Where is the SERMIG migration office in Santiago?
SERMIG lists San Antonio 580, Santiago, with no in-person service, and an office in La Florida at San Carlos de Ancud 402, locales 9 to 13, in Boulevard Plaza Vespucio. In-person visits are booked free online with a portal account. Opening hours were not checked.
Sources and dates checked
Official sources
- Reportes comunales 2025: the 32 comunas of the Provincia de Santiago (Censo 2024, INE), Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (BCN), from INE data. Checked 18 October 2026. Censo 2024 population and people born outside Chile, comuna by comuna (idcom 13101 to 13132 on the same report page): Provincia de Santiago 5,385,737 people, 828,368 born abroad (15.4%), our sums of the 32 comunas; Santiago comuna 438,856 people, 176,956 born abroad (40.3%). Chile 18,480,432 people, 1,608,650 born abroad (8.7%).
- Estimación de personas extranjeras residentes habituales en Chile al 31 de diciembre de 2023: base por regiones y base por comunas, Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE) and Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG). Checked 18 October 2026. Estimate of foreign habitual residents at 31 December 2023 (census adjusted with SERMIG records), published 30 December 2024; files '8. baseregiones.csv' and '10. basecomunas.csv', summed over sex and age. Only the United States is named among the launch passports (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom sit in 'otro país'). US nationals: Chile 14,783; Región Metropolitana 9,387; Valparaíso region 1,829. By comuna: Las Condes 1,996, Lo Barnechea 1,198, Providencia 1,030, Vitacura 883, Santiago 767, Viña del Mar 645, Ñuñoa 532, Colina 363, Valparaíso 298. The comuna file lists the larger comunas only and groups the rest as 'otras comunas' (3,405 US nationals).
- Relieve, Región Metropolitana de Santiago, Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (BCN). Checked 18 October 2026. The Santiago basin holds the urban area of Santiago at 520 m between the Cordillera de la Costa and the first foothills of the Andes; the region's Andes carry peaks above 6,000 m.
- Climate normals 1991-2020, Quinta Normal, Santiago (WMO 85577), Dirección Meteorológica de Chile (WMO Climate Normals 1991-2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 18 October 2026. Santiago, the main city, at 33°26'42" S 70°40'58" W and 520 m. Monthly mean daily highs January to December: 30.4, 29.7, 27.9, 23.3, 19.2, 16.0, 15.7, 17.6, 20.1, 23.1, 26.6, 29.0 °C; rain 0.6, 1.3, 4.1, 17.5, 42.6, 80.4, 50.4, 44.1, 25.3, 12.1, 4.9, 3.0 mm (286.2 mm a year, every month under 150 mm). Comfortable months (high 18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm): February to May and September to December = 8. January's high is 30.4 °C, just over the 30 °C line; June to August are under 18 °C. Mean temperatures 22.0 °C (January) and 9.8 °C (July) differ by 12.2 °C. Pudahuel airport (WMO 85574) also gives 8 comfortable months.
- Minuta población extranjera residente en la región Metropolitana de Santiago (September 2026), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Departamento de Estudios (Censo 2024, INE). Checked 18 October 2026. Censo 2024 counts as foreign residents people born outside Chile who were censused. Región Metropolitana: 964,835 (13% of the region), 60.0% of all foreign residents in Chile. By birthplace: Venezuela 45.8%, Peru 17.9%, Colombia 11.1%, Haiti 6.0%, Argentina 3.4%, Bolivia 3.3%. Santiago comuna 176,956 (18.3% of the region's).
- Oficinas regionales (SERMIG offices), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page dated 30 September 2026. Región Metropolitana: San Antonio 580, Santiago (no in-person service at this address) and San Carlos de Ancud 402, locales 9 to 13, Boulevard Plaza Vespucio, La Florida. Región de Valparaíso: Blanco 1791, Oficina B-6, 4th floor, Valparaíso, and Salinas 1231, 4th floor, San Felipe. No office is listed in Viña del Mar.
- Price level index (GDP), Chile, World Bank. Checked 18 October 2026. 2025: 47.64 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 18 October 2026.
- UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 18 October 2026. Chile: 84 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 18 October 2026.
- Subcategorías de Residencia Temporal (list of 15), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page last updated 8 April 2025. The 15 subcategories: family reunification; paid lawful activities (needs an employer in Chile); students; seasonal workers; people in custody; court order; humanitarian reasons; international agreements; religious; medical treatment; retirees or rentistas; former permanent residents; investors; multiple-entry business; Mercosur reciprocity. The page does not mention remote work, teleworking or digital nomads. Article 10 of Decreto 177 of 2022 (letters a to p) likewise has no permit for remote work; its job-search permit (oportunidades laborales) is quota-based and for looking for work in Chile.
- Permanencia Transitoria (tourist and short stays), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page updated 14 October 2025. Up to 90 days, extendable once for up to 90 days for US$100 (children exempt); no prior authorisation or visa in general, but some nationalities need prior authorisation from a Chilean consulate (the page points to the consular list and names no countries); holders may not do paid activities, apart from specific one-off ones (shows, sport, conferences, technical advice) that SERMIG authorises. Remote work is not mentioned.
- Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Chile, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 18 October 2026. 2024: 23.73 per 100 people (2025 not yet published), read from the World Bank API on 18 October 2026.
- Extranjeros jubilados y rentistas (Residencia Temporal, subcategory 11), Servicio Nacional de Migraciones (SERMIG), Ministerio del Interior. Checked 18 October 2026. Page last updated 18 December 2025. Only available from abroad. Retirees: a pension that covers at least basic needs in Chile by Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia indicators, with a pension certificate and the last payment slip. Rentistas: steady income from property or financial assets that covers at least basic needs. The page prints no amount, no age minimum and no deposit, and it does not give the validity, fees, whether it leads to permanent residence or whether work is allowed. Extension needs proof the person is still a retiree or rentista with enough income.
- Decreto 177 de 2022: reglamento de subcategorías de residencia temporal (articles 10, 53 to 59), Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Pública (BCN LeyChile, official legal database). Checked 18 October 2026. Text as published 14 May 2022. Article 10 lists the subcategories, including 'permiso para extranjeros jubilados y para rentistas', and says holders of these permits may apply for permanent residence except those under letters d, f, g and k (the retiree and rentista permit is letter l). Articles 53 to 59 set the conditions: a pension or steady income enough for basic needs by the Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia's indicators, applied for from abroad, extendable on proof. No amount is printed.
- Ley 21.325 de Migración y Extranjería, articles 72 and 79, Congreso Nacional de Chile (BCN LeyChile, official legal database). Checked 18 October 2026. Article 79: permanent residence may be granted to holders of a temporary permit that admits it who have lived in Chile as such for at least 24 months; a regulation may extend that to up to 48 months in some cases. Article 72: temporary residence lasts up to two years, extendable by up to two more.
Index measures and references (not official sources)
- Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 18 October 2026. Chile ranks 52nd of 163 countries (score 1.826); the report calls it the second most peaceful country in South America and the largest percentage improver in the region.
- EF English Proficiency Index: Chile, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 18 October 2026. Score 517, global rank 54, down 8 points on the previous score. The page does not print its edition year; it is the live country page read on 18 October 2026.