Santiago is a great place to live, even though it is a city of some 6 1/2 million people. In the nicer northeast section, the city as as First World as anywhere in the world. The people like gringos and many speak English. There must be close to 250,000 ex-pats in the area. And living is relatively cheap, even though Santiago is more expensive than other parts of Chile.
Consider the following costs and compare them with costs in your town:
$500 to $650 for 3 Bedroom, 2 bathroom luxury apartment in the high rent district (cost around $100,000 to $150,000 to buy the apartment)
$120 per month for major medical insurance with low co-pay
$50 per month for zero deductible auto insurance
$40 per month for outstanding cellular service
$100 per month for a maid to come twice per week to make you lunch, do all your laundry and ironing, clean all your bathrooms and rest of the home, etc. She even sews on buttons for you!
$25 to $30 for an oil change
$25 buys a huge amount of fresh fruits and vegetables
$3 for someone to hand wash your car for you while you are parked
$6 for a movie ticket
$8 to $13 per person for lunch in a moderate restaurant (like California Dreaming)
$0.80 for a metro ticket
$3 for a short cab ride
$1 per hour to use an internet cafe computer
$4 to $12 for a haircut
$1.75 to buy a rose from a street vendor on your way home
30% less for pharmaceuticals
$50 maximum for normal consultation with a doctor
$200 to do a basic real estate transaction with a lawyer
$18 for ski lift tickets, as I recall
$8 collective transfer service from the airport to your front door
$8 for a calling card to call the USA for 2 1/2 hours of talk time
Depending on where you are, computer and electronics are a little less (not counting Best Buy loss-leaders, etc.)
The only things I know that are the same more expensive in Chile than in the USA are some processed foods in the supermarket (especially if you shop ads), guns, cars, and gasoline. But the net effect of these items does not come close to outweighing the effect of the lower-priced items listed above.
As you can see, if one makes $1,500 per month in Chile he can live OK and with just over $2,000 per month he can live pretty well. I don't know where anyone can live well in the USA for that money.
I used to think Santiago was just as expensive as any comparable American city but I now think I was mistaken. Care to come down and see for yourself?