Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Ames, IA $2,142
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Ames, IA $3,242
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Ames, IA $4,342
Santiago $2,595

Living in Ames, IA is roughly 80% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ames, IA is 59% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

74.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

0.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.94 CLP 8,805

36.24%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$3.26 CLP 3,211

49.39%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.67 CLP 1,640

55.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.23 CLP 1,212

82.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.98 CLP 3,914

1.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.54 CLP 4,465

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-30.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.85 CLP 1,817

91.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.59 CLP 1,567

105.03%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-11.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$6.69 CLP 6,586

103.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

76.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.94 CLP 1,905

203.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.52 CLP 1,497

19.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.60 CLP 1,577

318.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$1.69 CLP 1,668

208.88%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.10 CLP 1,084

312.73%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.52 CLP 1,500

167.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.18 CLP 1,164

96.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.08 CLP 1,061

125.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$5.07 CLP 4,995

157.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$5.95 CLP 5,858

170.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.49 CLP 1,470

92.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.38 CLP 2,342

109.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.83 CLP 821

19.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

-11.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$0.40 CLP 393

1172.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.91 CLP 897

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

107.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-36.42%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

40.74%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

14.05%

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

$176 $176

$151 CLP 149.0K

16.44%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

340.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

279.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

104.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

67.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$7.45 CLP 7,334

114.36%

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

$1,370 $1,370

$430 CLP 423.7K

218.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

234.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

17.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

54.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

37.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$559 CLP 550.4K

79.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$384 CLP 377.8K

114.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

85.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$780 CLP 767.9K

92.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-7.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-14.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$804 CLP 791.0K

347.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

5.39

18.92%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 53.3% $438

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 45.9% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 39.5% $119

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 35.4% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 24.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 51.8% $52

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 8.8% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 348% 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: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $436 vs $236, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

2 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Ames, IA Santiago 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ames, IA
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

Ames, IA vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 348% higher in Ames, IA, 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: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 13% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $430 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. 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 80% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.