Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,108 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in La Serena

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,108 in La Serena, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
La Serena $1,108

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,829 in La Serena, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
La Serena $1,829

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,550 in La Serena, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
La Serena $2,550

Cape Town costs about 38% more than La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while La Serena is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$7.52 CLP 7,353

59.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$47.63 CLP 46.6K

-9.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$8.30 CLP 8,110

-25.90%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.93 CLP 2,862

-19.11%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.06 CLP 1,036

19.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.65 CLP 634

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.09 CLP 2,046

41.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.92 CLP 3,829

-5.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.17 CLP 1,141

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.31 CLP 2,257

-47.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.46 CLP 1,430

50.68%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.87 CLP 3,782

-19.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.42 CLP 12.1K

-29.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.97 CLP 5,841

15.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.75 CLP 12.5K

-27.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.87 CLP 1,830

-2.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.69 CLP 1,654

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.26 CLP 1,230

31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.44 CLP 1,404

48.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.19 CLP 1,162

32.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.25 CLP 1,223

17.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.01 CLP 990

33.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.89 CLP 875

28.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.16 CLP 5,048

-30.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.22 CLP 5,101

15.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.96 CLP 936

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.11 CLP 2,059

3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.04 CLP 1,014

34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$35.17 CLP 34.4K

72.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$0.74 CLP 719

25.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.98 CLP 1,936

-54.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$12.26 CLP 12.0K

-59.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.41 CLP 1,374

9.22%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$20.1K CLP 19.7M

75.93%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$12.3K CLP 12.0M

171.56%

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

$117 R 1,929

$87.9 CLP 86.0K

33.16%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.80 CLP 10.6K

138.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$21.11 CLP 20.6K

86.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$90.6 CLP 88.5K

-43.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$20.24 CLP 19.8K

-43.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.23 CLP 8,044

8.02%

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

$42.76 CLP 41.8K

34.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$60.6 CLP 59.2K

-47.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$90.2 CLP 88.2K

28.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$104 CLP 101.4K

-2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$418 CLP 408.4K

150.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$319 CLP 311.6K

109.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$919 CLP 898.4K

102.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$706 CLP 690.1K

99.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,036 CLP 2.0M

18.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,332 CLP 1.3M

17.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$702 CLP 686.4K

132.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

6.5

67.54%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Serena: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

La Serena

$319 28.8% 52.4% $350

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

La Serena

$233 21.1% 4.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

La Serena

$120 10.8% 34.2% $62

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

La Serena

$145 13.1% 16.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

La Serena

$134 12.1% 2.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

La Serena

$50 4.5% 30.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

La Serena

$107 9.7% 54.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $418 in La Serena. 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 $48 in La Serena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $233 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

195,382

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town La Serena 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
La Serena

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 La Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 38% more than La Serena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,662 in La Serena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Serena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,108 in La Serena. That makes La Serena about 27% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $48 in La Serena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In La Serena 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 $1,108 in La Serena to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with La Serena. 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.