Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Chillan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chillan: $796 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Chillan
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Chillan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Chillan

🇨🇱 Chile

$796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Chillan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Chillan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $796 in Chillan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Chillan $796

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,160 in Chillan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Chillan $1,160

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,523 in Chillan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Chillan $1,523

Cape Town costs about 92% more than Chillan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Chillan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$4.96 CLP 4,850

142.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$32.82 CLP 32.1K

30.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.84 CLP 6,684

-10.09%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.15 CLP 4,054

-42.89%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$0.91 CLP 889

39.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.80 CLP 778

17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.57 CLP 1,532

88.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.57 CLP 2,510

43.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.04 CLP 1,016

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.22 CLP 1,194

-0.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.06 CLP 2,012

6.80%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.39 CLP 4,292

-29.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$6.02 CLP 5,886

45.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.48 CLP 1,445

23.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.68 CLP 1,641

16.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.25 CLP 1,222

32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$0.99 CLP 972

116.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.45 CLP 1,414

8.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.28 CLP 1,248

14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.99 CLP 971

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.21 CLP 1,182

-5.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$4.64 CLP 4,537

-22.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$3.64 CLP 3,555

66.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.20 CLP 1,176

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.06 CLP 2,009

5.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.60 CLP 583

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$35.30 CLP 34.5K

72.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$0.58 CLP 570

60.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.13 CLP 1,104

-20.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$12.06 CLP 11.8K

-58.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.35 CLP 1,317

14.07%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$12.2K CLP 12.0M

188.71%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

202.19%

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

$117 R 1,929

$116 CLP 113.5K

0.82%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.16 CLP 9,930

153.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$20.54 CLP 20.1K

91.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$12.56 CLP 12.3K

310.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$16.53 CLP 16.2K

-31.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$14.17 CLP 13.8K

-37.26%

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

$308 R 5,069

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$50.7 CLP 49.5K

128.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$66.3 CLP 64.8K

51.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$300 CLP 293.5K

248.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$245 CLP 240.0K

172.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$465 CLP 454.5K

300.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$330 CLP 322.7K

326.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,436 CLP 2.4M

-1.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$723 CLP 707.2K

125.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chillan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Chillan

$245 30.8% 63.3% $424

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Chillan

$137 * 17.2% 38.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Chillan

$147 18.4% 19.4% $35

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Chillan

$130 16.3% 25.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Chillan

$53 * 6.6% 61.7% $85

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Chillan

$44 5.5% 38.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Chillan

$41 5.1% 41.1% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $300 in Chillan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $33 in Chillan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $137 – making Chillan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Chillan

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

164,270

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Chillan 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Chillan

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

Cape Town vs Chillan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 92% more than Chillan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,194 in Chillan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chillan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $300 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $796 in Chillan. That makes Chillan about 48% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $33 in Chillan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chillan, where all-in costs run around $796, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Chillan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $796 in Chillan to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chillan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.