Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $595 in Calama versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Calama $595
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Calama versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Calama $1,203
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Calama $1,812
Santiago $2,595

Living in Calama costs roughly 50% less than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 56% lower, Santiago 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

-32.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-39.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$3.26 CLP 3,211

-37.12%

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

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-44.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$4.54 CLP 4,465

15.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-14.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$1.85 CLP 1,817

-54.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$1.59 CLP 1,567

64.78%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$4.10 CLP 4,031

20.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$6.69 CLP 6,586

-7.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

-30.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$1.94 CLP 1,905

-35.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-30.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$1.60 CLP 1,577

-3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$1.69 CLP 1,668

-34.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$1.10 CLP 1,084

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.52 CLP 1,500

-38.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$5.07 CLP 4,995

3.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$5.95 CLP 5,858

-29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.49 CLP 1,470

-32.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$2.38 CLP 2,342

-47.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$0.83 CLP 821

14.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$0.91 CLP 897

57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-4.64%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

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

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$151 CLP 149.0K

-73.55%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

-29.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

53.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

75.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$7.45 CLP 7,334

-37.05%

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

$306 CLP 301.6K

$430 CLP 423.7K

-28.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

-27.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

-30.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$559 CLP 550.4K

-41.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$384 CLP 377.8K

-73.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

-19.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$780 CLP 767.9K

-21.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-46.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-51.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$804 CLP 791.0K

38.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

-7.24%

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

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 33.9% $60

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 66.5% $76

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 276% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 30.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 20.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 242% $129

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 342% $37

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 $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Calama vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $236 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Calama Santiago 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Santiago. 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 38% 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: $327 in Calama versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Santiago. 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 $1,190 in Santiago – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Santiago. 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.

Expats usually find Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.