Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $593 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$593

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama 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 Calama and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Calama versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Calama $593
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Calama versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Calama $1,202
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Calama $1,812
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Calama costs roughly 61% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 56% below, Cape Town is 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,799

$12.01 R 198

-42.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.55 CLP 30.8K

$42.92 R 707

-26.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

Cappuccino

$2.10 CLP 2,053

$2.37 R 39.04

-11.39%

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

$0.96 CLP 935

$1.27 R 20.96

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 CLP 889

$0.94 R 15.46

-3.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 CLP 2,958

$2.96 R 48.77

2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 CLP 5,021

$3.69 R 60.8

39.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 CLP 1,064

$1.32 R 21.73

-17.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 CLP 764

$1.21 R 19.87

-35.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 CLP 2,643

$2.20 R 36.26

22.73%

Eggs

$4.85 CLP 4,738

$3.10 R 51.1

56.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 CLP 8,900

$8.73 R 144

4.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 CLP 6,000

$6.89 R 114

-10.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 CLP 7,554

$9.26 R 153

-16.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 CLP 1,204

$1.83 R 30.08

-32.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 CLP 1,018

$1.95 R 32.12

-46.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,540

$1.66 R 27.32

-4.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,079

$2.14 R 35.19

-48.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 CLP 869

$1.58 R 26.01

-43.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 913

$1.47 R 24.29

-36.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 CLP 5,036

$3.58 R 59.0

43.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.96 CLP 3,870

$6.05 R 99.7

-34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 CLP 976

$1.39 R 22.95

-28.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,219

$2.18 R 35.90

-42.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 CLP 873

$1.40 R 23.02

-36.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,403

$0.90 R 14.83

58.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 CLP 1,419

$1.54 R 25.37

-5.84%

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)

$33.4K R 549.9K

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

$41.47 CLP 40.5K

$117 R 1,929

-64.58%

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

$25.71 R 424

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.20 CLP 12.9K

$39.41 R 649

-66.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 CLP 49.3K

$51.6 R 850

-2.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.09 CLP 19.6K

$11.35 R 187

77.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 CLP 4,368

$8.89 R 146

-49.72%

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

$303 CLP 296.3K

$308 R 5,069

-1.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.44 CLP 34.6K

$57.4 R 946

-38.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.01 CLP 27.4K

$31.75 R 523

-11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.68 CLP 44.7K

$116 R 1,911

-60.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 CLP 58.8K

$101 R 1,660

-40.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 CLP 328.1K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-67.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 CLP 101.6K

$669 R 11.0K

-84.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 CLP 790.4K

$1,861 R 30.7K

-56.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 CLP 604.9K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-56.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,401 CLP 1.4M

$2,410 R 39.7K

-41.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 CLP 1.2M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-22.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 CLP 1.1M

$1,630 R 26.9K

-30.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-54.09%

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

Last update for Calama: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$174 * 29.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 28.1% $49

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 53.1% $60

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$104 17.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 544% $565

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 80.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$59 10%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 16.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$55 * 9.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 233% $128

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 568% $61

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 $336 in Calama and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 44% 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: $32 in Calama vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $223 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

04:32 4:32 AM

5 h ahead of Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

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

Calama Cape Town 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

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

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Calama. 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: $336 in Calama versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $593 per month in Calama versus $1,527 in Cape Town – Calama is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $593 in Calama versus $1,527 in Cape Town, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Calama 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.

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