Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Iquique

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $1,005 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,005 in Iquique, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Iquique $1,005

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,595 in Iquique, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Iquique $1,595

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,184 in Iquique, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Iquique $2,184

Cape Town costs about 52% more than Iquique, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Iquique is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$7.87 CLP 7,707

52.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$41.43 CLP 40.6K

3.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$7.11 CLP 6,962

-13.50%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$3.34 CLP 3,270

-29.04%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.23 CLP 1,204

3.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.03 CLP 1,009

-8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$3.24 CLP 3,175

-8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.65 CLP 3,573

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.13 CLP 1,105

16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.13 CLP 1,110

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.35 CLP 1,325

62.96%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.00 CLP 2,934

3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.06 CLP 9,854

-13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$10.32 CLP 10.1K

-33.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.23 CLP 2,182

-17.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.22 CLP 2,171

-12.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.52 CLP 1,487

9.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.05 CLP 1,033

103.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.78 CLP 762

102.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$0.59 CLP 579

149.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.05 CLP 1,025

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.36 CLP 1,331

-16.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$7.26 CLP 7,104

-50.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.69 CLP 7,528

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$0.79 CLP 775

175.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.67 CLP 659

108.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.41 CLP 1,384

9.22%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

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

$117 R 1,935

$86.5 CLP 84.7K

35.33%

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

$25.71 R 425

$15.25 CLP 14.9K

68.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$23.65 CLP 23.2K

66.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$50.3 CLP 49.3K

2.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$6.95 CLP 6,809

27.91%

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

$308 R 5,085

$260 CLP 254.3K

18.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$30.02 CLP 29.4K

91.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$22.90 CLP 22.4K

38.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$45.32 CLP 44.4K

155.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$57.6 CLP 56.4K

74.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$415 CLP 406.3K

152.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$387 CLP 379.4K

72.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$682 CLP 668.1K

172.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$775 CLP 759.3K

81.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$1,731 CLP 1.7M

39.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,945 CLP 1.9M

-19.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$938 CLP 918.4K

73.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

7.5

45.20%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Iquique: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Iquique

$387 38.5% 42.1% $282

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Iquique

$199 * 19.8% 11% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Iquique

$125 12.5% 31.2% $57

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Iquique

$157 15.6% 9.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Iquique

$70 7% 49% $67

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Iquique

$2.7 * 0.3% 96.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Iquique

$64 6.4% 7.5% $5.2

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 $415 in Iquique. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 74% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $41 in Iquique. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $199 – making Iquique the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Iquique

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

188,003

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Iquique 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Iquique

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 Iquique: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 52% more than Iquique, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,508 in Iquique. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iquique, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $415 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,005 in Iquique. That makes Iquique about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $260 in Iquique. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,005 in Iquique, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Iquique – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Iquique. 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.