Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Antofagasta and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Antofagasta: $891 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Antofagasta
Learn more

Antofagasta Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Antofagasta

🇨🇱 Chile

$891

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Antofagasta and in Cape Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $891 in Antofagasta versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Antofagasta $891
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,422 in Antofagasta versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Antofagasta $1,422
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,953 in Antofagasta versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Antofagasta $1,953
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Antofagasta costs roughly 42% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Antofagasta is 34% below, Cape Town is 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 CLP 7,184

$12.01 R 198

-38.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.85 CLP 35.1K

$42.92 R 707

-16.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 CLP 7,054

$6.15 R 101

17.40%

Cappuccino

$2.53 CLP 2,471

$2.37 R 39.04

6.75%

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

$1.29 CLP 1,262

$1.27 R 20.96

1.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 CLP 823

$0.94 R 15.46

-10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 CLP 1,525

$2.96 R 48.77

-47.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 CLP 1,764

$3.69 R 60.8

-51.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 CLP 1,026

$1.32 R 21.73

-20.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 CLP 1,856

$1.21 R 19.87

57.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 CLP 1,241

$2.20 R 36.26

-42.27%

Eggs

$2.59 CLP 2,532

$3.10 R 51.1

-16.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 CLP 8,590

$8.73 R 144

0.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.14 CLP 3,074

$6.89 R 114

-54.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 CLP 7,422

$9.26 R 153

-18.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 CLP 2,021

$1.83 R 30.08

13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 CLP 2,119

$1.95 R 32.12

11.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 CLP 2,775

$1.66 R 27.32

71.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,074

$2.14 R 35.19

-48.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 CLP 860

$1.58 R 26.01

-44.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 CLP 817

$1.47 R 24.29

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 CLP 1,276

$1.35 R 22.18

-2.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,050

$1.14 R 18.85

-6.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.33 CLP 5,216

$3.58 R 59.0

48.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 CLP 4,968

$6.05 R 99.7

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CLP 1,324

$1.39 R 22.95

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 CLP 1,022

$2.18 R 35.90

-51.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CLP 615

$1.40 R 23.02

-55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CLP 2,511

$0.93 R 15.26

176.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CLP 1,317

$1.54 R 25.37

-12.34%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

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

$17.8K CLP 17.4M

$33.4K R 549.9K

-46.78%

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

$45.41 CLP 44.4K

$117 R 1,929

-61.21%

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

$9.87 CLP 9,652

$25.71 R 424

-61.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.54 CLP 12.3K

$39.41 R 649

-68.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.36 CLP 40.4K

$51.6 R 850

-19.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.36 CLP 24.8K

$11.35 R 187

123.44%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 CLP 4,900

$8.89 R 146

-43.64%

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

$255 CLP 249.0K

$308 R 5,069

-17.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,148 CLP 3.1M

$8,141 R 134.2K

-61.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.16 CLP 38.3K

$57.4 R 946

-31.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.29 CLP 14.9K

$31.75 R 523

-51.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.7 CLP 57.4K

$116 R 1,911

-49.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 CLP 67.3K

$101 R 1,660

-31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 CLP 427.3K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-58.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 CLP 354.9K

$669 R 11.0K

-45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 CLP 796.2K

$1,861 R 30.7K

-56.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 CLP 654.3K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-52.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$693 CLP 677.3K

$1,630 R 26.9K

-57.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Antofagasta: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Antofagasta

$363 40.7%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 84.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

Antofagasta

$191 21.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 16.6% $32

Eating Out

Antofagasta

$131 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Antofagasta

$82 9.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 68% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Antofagasta

$68 7.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 169% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Antofagasta

$51 5.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 35.1% $18

Getting Around

Antofagasta

$5.1 * 0.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 1310% $67

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 $437 in Antofagasta and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Antofagasta vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $223 per month, with Antofagasta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Antofagasta

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

5 h ahead of Antofagasta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,517

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Antofagasta Cape Town 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Antofagasta
Cape Town

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

Antofagasta vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antofagasta wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Antofagasta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Antofagasta. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $437 in Antofagasta versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $255 in Antofagasta versus $308 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antofagasta – a meal for two runs $36 versus $43 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Antofagasta is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Antofagasta wins on affordability, Cape Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.