Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Concepcion

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,038 in Concepcion, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Concepcion
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Concepcion Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Concepcion

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in Concepcion

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 Concepcion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $1,038 in Concepcion.

Calama $587
Concepcion $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $1,616 in Concepcion.

Calama $1,195
Concepcion $1,616

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $2,195 in Concepcion.

Calama $1,802
Concepcion $2,195

Living in Calama costs roughly 43% less than in Concepcion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 57% lower, Concepcion 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,856

$7.15 CLP 7,073

-3.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.5K

$44.95 CLP 44.5K

-29.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 CLP 7,514

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,968

$2.65 CLP 2,627

-24.91%

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

$0.87 CLP 863

$1.36 CLP 1,341

-36.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 856

$0.99 CLP 975

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,951

$3.68 CLP 3,642

-19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,856

$3.60 CLP 3,567

36.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,109

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 789

$1.43 CLP 1,412

-44.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,652

$1.45 CLP 1,436

84.83%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,751

$3.41 CLP 3,370

40.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,887

$10.56 CLP 10.4K

-14.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,068

$6.76 CLP 6,690

-9.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,346

$11.35 CLP 11.2K

-34.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,174

$1.42 CLP 1,401

-16.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,016

$1.31 CLP 1,296

-21.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,471

$1.49 CLP 1,477

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,071

$1.39 CLP 1,375

-22.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 887

$1.03 CLP 1,024

-12.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 966

$1.33 CLP 1,321

-26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 CLP 1,099

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CLP 1,096

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,132

$5.10 CLP 5,046

1.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,104

$4.79 CLP 4,735

-13.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,026

$0.94 CLP 926

10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,187

$1.64 CLP 1,621

-26.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 940

$0.55 CLP 543

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.70 CLP 31.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 CLP 1,475

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,448

$2.38 CLP 2,354

-38.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.34 CLP 12.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,409

$1.35 CLP 1,336

5.19%

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

$19.7K CLP 19.5M

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

$27.7K CLP 27.4M

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

$40.80 CLP 40.4K

$115 CLP 114.2K

-64.64%

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

$15.95 CLP 15.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.0K

$28.38 CLP 28.1K

-53.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 50.2K

$28.33 CLP 28.0K

79.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.8K

$10.27 CLP 10.2K

94.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,467

$5.42 CLP 5,361

-16.79%

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

$305 CLP 302.2K

$321 CLP 317.8K

-4.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,211 CLP 4.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.4K

$45.20 CLP 44.7K

-23.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.7K

$22.16 CLP 21.9K

26.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.3K

$64.0 CLP 63.4K

-30.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.7K

$63.7 CLP 63.1K

-5.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 318.7K

$475 CLP 469.6K

-32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 101.8K

$342 CLP 338.8K

-69.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 787.0K

$922 CLP 912.1K

-13.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 610.1K

$622 CLP 615.8K

-0.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$2,076 CLP 2.1M

-32.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

$1,801 CLP 1.8M

-32.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$552 CLP 546.5K

98.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

-5.66%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Concepcion: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

Concepcion

$214 20.7% 23.9% $41

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

Concepcion

$147 14.2% 32.3% $36

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

Concepcion

$342 33% 233% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Concepcion

$88 8.5% 16.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

Concepcion

$39 3.8% 34.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

Concepcion

$160 15.4% 196% $106

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

Concepcion

$47 4.6% 325% $36

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 $322 in Calama and $475 in Concepcion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Calama vs $45 in Concepcion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $214 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇱 Concepcion

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

Same time as Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

217,537

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.11 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.11 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama Concepcion 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calama
Concepcion

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 Concepcion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Concepcion. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Calama, 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: $322 in Calama versus $475 in Concepcion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Concepcion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $587 per month in Calama versus $1,038 in Concepcion – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,038 in Concepcion, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Concepcion. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Calama is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Concepcion, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.