Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
Learn more

Brookings, SD Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,183 in Santiago, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,592
Santiago $1,183

A couple spends around $3,536 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,882 in Santiago, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,536
Santiago $1,882

A family of three spends $4,480 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,581 in Santiago, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,480
Santiago $2,581

Brookings, SD costs about 119% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brookings, SD sits 91% above the global median, while Santiago is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.52 $17.52

$10.15 CLP 9,995

72.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.50 $39.50

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

-23.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 $11.37

$8.56 CLP 8,423

32.83%

Cappuccino

$4.59 $4.59

$3.15 CLP 3,101

45.71%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.71 CLP 1,685

47.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.28 CLP 1,255

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 $6.08

$4.18 CLP 4,118

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$4.46 CLP 4,390

57.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.29 CLP 1,269

-34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.76 CLP 1,737

98.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.54 $6.54

$1.66 CLP 1,630

293.98%

Eggs

$3.56 $3.56

$4.21 CLP 4,140

-15.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

-6.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$6.75 CLP 6,641

104.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 $5.92

$1.96 CLP 1,927

202.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.54 CLP 1,518

18.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$1.58 CLP 1,560

314.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$1.74 CLP 1,713

199.43%

Potato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.09 CLP 1,075

302.75%

Onion (1kg)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.53 CLP 1,509

168.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.18 CLP 1,163

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.08 CLP 1,060

80.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$5.18 CLP 5,101

151.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$6.17 CLP 6,070

92.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.53 CLP 1,511

86.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 $5.76

$2.36 CLP 2,325

144.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 CLP 824

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 $5.03

$0.42 CLP 416

1097.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 $1.68

$0.88 CLP 869

90.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.76 $23.76

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

106.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-30.87%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

75.00%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

2.81%

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

$178 $178

$149 CLP 146.3K

19.89%

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

$54.1 $54.1

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

347.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

269.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

Cinema Ticket

$11.83 $11.83

$7.32 CLP 7,208

61.61%

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

$1,338 $1,338

$436 CLP 429.2K

206.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.3K $36.3K

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

230.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.60 $42.60

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

-13.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

34.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

30.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,663 $1,663

$554 CLP 545.8K

200.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 $1,419

$383 CLP 376.6K

270.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,083 $2,083

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

107.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,037 $2,037

$775 CLP 762.5K

163.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,622 $2,622

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

-3.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,872 $2,872

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

9.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 CLP 766.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.39

2.04%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.4K 54.8%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 73% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$420 16.2%

Santiago

$236 20% 43.7% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$303 11.7%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 40.7% $123

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$292 11.3%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 36.1% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$121 4.7%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 17% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 103% $24

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 270% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,663 in Brookings, SD versus $554 in Santiago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD versus $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries tell a different story – $420 in Brookings, SD vs $236 in Santiago – so Santiago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

2 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Brookings, SD Santiago 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 119% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Brookings, SD and $1,775 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Brookings, SD and $52.0 in Santiago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Brookings, SD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Brookings, SD at $2,592. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brookings, SD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.