Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abilene, TX and in Santiago

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abilene, TX and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Abilene, TX $2,186
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Abilene, TX $3,178
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Abilene, TX $4,169
Santiago $2,595

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 84% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abilene, TX is 62% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

74.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

24.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$8.94 CLP 8,805

2.13%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.26 CLP 3,211

67.79%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.67 CLP 1,640

42.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.23 CLP 1,212

51.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.98 CLP 3,914

24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.54 CLP 4,465

27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-19.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.85 CLP 1,817

25.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.59 CLP 1,567

254.09%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-9.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-26.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$6.69 CLP 6,586

94.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

30.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.94 CLP 1,905

74.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-36.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.60 CLP 1,577

191.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.69 CLP 1,668

213.61%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.10 CLP 1,084

283.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.52 CLP 1,500

130.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.18 CLP 1,164

110.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.08 CLP 1,061

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$5.07 CLP 4,995

15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$5.95 CLP 5,858

90.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.49 CLP 1,470

71.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.38 CLP 2,342

72.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.83 CLP 821

106.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

32.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

27.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-43.05%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.1K $19.1K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

8.75%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.5K $24.5K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

11.27%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$236 $236

$151 CLP 149.0K

56.09%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.7 $58.7

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

375.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

227.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-40.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$7.45 CLP 7,334

61.34%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$430 CLP 423.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

-15.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

-31.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

-4.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-18.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$559 CLP 550.4K

107.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$384 CLP 377.8K

155.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

83.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$780 CLP 767.9K

105.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-36.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-32.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$804 CLP 791.0K

308.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.39

20.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 60.9% $598

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 35.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 48.8% $174

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 34.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 18.1% $16

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 19.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 10% $4.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 308% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

2 h ahead of Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abilene, TX Santiago 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
Santiago

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Abilene, TX vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Santiago differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $1,190 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 308% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 33% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.