Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Cerro de Pasco
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Cerro de Pasco Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index

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Cerro de Pasco

🇵🇪 Peru

$555

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cerro de Pasco and in Santiago

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

A single person spends $555 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,190 in Santiago, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $555
Santiago $1,190

A couple spends around $891 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,892 in Santiago, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $891
Santiago $1,892

A family of three spends $1,227 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $2,595 in Santiago, rent included.

Cerro de Pasco $1,227
Santiago $2,595

Cerro de Pasco is about 53% cheaper than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cerro de Pasco and Santiago are more affordable than the global median – Cerro de Pasco 59% lower, Santiago 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 PEN 9.70

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

-72.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.34 PEN 101

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-43.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 PEN 23.16

$8.94 CLP 8,805

-24.61%

Cappuccino

$2.05 PEN 7.03

$3.26 CLP 3,211

-37.12%

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

$0.76 PEN 2.61

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-54.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 PEN 1.55

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-63.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 PEN 9.22

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-32.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 PEN 15.27

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-2.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 PEN 5.23

$1.28 CLP 1,263

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 PEN 8.07

$1.85 CLP 1,817

27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 PEN 4.34

$1.59 CLP 1,567

-20.75%

Eggs

$2.47 PEN 8.47

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-39.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 PEN 31.53

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-19.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 PEN 20.74

$6.69 CLP 6,586

-9.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.92 PEN 27.20

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

-26.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 PEN 6.86

$1.94 CLP 1,905

3.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 PEN 2.61

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.43 PEN 1.46

$1.60 CLP 1,577

-73.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.91

$1.69 CLP 1,668

-32.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 PEN 2.41

$1.10 CLP 1,084

-36.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 PEN 1.87

$1.52 CLP 1,500

-64.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 PEN 2.85

$1.18 CLP 1,164

-29.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 PEN 2.88

$1.08 CLP 1,061

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 PEN 19.84

$5.07 CLP 4,995

14.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 PEN 24.68

$5.95 CLP 5,858

20.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.60

$1.49 CLP 1,470

28.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 PEN 9.11

$2.38 CLP 2,342

11.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 PEN 13.68

$0.40 CLP 393

895.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 PEN 6.84

$0.91 CLP 897

118.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 PEN 25.62

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

-35.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 PEN 5.74

$1.51 CLP 1,486

10.60%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.4K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

26.59%

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

$26.2K PEN 89.9K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

19.04%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$151 CLP 149.0K

-51.90%

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

$16.46 PEN 56.5

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.53 PEN 94.6

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

46.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 PEN 24.56

$7.45 CLP 7,334

-4.03%

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

$176 PEN 606

$430 CLP 423.7K

-59.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K PEN 44.4K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

19.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 PEN 183

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

7.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 PEN 121

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

22.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 PEN 286

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

26.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.6 PEN 267

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-3.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 PEN 1,400

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

-59.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$470 PEN 1,616

$804 CLP 791.0K

-41.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

5.39

65.86%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cerro de Pasco

$203 36.6%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 16.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerro de Pasco

$117 21.1%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 56.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Cerro de Pasco

$112 20.2%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 9.8% $11

Eating Out

Cerro de Pasco

$95 17%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 100% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.6%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 240% $34

Getting Around

Cerro de Pasco

$14 * 2.5%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 247% $34

Accommodation & Living

Cerro de Pasco

- * 0%

Santiago

$384 32.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 71% higher in Santiago, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $236 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

2 h ahead of Cerro de Pasco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,899

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cerro de Pasco Santiago 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cerro de Pasco
Santiago

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

Cerro de Pasco vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santiago is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $832 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $1,785 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco and $52.0 in Santiago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Santiago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $555, than in Santiago at $1,190. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cerro de Pasco – 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 Cerro de Pasco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santiago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.