Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,108 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,108

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in College Station, TX 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 College Station, TX and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,108 in College Station, TX versus $1,190 in Santiago.

College Station, TX $2,108
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,162 in College Station, TX versus $1,892 in Santiago.

College Station, TX $3,162
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,216 in College Station, TX versus $2,595 in Santiago.

College Station, TX $4,216
Santiago $2,595

Living in College Station, TX is roughly 77% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: College Station, TX is 56% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

45.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

48.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 $12.24

$8.94 CLP 8,805

36.91%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.26 CLP 3,211

65.34%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$1.67 CLP 1,640

70.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.23 CLP 1,212

43.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.98 CLP 3,914

29.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 $7.63

$4.54 CLP 4,465

68.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-40.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.85 CLP 1,817

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.59 CLP 1,567

145.28%

Eggs

$2.88 $2.88

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 $9.47

$6.69 CLP 6,586

41.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

21.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$1.94 CLP 1,905

228.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 CLP 1,497

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$1.60 CLP 1,577

305.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.69 CLP 1,668

186.39%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.10 CLP 1,084

270.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.52 CLP 1,500

92.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.18 CLP 1,164

49.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.08 CLP 1,061

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$5.07 CLP 4,995

73.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 $14.12

$5.95 CLP 5,858

137.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.49 CLP 1,470

18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.38 CLP 2,342

64.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.83 CLP 821

22.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.08 $20.08

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

-49.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 $10.13

$0.40 CLP 393

2432.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.91 CLP 897

102.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 $59.6

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

412.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-39.74%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

108.36%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

13.82%

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

$175 $175

$151 CLP 149.0K

15.83%

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

$39.25 $39.25

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

218.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 $55.6

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

196.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.63 $25.63

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-23.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 $17.43

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

47.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$7.45 CLP 7,334

55.30%

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

$747 $747

$430 CLP 423.7K

73.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

63.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

20.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

32.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 $1,128

$559 CLP 550.4K

101.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 $952

$384 CLP 377.8K

148.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 $1,951

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

94.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 $1,595

$780 CLP 767.9K

104.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 $2,161

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-18.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 $2,178

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-14.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,241 $4,241

$804 CLP 791.0K

427.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.39

21.89%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$952 45.2%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 59.7% $569

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$374 17.8%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 36.9% $138

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$281 13.4%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 32.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$270 12.8%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 32.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$138 6.5%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 26.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$49 2.3%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$43 2.1%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 11.4% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,128 in College Station, TX and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 428% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in College Station, TX vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h ahead of College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

College Station, TX Santiago 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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

College Station, TX vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in College Station, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 428% higher in College Station, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,128 in College Station, TX versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 100% less than in College Station, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $747 in College Station, TX versus $430 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,108 in College Station, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in College Station, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.