Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $999 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Iquique

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $999 in Iquique.

Austin, TX $2,663
Iquique $999

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,590 in Iquique.

Austin, TX $4,133
Iquique $1,590

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,180 in Iquique.

Austin, TX $5,603
Iquique $2,180

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 167% more expensive than in Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Iquique is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$7.48 CLP 7,359

177.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$40.30 CLP 39.7K

109.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.04 CLP 6,934

75.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.44 CLP 3,384

63.66%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.23 CLP 1,210

202.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.95 CLP 937

163.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.27 CLP 3,222

146.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.61 CLP 3,552

149.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.09 CLP 1,077

2.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.13 CLP 1,111

231.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.31 CLP 1,285

148.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$3.02 CLP 2,972

38.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.12 CLP 9,962

27.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$10.05 CLP 9,896

40.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.31 CLP 2,273

87.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.15 CLP 2,121

-32.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.51 CLP 1,484

198.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.06 CLP 1,040

309.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 CLP 722

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.64 CLP 628

267.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.00 CLP 981

78.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.35 CLP 1,326

64.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$7.25 CLP 7,139

36.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.86 CLP 7,734

91.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$0.84 CLP 828

311.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.69 CLP 679

115.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.44 CLP 1,419

-34.03%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

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

$27.1K $27.1K

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

$229 $229

$88.6 CLP 87.2K

158.37%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$15.63 CLP 15.4K

279.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$23.17 CLP 22.8K

201.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$50.7 CLP 49.9K

12.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.91 CLP 6,803

106.66%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$254 CLP 249.8K

493.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$30.11 CLP 29.6K

75.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$23.04 CLP 22.7K

90.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$46.57 CLP 45.8K

82.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

76.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$422 CLP 415.4K

351.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$382 CLP 375.7K

233.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$683 CLP 671.9K

436.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$781 CLP 769.3K

224.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,718 CLP 1.7M

343.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,926 CLP 1.9M

63.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$958 CLP 943.5K

434.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

7.5

-9.47%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Iquique: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Iquique

$382 38.2% 70% $892

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Iquique

$197 * 19.7% 51.3% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Iquique

$127 12.8% 64.4% $231

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Iquique

$155 15.5% 56.3% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Iquique

$71 7.1% 44.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Iquique

$65 6.5% 24.8% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Iquique

$2.8 * 0.3% 95.3% $56

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $422 in Iquique. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 434% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $40.00 in Iquique for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $197 per month, with Iquique cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

188,003

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Iquique 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Iquique

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

Austin, TX vs Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iquique wins on cost – living expenses run 167% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Iquique the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 434% higher in Austin, 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $422 in Iquique. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $254 in Iquique. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Iquique – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $999 in Iquique versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iquique but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Iquique 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 Iquique gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.