Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Puerto Montt

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Montt: $449 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Puerto Montt

🇨🇱 Chile

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Puerto Montt

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $449 in Puerto Montt, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Puerto Montt $449

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $751 in Puerto Montt, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Puerto Montt $751

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,054 in Puerto Montt, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Puerto Montt $1,054

Cape Town costs about 240% more than Puerto Montt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Puerto Montt is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$7.92 CLP 7,751

51.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$35.50 CLP 34.8K

20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$7.19 CLP 7,043

-14.46%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.70 CLP 2,646

-12.22%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$0.94 CLP 921

35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$0.89 CLP 868

5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.10 CLP 1,075

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.55 CLP 2,499

-52.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.43 CLP 1,398

53.85%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.19 CLP 3,123

-2.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$11.16 CLP 10.9K

-21.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.65 CLP 5,532

21.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$6.78 CLP 6,638

36.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.02 CLP 1,001

79.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.39 CLP 1,362

40.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.66 CLP 2,601

-37.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.76 CLP 1,721

21.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.56 CLP 1,525

-5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.27 CLP 1,247

6.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.50 CLP 1,472

-24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$4.50 CLP 4,410

-20.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$5.58 CLP 5,460

8.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.40 CLP 1,366

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.49 CLP 1,459

46.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.86 CLP 847

62.79%

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

$1.27 CLP 1,245

21.26%

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

$61.3 CLP 60.0K

90.92%

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

$25.71 R 425

$11.23 CLP 11.0K

128.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$30.68 CLP 30.0K

28.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

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

$308 R 5,085

$142 CLP 138.7K

117.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$497 CLP 486.7K

110.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

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 Puerto Montt: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Puerto Montt

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Puerto Montt

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Puerto Montt

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Puerto Montt

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Puerto Montt

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Puerto Montt

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Puerto Montt

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $497 in Puerto Montt. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $36 in Puerto Montt. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $217 – making Puerto Montt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Puerto Montt

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

169,736

💱 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 Puerto Montt 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Puerto Montt

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 Puerto Montt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 240% more than Puerto Montt, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $673 in Puerto Montt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Montt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $449 in Puerto Montt. That makes Puerto Montt about 71% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $142 in Puerto Montt. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Montt, where all-in costs run around $449, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Puerto Montt it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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