Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Valdivia

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $587 a month against $1,001 in Valdivia, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
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Valdivia Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$587

/mo nomad

Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calama and in Valdivia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $587 in Calama versus $1,001 in Valdivia.

Calama $587
Valdivia $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,195 in Calama versus $1,518 in Valdivia.

Calama $1,195
Valdivia $1,518

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,802 in Calama versus $2,036 in Valdivia.

Calama $1,802
Valdivia $2,036

Living in Calama costs roughly 41% less than in Valdivia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Calama 57% lower, Valdivia 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.93 CLP 6,883

$6.15 CLP 6,110

12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.87 CLP 31.7K

$45.34 CLP 45.0K

-29.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 CLP 6,612

Cappuccino

$1.99 CLP 1,976

$2.01 CLP 1,998

-1.00%

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

$0.87 CLP 867

$1.98 CLP 1,969

-56.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 CLP 859

$1.27 CLP 1,263

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 CLP 2,962

$3.58 CLP 3,553

-16.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CLP 4,875

$3.48 CLP 3,460

41.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 CLP 1,114

$1.16 CLP 1,156

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 CLP 792

$1.33 CLP 1,318

-39.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 CLP 2,662

$1.51 CLP 1,496

77.48%

Eggs

$4.80 CLP 4,769

$2.98 CLP 2,956

61.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 CLP 8,922

$8.87 CLP 8,815

1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 CLP 6,091

$6.53 CLP 6,483

-6.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 CLP 7,375

$12.32 CLP 12.2K

-39.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,179

$2.06 CLP 2,050

-42.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,020

$1.86 CLP 1,849

-44.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 CLP 1,477

$1.79 CLP 1,779

-16.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,075

$1.84 CLP 1,830

-41.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 890

$2.28 CLP 2,265

-60.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 CLP 969

$1.49 CLP 1,485

-34.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 CLP 1,470

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 CLP 1,116

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 CLP 5,152

$5.14 CLP 5,107

0.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 CLP 4,120

$4.68 CLP 4,648

-11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 CLP 1,030

$1.50 CLP 1,486

-30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CLP 1,191

$2.10 CLP 2,081

-42.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 944

$0.59 CLP 591

61.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 CLP 909

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CLP 1,453

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,415

$1.46 CLP 1,452

-2.74%

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

$14.5K CLP 14.4M

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

$17.0K CLP 16.8M

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

$40.80 CLP 40.5K

$88.6 CLP 88.0K

-53.93%

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

$13.62 CLP 13.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 CLP 13.1K

$30.40 CLP 30.2K

-56.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 CLP 50.4K

$41.14 CLP 40.9K

23.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CLP 19.8K

$23.51 CLP 23.4K

-15.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 CLP 4,484

$4.58 CLP 4,550

-1.53%

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

$305 CLP 303.4K

$238 CLP 236.8K

28.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 CLP 3.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.75 CLP 34.5K

$49.97 CLP 49.6K

-30.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.04 CLP 27.8K

$17.41 CLP 17.3K

61.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.75 CLP 44.5K

$49.21 CLP 48.9K

-9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 CLP 59.9K

$76.8 CLP 76.3K

-21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 CLP 320.0K

$571 CLP 567.7K

-43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 CLP 102.2K

$369 CLP 366.5K

-72.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 CLP 790.1K

$991 CLP 984.1K

-19.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 CLP 612.5K

$550 CLP 546.3K

12.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,406 CLP 1.4M

$4,449 CLP 4.4M

-68.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,221 CLP 1.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,094 CLP 1.1M

$611 CLP 606.6K

79.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.11%

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

Last update for Calama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Valdivia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$173 * 29.5%

Valdivia

$227 22.7% 31.4% $54

Eating Out

Calama

$111 * 18.9%

Valdivia

$131 13.1% 18.2% $20

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$103 17.5%

Valdivia

$369 36.9% 259% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$76 12.9%

Valdivia

$87 8.7% 15.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$60 10.2%

Valdivia

$50 5% 15.9% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$54 * 9.2%

Valdivia

$133 13.3% 146% $79

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.9%

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3% 70.4% $7.8

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 $571 in Valdivia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 79% 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 $45 in Valdivia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $227 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

Same time as Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

150,048

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.07 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calama Valdivia 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
Valdivia

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 Valdivia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Valdivia. 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 79% 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 $571 in Valdivia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Valdivia. 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 $1,001 in Valdivia – Calama is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $587 in Calama versus $1,001 in Valdivia, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Valdivia. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.