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Six years ago our remotely working family was choosing between Canada and Chile (these countries have freelancer-friendly immigration[1]). After looking at the

by ivm 8y ago

Six years ago our remotely working family was choosing between Canada and Chile (these countries have freelancer-friendly immigration[1]). After looking at the costs of life and real estate in Canada, Chile won and we moved to a small southern city[2]. It is walkable, green, full of various stores and services but still small enough to occasionally run into your friends in the downtown. I feel more at home here than in St. Petersburg where I've spent most of my life. We live very comfortably here for less than $2k/mo for two people and expect to build a house for less than $150k (including half a hectare of land that we have bought already). I think it's quite easy to retire early in these conditions even on a moderate remote income ($50-60k). Also, Chilean personal income taxes are the lowest in the OECD[3]. [1]: https://qotoqot.com/blog/best-countries/ https://qotoqot.com/blog/best-countries/ [2]: https://valdiviaguide.com/ https://valdiviaguide.com/ [3]: http://www.oecd.org/tax/tax-policy/taxing-wages-chile.pdf http://www.oecd.org/tax/tax-policy/taxing-wages-chile.pdf

davidw 8y ago
Cool! Chile looks like an interesting country - you can pick a climate that suits your fancy... but in practice, how does that work out? Are there differences (besides the weather) between north and south? Did you speak Spanish when you went? Have you written about your experiences?
- ivm 8y ago
  When we were moving here, I thought we would stay only for 6-7 years to get a better passport but now I just don't want to leave. The southern Chilean culture suits me perfectly: there's no tension in the air (especially compared to the US or Russia) and most people are a bit reserved but kind to each other. It's somewhat different in the central regions because of the population density and competitiveness but still great in my opinion. Neither of us spoke Spanish and it was tough in the first year because we had little time to practice. Overall Spanish acquisition goes quite slowly because we work from home and have met a lot of English-speaking friends but I got to the conversational level in the third year. It's not a hard language after all. I don't have an immigrant's blog but I made the "Valdivia Guide" site from the previous comment.

by ivm 8y ago

davidw 8y ago

Cool! Chile looks like an interesting country - you can pick a climate that suits your fancy... but in practice, how does that work out? Are there differences (besides the weather) between north and south? Did you speak Spanish when you went? Have you written about your experiences?

ivm 8y ago
When we were moving here, I thought we would stay only for 6-7 years to get a better passport but now I just don't want to leave. The southern Chilean culture suits me perfectly: there's no tension in the air (especially compared to the US or Russia) and most people are a bit reserved but kind to each other. It's somewhat different in the central regions because of the population density and competitiveness but still great in my opinion. Neither of us spoke Spanish and it was tough in the first year because we had little time to practice. Overall Spanish acquisition goes quite slowly because we work from home and have met a lot of English-speaking friends but I got to the conversational level in the third year. It's not a hard language after all. I don't have an immigrant's blog but I made the "Valdivia Guide" site from the previous comment.