Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coquimbo and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Coquimbo: $549 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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

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Coquimbo

🇨🇱 Chile

$549

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Coquimbo and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $549 per month in Coquimbo vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Coquimbo $549
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $915 per month in Coquimbo vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Coquimbo $915
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,282 per month in Coquimbo vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Coquimbo $1,282
Cape Town $3,306

Coquimbo is about 64% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Coquimbo sits 59% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.63 CLP 6,484

$12.01 R 198

-44.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 CLP 44.4K

$42.92 R 707

5.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 CLP 6,145

$6.15 R 101

2.28%

Cappuccino

$3.59 CLP 3,507

$2.37 R 39.04

51.48%

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

$1.09 CLP 1,067

$1.27 R 20.96

-14.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CLP 969

$0.94 R 15.46

5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,890

$2.96 R 48.77

34.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 CLP 4,549

$3.69 R 60.8

26.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 CLP 998

$1.32 R 21.73

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 CLP 3,003

$1.21 R 19.87

153.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 CLP 1,198

$2.20 R 36.26

-44.09%

Eggs

$2.49 CLP 2,438

$3.10 R 51.1

-19.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 CLP 7,818

$8.73 R 144

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 CLP 1,258

$1.83 R 30.08

-29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 CLP 1,749

$1.95 R 32.12

-8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 CLP 1,005

$1.66 R 27.32

-37.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 CLP 918

$2.14 R 35.19

-56.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 CLP 1,207

$1.47 R 24.29

-16.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 CLP 582

$1.35 R 22.18

-56.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CLP 1,245

$1.14 R 18.85

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 CLP 4,874

$3.58 R 59.0

39.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 CLP 8,116

$6.05 R 99.7

37.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 CLP 4,324

$2.18 R 35.90

102.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 CLP 765

$1.40 R 23.02

-44.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 CLP 1,365

$1.54 R 25.37

-9.09%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

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

$100 CLP 98.1K

$117 R 1,929

-14.26%

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

$12.06 CLP 11.8K

$25.71 R 424

-53.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.38 CLP 24.8K

$51.6 R 850

-50.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.95 CLP 4,836

$11.35 R 187

-56.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.09 CLP 3,999

$8.89 R 146

-53.99%

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

$253 CLP 247.5K

$308 R 5,069

-17.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K CLP 27.1M

$8,141 R 134.2K

240.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.96 CLP 44.0K

$57.4 R 946

-21.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.74 CLP 25.2K

$31.75 R 523

-18.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 CLP 59.8K

$116 R 1,911

-47.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 CLP 79.2K

$101 R 1,660

-19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 CLP 592.7K

$1,630 R 26.9K

-62.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-54.09%

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

Last update for Coquimbo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Groceries & Markets

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Eating Out

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$138 9%

Getting Around

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Coquimbo

–

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.7 times higher, 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 $45 in Coquimbo versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $151 in Coquimbo vs $223 in Cape Town – so Coquimbo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Coquimbo

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

5 h ahead of Coquimbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,068

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Coquimbo Cape Town 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Coquimbo
Cape Town

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

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

Cape Town costs about 178% more than Coquimbo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Coquimbo and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Coquimbo and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Coquimbo about 64% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $253 per month in Coquimbo and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Coquimbo, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Coquimbo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $549 in Coquimbo to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Coquimbo. 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.