Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $52,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $595 in Calama versus $4,950 in New York, NY.

Calama $595
New York, NY $4,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Calama versus $7,265 in New York, NY.

Calama $1,203
New York, NY $7,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $9,581 in New York, NY.

Calama $1,812
New York, NY $9,581

Living in Calama costs roughly 88% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 56% below, New York, NY is 267% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$24.65 $24.65

-71.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$122 $122

-74.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$6.59 $6.59

-68.89%

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

$0.93 CLP 916

$3.84 $3.84

-75.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$2.87 $2.87

-67.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$7.79 $7.79

-59.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$9.85 $9.85

-46.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$1.38 $1.38

-20.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$4.68 $4.68

-82.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$7.54 $7.54

-65.25%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$5.93 $5.93

-16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$18.83 $18.83

-50.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$17.36 $17.36

-64.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$18.51 $18.51

-59.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$6.74 $6.74

-81.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$2.09 $2.09

-49.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$6.07 $6.07

-74.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$6.74 $6.74

-83.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$4.05 $4.05

-77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$4.37 $4.37

-78.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$18.72 $18.72

-71.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$20.06 $20.06

-79.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$3.25 $3.25

-68.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$3.73 $3.73

-66.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$3.06 $3.06

-68.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$2.15 $2.15

-33.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.12 $1.12

28.57%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

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

$26.0K $26.0K

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

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$219 $219

-81.71%

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

$73.2 $73.2

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$72.0 $72.0

-81.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$123 $123

-57.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$67.7 $67.7

-69.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$22.85 $22.85

-79.47%

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

$306 CLP 301.6K

$3,333 $3,333

-90.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$75.2 $75.2

-52.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$52.4 $52.4

-45.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$122 $122

-62.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$133 $133

-53.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$4,389 $4,389

-92.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$3,130 $3,130

-96.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$8,918 $8,918

-90.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$5,354 $5,354

-88.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$19.4K $19.4K

-92.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$6,806 $6,806

-81.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$5,343 $5,343

-79.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-26.69%

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

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

New York, NY

$545 11% 209% $369

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 255% $290

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 2963% $3K

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 122% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 176% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 583% $311

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 1421% $156

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 $327 in Calama and $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 381% 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: $31.00 in Calama vs $122 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $545 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h behind Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama New York, NY 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 732% lower than in New York, NY. 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 381% lower in New York, NY. 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: $327 in Calama versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 209% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $595 per month in Calama versus $4,950 in New York, NY – a 732% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $4,950 in New York, NY, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $595 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calama hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 732% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.