Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $593 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Calama, Chile
London, United Kingdom
Calama
🇨🇱 Chile
$593
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Calama versus $4,048 in London.

  • Calama $593
  • London $4,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Calama versus $5,903 in London.

  • Calama $1,202
  • London $5,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $7,758 in London.

  • Calama $1,812
  • London $7,758

Living in Calama costs roughly 85% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 56% below, London is 199% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Calama
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.95 CLP 6,704
$26.36 £19.59
-73.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.55 CLP 30.4K
$109 £80.7
-70.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
-
$10.71 £7.96
-
Cappuccino
$2.10 CLP 2,025
$5.59 £4.15
-62.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 CLP 922
$3.00 £2.23
-68.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 CLP 876
$2.22 £1.65
-59.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 CLP 2,917
$9.65 £7.17
-68.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.14 CLP 4,951
$8.26 £6.14
-37.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Calama
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 CLP 1,050
$1.97 £1.46
-44.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.78 CLP 754
$2.09 £1.55
-62.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.70 CLP 2,607
$2.59 £1.93
4.25%
Eggs
$4.85 CLP 4,673
$5.37 £3.99
-9.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.10 CLP 8,776
$13.12 £9.75
-30.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.14 CLP 5,917
$11.03 £8.20
-44.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.73 CLP 7,449
$17.73 £13.18
-56.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.23 CLP 1,187
$3.17 £2.36
-61.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 CLP 1,003
$1.38 £1.03
-24.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 CLP 1,519
$2.82 £2.10
-43.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 CLP 1,064
$3.36 £2.50
-67.26%
Potato (1kg)
$0.89 CLP 857
$1.70 £1.26
-47.65%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 CLP 900
$1.78 £1.32
-47.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
-
$1.49 £1.11
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.82 £1.35
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.15 CLP 4,966
$23.85 £17.73
-78.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.96 CLP 3,816
$13.44 £9.99
-70.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 CLP 963
$3.11 £2.31
-67.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 CLP 1,202
$4.49 £3.34
-72.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Calama
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 CLP 861
$4.13 £3.07
-78.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$266 £198
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.98 £4.45
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 CLP 1,383
$3.39 £2.52
-57.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$56.6 £42.03
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 CLP 1,399
$2.21 £1.64
-34.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$38.3K £28.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$41.0K £30.5K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calama
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.47 CLP 40.0K
$372 £277
-88.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$18.66 £13.87
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.20 CLP 12.7K
$40.53 £30.13
-67.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Calama
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.4 CLP 48.6K
$56.0 £41.63
-10.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.09 CLP 19.4K
$17.10 £12.71
17.49%
Cinema Ticket
$4.47 CLP 4,307
$17.95 £13.34
-75.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Calama
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$303 CLP 292.2K
$2,946 £2,189
-89.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$47.6K £35.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Calama
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.44 CLP 34.2K
$116 £86.4
-69.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.01 CLP 27.0K
$56.9 £42.29
-50.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.68 CLP 44.0K
$128 £95.1
-64.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.1 CLP 58.0K
$154 £114
-60.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Calama
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$336 CLP 323.6K
$2,935 £2,182
-88.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$104 CLP 100.2K
$2,258 £1,678
-95.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$808 CLP 779.5K
$5,250 £3,902
-84.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$619 CLP 596.5K
$3,859 £2,868
-83.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,401 CLP 1.4M
$17.2K £12.8K
-91.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,217 CLP 1.2M
$8,278 £6,153
-85.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Calama
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,133 CLP 1.1M
$5,621 £4,177
-79.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
4.78
4.60%

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

Last update for Calama: November 2, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Calama
$174 *
London
$360 107% $186
Eating Out
Calama
$114 *
London
$396 248% $282
Accommodation & Living
Calama
$104
London
$2.3K 2074% $2.2K
Clothing & Footwear
Calama
$76
London
$205 169% $129
Sport & Entertainment
Calama
$59
London
$92 54.9% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Calama
$55 *
London
$432 689% $377
Getting Around
Calama
$11 *
London
$305 2744% $295

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 $2,935 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 5 times 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 $109 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $360 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇱 Calama
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
20:22 8:22 PM
23:22 11:22 PM
3 h ahead of Calama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
157,575
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 964 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.04 USD). 1 EUR = 1,082 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.24 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Calama London 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Calama
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Calama or London?
Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Calama or in London?
On paper, salaries run 80% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Calama compared to London?
Rent for a central apartment: $336 in Calama versus $2,935 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Calama or in London?
Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Calama compared to London?
All in, you’ll spend $593 per month in Calama versus $4,048 in London – Calama is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Calama or in London?
At $593 in Calama versus $4,048 in London, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Calama or London?
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.
Should I move to Calama or to London?
It comes down to priorities – Calama wins on affordability, London on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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