Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguascalientes and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguascalientes: $1,113 a month against $1,206 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Aguascalientes
Learn more

Aguascalientes Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Aguascalientes

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,113

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aguascalientes 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 Aguascalientes and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Aguascalientes $1,113
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,744 in Aguascalientes versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Aguascalientes $1,744
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,375 in Aguascalientes versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Aguascalientes $2,375
Santiago $2,564

Living in Aguascalientes costs roughly 8% less than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Aguascalientes 17% lower, Santiago 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 MX$229

$10.19 CLP 9,931

22.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.72 MX$821

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

-14.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 MX$129

$8.54 CLP 8,323

-18.03%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.9

$3.19 CLP 3,115

21.00%

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

$1.64 MX$30.09

$1.68 CLP 1,637

-2.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.21

$1.22 CLP 1,191

-0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MX$40.03

$4.21 CLP 4,101

-48.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$4.66 CLP 4,539

-30.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$26.98

$1.32 CLP 1,283

11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$1.80 CLP 1,756

23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.69

$1.58 CLP 1,543

-1.27%

Eggs

$2.45 MX$45.02

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-42.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.03 MX$147

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.61 MX$158

$6.75 CLP 6,580

27.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 MX$211

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 MX$42.51

$2.04 CLP 1,991

13.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 MX$24.38

$1.53 CLP 1,497

-13.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.29

$1.59 CLP 1,549

-3.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.37

$1.75 CLP 1,708

0.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.66

$1.08 CLP 1,051

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 MX$25.03

$1.51 CLP 1,476

-9.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.17 CLP 1,145

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.18

$1.07 CLP 1,041

-22.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.4

$5.14 CLP 5,015

-14.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.88 MX$163

$5.88 CLP 5,732

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.32

$1.55 CLP 1,513

16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 MX$62.8

$2.27 CLP 2,218

50.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 MX$10.78

$0.85 CLP 829

-30.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.33 MX$447

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

-41.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 MX$22.36

$0.39 CLP 383

212.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 MX$21.37

$0.84 CLP 820

38.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 MX$201

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

-8.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.21

$1.50 CLP 1,467

2.67%

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

$21.7K MX$397.6K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

19.61%

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

$23.9K MX$438.9K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

10.62%

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

$55.6 MX$1,021

$151 CLP 147.3K

-63.21%

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

$24.71 MX$454

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

105.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.50 MX$450

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

29.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.42 MX$577

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

-7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.39 MX$411

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

91.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.16 MX$94.7

$7.37 CLP 7,185

-29.99%

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

$220 MX$4,039

$434 CLP 423.3K

-49.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,916 MX$53.5K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

-73.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,021

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

9.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.98 MX$697

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,916

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

54.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 MX$1,284

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

-12.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 MX$9,475

$555 CLP 540.8K

-6.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 MX$6,620

$372 CLP 363.2K

-3.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 MX$14.9K

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

-19.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 MX$11.8K

$779 CLP 759.1K

-17.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,183 MX$21.7K

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

-55.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,176 MX$21.6K

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-55.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$884 MX$16.2K

$791 CLP 771.7K

11.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

5.39

107.79%

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

Last update for Aguascalientes: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aguascalientes

$361 32.7%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 3.3% $12

Groceries & Markets

Aguascalientes

$244 22.2%

Santiago

$236 20% 3.2% $7.9

Eating Out

Aguascalientes

$196 17.8%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 4.5% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Aguascalientes

$121 10.9%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 15% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguascalientes

$105 9.5%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 73.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Aguascalientes

$42 3.8%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 16.3% $6.8

Getting Around

Aguascalientes

$34 3.1%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 46.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Aguascalientes and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguascalientes pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Aguascalientes vs $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $236, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Aguascalientes

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

01:47 1:47 AM

3 h ahead of Aguascalientes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

863,893

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aguascalientes Santiago 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Aguascalientes
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

Aguascalientes vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguascalientes is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% higher in Aguascalientes, 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: $516 in Aguascalientes versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Aguascalientes runs roughly 71% less than in Santiago. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $220 in Aguascalientes versus $434 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,113 in Aguascalientes versus $1,206 in Santiago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Aguascalientes but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Aguascalientes 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.

Safety-wise, Aguascalientes and Santiago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Aguascalientes gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.