Chile

So, as I have said recently, my wife, daughter and I are moving to Chile.

Why? Because Im over working and need a break and a new chapter in life.
When? 2016. Ill head over just after Xmas, Liz and Kona a few weeks after that.
Where? Most likely live in East or South Santiago to start with.
How? Living off dividend, rental and business income.

We had many key criteria that needed to be met that fit our personal situation. The main ones were:

*Cost of living cheaper than Australia (1/3).
*Kona able to go to an English speaking school still.
*Safe, healthy.

^^ These really sorted the chaff from the hay. Basically cuts all of S. E. Asia off, all of Europe, North America too expensive, Africa too dangerous, and I couldn't find much schooling in Antartica. So, I set out looking into South America.

I came across Chile reading a few blogs etc and set out to research a little more. The site geoffw pointed out (www.numbeo.com) has been a valuable resource, as has wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile), and I found a forum very much like SS, all about Chile (www.allchile.net). So on further research I have found that Chile satisfies a lot of our personal preference for somewhere to live:

*Similar climates to Australia.
*2/3 Catholic.
*Politically stable.
*Reasonably economically stable. 7th Economically free country in the world, just Behind Australia and in front of many other percieved 'stable' countries. (http://www.heritage.org/index/ )
*Decent health care.
*Visa relatively straight forward.
*Hasn't been involved in any war in 100+ years.
*Plenty of places to explore/visit/enjoy.
*Loves foreign immigration and encourages Business (OK, so I do have a couple sideline ideas I might do while Im there :) )
*Nice places to ride a bike (and train for another WR ;) )

So after 12mths of research and planning, we are off in May for 3 weeks to explore Santiago and surrounds, visit potential schools, and look at areas we most likely will want to live in. I might go back if there are any more pieces of the puzzle for our Visa if required. etc.

We will be utilizing a Visa loosly translated as a 'Periodic Income Visa'. On this Visa you need to show recurring income for the length of time you will be in Chile. It also allows you to work there if you wish. Not the hardest or easiest Visa to apply for, but the most flexible and sensible one to go there on.

So for the numbers people, our Solicitor in Chile has given loose guidelines on what constitues reasonable periodic income to live in Chile. There is no set in stone number, however what has been found to be a good lifestyle in Chile is about USD$1,000 per month, per family member. So for us that would be approx AUD$46,000pa. We are looking to at least live on double that over there to have a decent standard of living, and be able to travel back to Australia annually. $90k you say is a nice number in Australia to live, but we really just want to get away and live away for a while, with one bank account and just a simple life again. We are aiming at living there indefintely, depending on how we go for the first few years. Ideally we would want to become Citizens after 5years. Perm Residency can be applied for after living there continuously for 15mths.

Anyway, thanks for listening. :cool:


pinkboy
 
Known about this for a while, glad you finally went public with it :p

Congratulations mate. I'm quite envious. Seriously.:)

What will happen with your Australian business; find alternative management?:cool:
 
Ole! PB. The Latinos will come out very quickly! Good luck over there. You gotta learn Spanish, soccer and smoking lol.
 
All the best pinkboy.

I don't know if you were planning on renting or buying. Many people advise not to buy anything for at least 12 months. Especially if things change for you or your partner.

Have you been in South America before?
 
Ole! PB. The Latinos will come out very quickly! Good luck over there. You gotta learn Spanish, soccer and smoking lol.
I don't know about Chile- but in Central America and Colombia, anti smoking laws are similar to here. There's no smoking in clubs, pubs or restaurants. This surprised me.
 
A fella at work is from Chile. Reckons you can smoke anywhere. Oh, and I've learnt a few handy swear words too lol.....I can now swear in eight different languages!
 
Living the simple life in Chile sounds wonderful. It'll be fantastic for your daughter and exciting for all of you.
I think it's great that your plan is to work less and just enjoy life for a while. Chile seems a great choice.
No doubt there'll be some culture shock and homesickness for a while but then you can always fly home for a visit - very liberating.
Cool!!!
 
We had many key criteria that needed to be met that fit our personal situation. The main ones were:

*Cost of living cheaper than Australia (1/3).
*Kona able to go to an English speaking school still.
*Safe, healthy.

^^ These really sorted the chaff from the hay. Basically cuts all of S. E. Asia off, all of Europe, North America too expensive, Africa too dangerous, and I couldn't find much schooling in Antartica. So, I set out looking into South America.

I'm not sure why you say it cuts out all of SE Asia? Cost of living is cheap in SEA and there's lots of English speaking schools (International) so maybe you're referring to health and safety? Chile is arguably the safest country in the continent. While it's not as expensive as Brazil, expect to drop at least $60 a day here for things you can do in other South American countries for 20% less. Santiago is really expensive compared to most LatAm cities.

Chile gets chilly at night and in general heating and insulation of the houses is bad.
 
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When are you going to change your username to nino rosado? (Sorry, the forum doesn't accept the letter n with a hat).
 
Just stay safe,and keep posting I take my hat off to people that think outside the box that life puts them in from start to finish in good luck and stay happy....
 
So, as I have said recently, my wife, daughter and I are moving to Chile.

Why? Because Im over working and need a break and a new chapter in life.
When? 2016. Ill head over just after Xmas, Liz and Kona a few weeks after that.
Where? Most likely live in East or South Santiago to start with.
How? Living off dividend, rental and business income.

We had many key criteria that needed to be met that fit our personal situation. The main ones were:

*Cost of living cheaper than Australia (1/3).
*Kona able to go to an English speaking school still.
*Safe, healthy.

^^ These really sorted the chaff from the hay. Basically cuts all of S. E. Asia off, all of Europe, North America too expensive, Africa too dangerous, and I couldn't find much schooling in Antartica. So, I set out looking into South America.

I came across Chile reading a few blogs etc and set out to research a little more. The site geoffw pointed out (www.numbeo.com) has been a valuable resource, as has wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile), and I found a forum very much like SS, all about Chile (www.allchile.net). So on further research I have found that Chile satisfies a lot of our personal preference for somewhere to live:

*Similar climates to Australia.
*2/3 Catholic.
*Politically stable.
*Reasonably economically stable. 7th Economically free country in the world, just Behind Australia and in front of many other percieved 'stable' countries. (http://www.heritage.org/index/ )
*Decent health care.
*Visa relatively straight forward.
*Hasn't been involved in any war in 100+ years.
*Plenty of places to explore/visit/enjoy.
*Loves foreign immigration and encourages Business (OK, so I do have a couple sideline ideas I might do while Im there :) )
*Nice places to ride a bike (and train for another WR ;) )

So after 12mths of research and planning, we are off in May for 3 weeks to explore Santiago and surrounds, visit potential schools, and look at areas we most likely will want to live in. I might go back if there are any more pieces of the puzzle for our Visa if required. etc.

We will be utilizing a Visa loosly translated as a 'Periodic Income Visa'. On this Visa you need to show recurring income for the length of time you will be in Chile. It also allows you to work there if you wish. Not the hardest or easiest Visa to apply for, but the most flexible and sensible one to go there on.

So for the numbers people, our Solicitor in Chile has given loose guidelines on what constitues reasonable periodic income to live in Chile. There is no set in stone number, however what has been found to be a good lifestyle in Chile is about USD$1,000 per month, per family member. So for us that would be approx AUD$46,000pa. We are looking to at least live on double that over there to have a decent standard of living, and be able to travel back to Australia annually. $90k you say is a nice number in Australia to live, but we really just want to get away and live away for a while, with one bank account and just a simple life again. We are aiming at living there indefintely, depending on how we go for the first few years. Ideally we would want to become Citizens after 5years. Perm Residency can be applied for after living there continuously for 15mths.

Anyway, thanks for listening. :cool:


pinkboy
Mate, that is fantastic and a brave move!!

Good luck and I know you will succeed; you are a winner in life in my book.
 
What will happen with your Australian business; find alternative management?:cool:

My brother mostly looks after the workshop and site work. He will need to learn more of the business side of the operation, so I have been incorporating him where I can. So far, this is my plan.

I don't know if you were planning on renting or buying. Many people advise not to buy anything for at least 12 months. Especially if things change for you or your partner.

Have you been in South America before?

Only looking to rent as part of our plan.

I have been everywhere else but South America. Im guessing my trip in May, plus another before Xmas will be on the cards before relocating.

I'm not sure why you say it cuts out all of SE Asia? Cost of living is cheap in SEA and there's lots of English speaking schools (International) so maybe you're referring to health and safety? Chile is arguably the safest country in the continent. While it's not as expensive as Brazil, expect to drop at least $60 a day here for things you can do in other South American countries for 20% less. Santiago is really expensive compared to most LatAm cities.

Chile gets chilly at night and in general heating and insulation of the houses is bad.

SE Asia is dirty, unsanitary, corrupt and unsafe. I will not move from the nice safety net of Australia which I earn really good money from to head to somewhere where myself and my family will be unsafe.


pinkboy
 
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Ive been to Chile plenty of times in the last 5 years.

You are are spot in in regards to your research.

I do think Australia has much better career opportunities in general however it doesn't seem you are migrating there for that reason.

location is key to the lifestyle you want. Living in regional nsw vs rose bay sydney would give you a totally different lifestyle and the same applies in chile.

chile is economically stable however just being out and about you do realize they arent as "wealthy" as Australia. for example, not as much unnecessary spending like maintenance in parks, or side walks, graffiti removal etc.. plenty of stray dogs on the street. not as much of a cafe/fine dining culture as most Chileans are more frugal with their money.

one thing that did bother me was a lack of grass and trees in most areas(apart from the south of chile). for some reason it was one of the things i was so glad to see when i came back to sydney.

The positives are as you mentioned. i myself would like to live in chile for 6 months - 1 year and work remotely ( i did this for 3 months back in 2008). its also a excellent gateway to visit other parts of SA
 
Congrats, can I ask if your wife has always been onboard with this?

Also any resistance from your daughter? Not sure how old but what about her future tertiary education or job prospects?
 
Congrats, can I ask if your wife has always been onboard with this?

Also any resistance from your daughter? Not sure how old but what about her future tertiary education or job prospects?

Even if she's on board now, you may find widely differing views when you start living there. Be prepared to both make many compromises.

Btw your Spanish doesn't need to be great to survive there. If you can say hello, thank you, count, order a meal or tell a taxi where to go, you have many situations covered. In fact, after my course in Guatemala I was a bit disappointed that I had such few chances to practice conversations. It was only in non tourist situations that I had to dust off the conversational skills.
 
PB
Fantastic for you and your family.
Im sure that the experience will bring many new challenges and adventures. It will be fun, exciting, scary and all very well worth while.

Can I ask - have you considered your tax situation in Australia? Presumably your income is still sourced within Australia, but you will be a non-resident. The impact of this could be substantial! Just a thought, and maybe worth considering early on so that you can structure things appropriately from the outset.

Best of luck with it and look forward to hearing the updates as they unfold.

Blacky
 
Great news PB, I am surprised more people dont retire overseas where things are cheaper and where new adventures await.
 
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