Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Calama $587
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Calama $1,195
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Calama $1,802
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Calama costs roughly 63% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 57% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,883

$10.62 MX$199

-34.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.7K

$48.35 MX$908

-34.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,976

$3.69 MX$69.3

-46.07%

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

$0.87 CLP 867

$1.67 MX$31.29

-47.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 859

$1.27 MX$23.76

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,962

$3.19 MX$59.9

-6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,875

$5.31 MX$99.6

-7.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,114

$1.72 MX$32.38

-34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 792

$3.04 MX$57.1

-73.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,662

$1.94 MX$36.44

38.14%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,769

$2.89 MX$54.2

66.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,922

$10.97 MX$206

-18.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,091

$9.25 MX$174

-33.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,375

$15.13 MX$284

-50.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,179

$3.05 MX$57.2

-60.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,020

$1.94 MX$36.45

-46.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,477

$2.03 MX$38.02

-26.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,075

$2.31 MX$43.46

-53.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 890

$2.04 MX$38.21

-55.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 969

$1.80 MX$33.79

-45.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,152

$5.30 MX$99.6

-2.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,120

$16.10 MX$302

-74.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,030

$1.98 MX$37.23

-47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,191

$4.25 MX$79.8

-71.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 944

$0.31 MX$5.73

206.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,453

$0.53 MX$10.02

175.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,415

$1.51 MX$28.36

-5.96%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

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

$40.80 CLP 40.5K

$63.0 MX$1,182

-35.22%

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

$27.39 MX$514

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.1K

$35.67 MX$670

-63.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 50.4K

$58.9 MX$1,107

-13.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.8K

$23.64 MX$444

-15.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,484

$6.40 MX$120

-29.53%

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

$305 CLP 303.4K

$432 MX$8,103

-29.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.5K

$68.2 MX$1,281

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.8K

$53.1 MX$997

-47.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.5K

$108 MX$2,023

-58.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.9K

$117 MX$2,202

-48.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 320.0K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-71.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 102.2K

$710 MX$13.3K

-85.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 790.1K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-69.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 612.5K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-56.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-61.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-42.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$946 MX$17.8K

15.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-55.95%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 84.8% $147

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 79% $88

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 590% $608

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 106% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 20% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 134% $72

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 129% $14

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 $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 16% 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 Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $320 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

3 h behind Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calama Mexico City 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Mexico City. 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 16% 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 $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Mexico City. 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 $1,608 in Mexico City – Calama is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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.