Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Valdivia

For one person, living is cheaper in Valdivia: $1,006 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 Valdivia
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Valdivia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town 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 Cape Town and in Valdivia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,006 in Valdivia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Valdivia $1,006

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,537 in Valdivia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Valdivia $1,537

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,068 in Valdivia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Valdivia $2,068

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$6.34 CLP 6,211

89.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$46.26 CLP 45.3K

-7.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$6.85 CLP 6,705

-10.22%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.15 CLP 2,103

10.23%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.96 CLP 1,918

-35.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.24 CLP 1,214

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$3.63 CLP 3,552

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.51 CLP 3,441

5.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.18 CLP 1,152

11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.36 CLP 1,330

-11.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.56 CLP 1,525

41.03%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.04 CLP 2,979

1.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.92 CLP 8,736

-2.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.34 CLP 6,203

8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.43 CLP 12.2K

-25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.17 CLP 2,123

-15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.84 CLP 1,802

5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.74 CLP 1,707

-4.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.86 CLP 1,817

15.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$2.38 CLP 2,327

-33.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.55 CLP 1,520

-5.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.42 CLP 1,387

-4.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.10 CLP 1,073

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$4.98 CLP 4,873

-28.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.67 CLP 4,572

29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.49 CLP 1,457

-6.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$2.01 CLP 1,970

8.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.56 CLP 552

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.00 CLP 976

-7.00%

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

$1.42 CLP 1,388

8.45%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$14.9K CLP 14.6M

137.37%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$17.0K CLP 16.7M

96.17%

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

$117 R 1,935

$90.9 CLP 89.0K

28.76%

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

$25.71 R 425

$13.43 CLP 13.1K

91.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$30.85 CLP 30.2K

27.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$40.93 CLP 40.1K

26.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$23.44 CLP 23.0K

-51.58%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$4.56 CLP 4,466

94.96%

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

$308 R 5,085

$248 CLP 242.8K

24.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$3,000 CLP 2.9M

171.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$51.9 CLP 50.8K

10.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$17.69 CLP 17.3K

79.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$49.00 CLP 48.0K

136.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$75.5 CLP 73.9K

33.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$585 CLP 572.6K

78.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$368 CLP 360.3K

81.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$1,001 CLP 979.9K

85.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$566 CLP 554.4K

148.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$4,427 CLP 4.3M

-45.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$621 CLP 608.5K

162.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.5

142.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Valdivia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Valdivia

$368 36.6% 45% $301

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Valdivia

$227 22.6% 1.9% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Valdivia

$135 13.4% 25.8% $47

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Valdivia

$135 13.4% 22.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Valdivia

$87 8.7% 36.5% $50

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3% 95.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Valdivia

$50 5% 27.9% $19

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 $585 in Valdivia. 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $46 in Valdivia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $227 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

150,048

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.09 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 = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,100 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Valdivia 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

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

Cape Town costs about 52% more than Valdivia, 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 $1,509 in Valdivia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valdivia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $585 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,006 in Valdivia. That makes Valdivia about 34% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $46 in Valdivia. 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 Valdivia, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Valdivia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Valdivia – 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 Valdivia. 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.