Best Places To Live in South America: Top 10 | GoVisaFree (2024)

Almost everyone gets the urge to travel around South America at some point in their life. It may be a short-lived dream for many; some, on the other hand, just can’t shake it off, and they even aspire to settle in this beautiful continent due to the extraordinary peculiarities, in addition to the affordable cost of living in South American cities.

Read on if you’re persistent about living out this exciting dream because this post will tell you about 10 great places to live in South America.

Keep in mind that this is not a ranking but a compilation of 10 perfect South American cities very much favored by digital nomads. After all, the list needs to be narrowed down a little bit, or else it could take us years to decide upon a destination among such an abundance of intriguing choices and get on the road. So, let’s hit it then!

10. Córdoba, Argentina

Córdoba is home to a large population of international and local students due to the presence of one of the most prestigious universities in the whole of South America: the National University of Córdoba.

Córdoba is the second largest city in the country and also the second most popular choice after Buenos Aires among those who want to relocate to an Argentinian city.

The city offers an incredibly vivid nightlife scene with its numerous bars, entertainment venues, and restaurants. The high population of students makes the city vibrant during both daytime and night.

There are also plenty of coworking spaces in Córdoba, which—combined with other factors—makes this beautiful and vivacious Argentinian city a perfect South American destination for digital nomads as well.

9. Bogotá, Colombia

Despite its reputation of being unsafe in the past, Colombia shook its infamousness off for the most part in recent years and became a much-favored destination for travelers, expats, and digital nomads.

The affordable cost of living, the abundance of cultural events, and the large expat network make Bogotá the second most popular Colombian city among remote workers, following Medellin.

Bogotá offers convenient weather throughout the year: the temperature is around 17°C during the day, and at night it falls down to around 8°C. The city gets a considerable amount of rainfall during April and October.

Although the city is much safer than it used to be in the past, it’s still in your best interest to be cautious regarding your valuables because pickpocketing is quite common in Bogotá.

8. Florianópolis, Brazil

If you’ve already done some research on South American countries, you probably know by now that Brazil is considered one of the continent’s least safe countries. However, Florianópolis has managed to wriggle itself out of such a bad reputation and is one of the safest cities to live in Brazil.

Being one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil, Florianópolis offers great healthcare facilities, as well as low levels of pollution. The great number of brilliant beaches and the subtropical climate of Florianópolis makes it a focus of interest for many foreigners, especially for the remote workers and digital nomads, though, because there aren’t many job opportunities in this coastal city.

7. Quito, Ecuador

If you’re looking for a place to live that has mild temperatures all year round, offers a modern lifestyle but is still affordable, and is home to a large community of expats, Quito might be just the right destination for you.

Quito has been constantly developing and modernizing for quite a while now. It inexpensively offers all that you expect from a modern city. The extensive and effective public transportation system allows you to get around the city quite effortlessly and affordably. Moreover, you can find conveniently priced housing. Accommodation prices are even lower in the currently modernizing suburbs of Quito such as Sangolqui or Tumbaco.

Quito doesn’t go through four seasons, instead, it has the dry season and the rainy season, and the temperature typically doesn’t go much below 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year. Quito swarms with a diversity of stunning landscapes such as the Andes mountains or Tena and Mind forests.

With all the perks it offers, Quito is a favorable destination for both retirees and digital nomads.

6. Montevideo, Uruguay

Uruguay is known to be the safest country in South America and hence, is an excellent destination for remote workers who want to live in South America. It has also ranked the highest among the Latin American countries in the Human Development Index, which evaluates per capita income, education levels, and the average life expectancy of the residents.

Montevideo is attracting countless foreigners with its vivid nightlife, relaxed atmosphere, and large community of expats. There’s no need to mention the delicious food and the abundance of entertainment events, for sure: life’s incredibly social in Montevideo.

One possible drawback of living in Montevideo might be the high cost of living. You need to be earning quite well to easily get by in Montevideo, for it’s one of the most expensive cities in South America.

5. Santiago, Chile

Since Chile is one of the countries with the most stable economy in South America, the cost of living in Santiago is naturally much higher compared to most cities in the continent. However, if you have adequate financial means, it’s a wonderful place to live.

Santiago is home to stunning landscapes, brilliant beaches, and majestic mountains, which provides its residents with numerous activity opportunities like swimming, skiing, and hiking. The city also bustles with job opportunities for bilingual speakers due to its dynamic economy and developing financial sector.

4. Lima, Peru

Lima is the expat hub of Peru, as well as attracting many retirees with its coastal lifestyle. In the past, the city used to have a bad reputation for being unsafe. However, the crime rates fell drastically in the city center over the years. The outskirts of the city, on the other hand, are still somewhat less safe compared to the center.

One of the biggest perks of living in Lima is the strong sense of community, which makes it easier to adapt to a brand new life away from your home country. The local people are friendly and welcoming. Moreover, Lima offers an abundance of art and cultural events where you can meet people and extend your network at all times.

There are numerous districts in Lima, each offering something different. You can enjoy the coastal life in Miraflores, whereas Barranco offers an inspiring shelter for creatives and artists with its slow pace of life, bohemian atmosphere, and colorful streets. Lima is also famous for its delicious food: if you’re a gourmet that always looks for excellent cuisine in the city you live in, it may be just the place for you.

3. Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca is a tranquil, beautiful city in southern Ecuador. With its picturesque landscapes and mesmerizing streets that are swarming with architectural wonders, Cuenca is appealing to both retirees and remote workers from all over the world. The city is also home to a high population of students due to the presence of the University of Cuenca. All these factors lead to the inhabitation of Cuenca by a vibrant population.

The reliable internet and the large network of expats in the city make Cuenca a very convenient place to live for digital nomads. Plus, the wide English-speaking community makes life in the city much easier.

The cobblestone streets of Cuenca are quite walkable as well as enjoyable, which enables you to get around the city effortlessly.

2. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Before getting into the too many-to-count perks of Buenos Aires, it’s useful to address one unfortunate fact about Argentina: the unstable economy. While it’s not a great option to live in Buenos Aires if you’re earning in the Argentine peso, you can live very comfortably if you do in a stronger currency like the pound, euro, or dollar.

That being said, Buenos Aires is a modern and vivacious cosmopolitan city: whatever you may expect from urban life, it hands it over to you on a silver plate. It offers convenient public transportation, vivid nightlife, and an abundance of coworking spaces.

There are countless activities to do in Buenos Aires and each neighborhood offers its own specific style of living. You can tango in one, whereas you can have a crazy night out in another.

1. Medellin, Colombia

As one of the best cities in South America for digital nomads, Medellin has an excellent transportation network with the surrounding cities and towns, which makes it easy to travel around. Moreover, it’s close to the coffee zone, meaning you can always restock your work fuel quite effortlessly during a weekend getaway.

What’s even greater about Medellin is the low cost of living. In addition to the affordable general living expenses, Medellin also offers fair-priced cowering spaces, which make the city very appealing to remote workers. Don’t worry, though, it’s not all work and no play in Medellin: the city is also one of the thriving party hubs of Colombia.

Medellin is also known as the city of the eternal spring, and therefore, you can enjoy all-year-round spring-like weather if you live there. The only downside may be the immense traffic in the city, but you can surpass it by using the subway.

1. Medellin, Colombia
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina
3. Cuenca, Ecuador
4. Lima, Peru
5. Santiago, Chile
6. Montevideo, Uruguay
7. Quito, Ecuador
8.Florianópolis, Brazil
9.Bogotá, Colombia
10. Córdoba, Argentina

The Verdict

With the ever-exploding remote working trend ongoing and growing further each day, South America also has become a dreamland-like continent to live in for many nomads.

Throughout the continent, the costs of living are quite affordable. However, it may be hard to decide on the destination you’ll relocate to due to the number of options available.

We’ve provided you with a list of 10 ideal destinations to relocate to in South America and the main characteristics of these wonderful cities; we hope that this post will help you with your decision.

If you found this article interesting, you may want to check our article on the Safest Countries in South America. Best of luck to you in your new journey!