Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chile and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,042 in Chile, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Chile
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Chile Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇨🇱 Chile

$1,042

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chile and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,042 in Chile versus $791 in China.

Chile $1,042
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,621 in Chile versus $1,251 in China.

Chile $1,621
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,201 in Chile versus $1,711 in China.

Chile $2,201
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Chile: monthly costs span $109 to $1,280, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Chile.

Living in Chile is roughly 32% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Chile 23% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.13 CLP 8,023

$2.98 ¥19.76

172.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.32 CLP 45.7K

$22.09 ¥147

109.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 CLP 6,916

$5.20 ¥34.51

34.81%

Cappuccino

$2.87 CLP 2,832

$2.97 ¥19.68

-3.37%

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

$1.28 CLP 1,262

$0.48 ¥3.18

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 CLP 982

$0.30 ¥2.00

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 CLP 3,596

$1.08 ¥7.16

237.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 CLP 3,875

$2.28 ¥15.11

72.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 CLP 1,112

$1.80 ¥11.93

-37.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 CLP 1,508

$1.68 ¥11.12

-8.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,459

$0.92 ¥6.12

60.87%

Eggs

$3.44 CLP 3,391

$1.61 ¥10.70

113.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 CLP 9,937

$13.38 ¥88.8

-24.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 CLP 5,954

$3.35 ¥22.22

80.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.64 CLP 10.5K

$11.35 ¥75.3

-6.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,726

$1.82 ¥12.09

-3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 CLP 1,595

$1.31 ¥8.67

23.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 CLP 1,620

$1.49 ¥9.86

10.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 CLP 1,620

$1.27 ¥8.45

29.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 CLP 1,091

$0.71 ¥4.72

56.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 CLP 1,386

$0.93 ¥6.20

50.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 CLP 1,127

$0.62 ¥4.11

83.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CLP 1,099

$0.56 ¥3.73

98.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 CLP 5,029

$3.78 ¥25.08

34.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 CLP 5,051

$12.13 ¥80.5

-57.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CLP 1,274

$0.83 ¥5.52

55.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 CLP 1,947

$1.68 ¥11.18

17.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 CLP 753

$0.29 ¥1.91

162.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 CLP 37.6K

$17.83 ¥118

113.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 CLP 776

$1.49 ¥9.87

-46.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 CLP 1,159

$0.37 ¥2.49

218.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

$7.10 ¥47.11

70.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 CLP 1,406

$1.26 ¥8.35

13.49%

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

$16.6K CLP 16.4M

$19.4K ¥129.1K

-14.69%

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

$21.0K CLP 20.7M

$17.5K ¥116.4K

19.72%

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

$111 CLP 109.3K

$54.6 ¥362

103.13%

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

$11.98 CLP 11.8K

$8.73 ¥58.0

37.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.26 CLP 21.0K

$11.07 ¥73.5

92.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.75 CLP 33.3K

$40.77 ¥271

-17.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.38 CLP 14.2K

$14.48 ¥96.1

-0.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.15 CLP 6,063

$6.78 ¥45.00

-9.29%

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

$359 CLP 353.6K

$517 ¥3,429

-30.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,607 CLP 6.5M

$19.8K ¥131.5K

-66.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.29 CLP 41.7K

$46.53 ¥309

-9.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.90 CLP 25.6K

$35.66 ¥237

-27.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 CLP 58.7K

$77.0 ¥511

-22.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 CLP 71.7K

$80.3 ¥533

-9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 CLP 417.2K

$386 ¥2,560

9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 CLP 337.0K

$235 ¥1,557

45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 CLP 732.8K

$822 ¥5,454

-9.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 CLP 585.0K

$453 ¥3,007

30.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,419 CLP 2.4M

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-48.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,013 CLP 2.0M

$2,372 ¥15.7K

-15.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$661 CLP 652.0K

$1,093 ¥7,255

-39.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

3.46

48.84%

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

Last update for Chile: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chile

$342 32.8%

China

$235 29.6% 31.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Chile

$217 20.8%

China

$210 26.5% 3% $6.4

Eating Out

Chile

$156 15%

China

$88 11.1% 43.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chile

$144 13.8%

China

$74 9.4% 48.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chile

$90 8.7%

China

$108 13.6% 19.5% $18

Getting Around

Chile

$48 4.6%

China

$22 2.8% 53.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chile

$46 4.4%

China

$54 6.9% 18% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $412 in Chile, $298 in China. Capital cities: $497 in Santiago vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $691 in Chile, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in Chile.

Dining out costs 86% more in Chile.

Public transport is 83% more expensive in Chile.

Salaries are 26% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Chile

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

21:52 9:52 PM

11 h ahead of Chile

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,458,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.14 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 986 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,101 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chile China 19,060 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chile
China

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

Chile vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,042 per month in Chile and $791 in China, China comes out about 24% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $412 in Chile and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.