Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,093 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in La Serena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $1,093 in La Serena.

Calama $587
La Serena $1,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $1,806 in La Serena.

Calama $1,195
La Serena $1,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $2,518 in La Serena.

Calama $1,802
La Serena $2,518

Living in Calama costs roughly 46% less than in La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 57% lower, La Serena 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,816

$7.54 CLP 7,416

-8.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.4K

$47.87 CLP 47.1K

-33.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.24 CLP 8,104

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,957

$2.91 CLP 2,862

-31.62%

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

$0.87 CLP 858

$1.08 CLP 1,065

-19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 851

$0.63 CLP 618

38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,934

$2.08 CLP 2,042

43.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,828

$3.90 CLP 3,836

25.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,103

$1.16 CLP 1,139

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 784

$2.38 CLP 2,338

-66.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,636

$1.50 CLP 1,474

78.67%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,723

$3.69 CLP 3,627

30.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,835

$12.25 CLP 12.1K

-26.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,032

$5.63 CLP 5,542

8.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,304

$12.68 CLP 12.5K

-41.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,167

$1.86 CLP 1,829

-36.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,010

$1.67 CLP 1,647

-38.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,462

$1.25 CLP 1,226

19.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,065

$1.42 CLP 1,400

-23.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 882

$1.16 CLP 1,138

-22.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 960

$1.18 CLP 1,157

-16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 CLP 986

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CLP 877

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,102

$5.11 CLP 5,025

1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,080

$5.14 CLP 5,060

-19.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,020

$0.97 CLP 959

7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,180

$2.01 CLP 1,981

-40.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 935

$0.99 CLP 974

-4.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.66 CLP 34.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 CLP 686

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,439

$2.00 CLP 1,963

-27.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 CLP 12.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,401

$1.38 CLP 1,355

2.90%

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

$19.2K CLP 18.9M

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

$12.1K CLP 11.9M

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

$40.80 CLP 40.1K

$84.7 CLP 83.3K

-51.84%

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

$10.79 CLP 10.6K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.0K

$20.76 CLP 20.4K

-36.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 49.9K

$88.4 CLP 87.0K

-42.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.6K

$20.59 CLP 20.3K

-3.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,441

$7.97 CLP 7,836

-43.41%

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

$305 CLP 300.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.2K

$42.44 CLP 41.7K

-18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.6K

$59.5 CLP 58.6K

-52.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.0K

$90.1 CLP 88.7K

-50.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.3K

$102 CLP 99.9K

-40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 316.9K

$414 CLP 407.6K

-22.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 101.3K

$316 CLP 310.7K

-67.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 782.4K

$877 CLP 863.0K

-9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 606.6K

$696 CLP 684.3K

-11.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$2,009 CLP 2.0M

-30.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

$1,298 CLP 1.3M

-5.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$710 CLP 698.4K

54.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

-23.08%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for La Serena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

La Serena

$230 21.1% 33.1% $57

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

La Serena

$145 13.3% 30.6% $34

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

La Serena

$316 28.9% 207% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

La Serena

$132 12.1% 74.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

La Serena

$104 9.6% 74.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

La Serena

$116 10.6% 115% $62

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

La Serena

$49 4.5% 343% $38

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 $414 in La Serena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 54% 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 $48 in La Serena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $230 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

Same time as Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

195,382

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Calama La Serena 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Calama
La Serena

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 La Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in La Serena. 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 54% 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 $414 in La Serena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $587 per month in Calama versus $1,093 in La Serena – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in La Serena. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,093 in La Serena, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in La Serena. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.