Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Moines, IA and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Des Moines, IA
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Des Moines, IA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Des Moines, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,171

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Des Moines, IA 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 Des Moines, IA and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,171 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,183 in Santiago.

Des Moines, IA $2,171
Santiago $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,236 in Des Moines, IA versus $1,882 in Santiago.

Des Moines, IA $3,236
Santiago $1,882

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,301 in Des Moines, IA versus $2,581 in Santiago.

Des Moines, IA $4,301
Santiago $2,581

Living in Des Moines, IA is roughly 83% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Des Moines, IA is 60% above, Santiago is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.69 $19.69

$10.15 CLP 9,995

93.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

55.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$8.56 CLP 8,423

42.76%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$3.15 CLP 3,101

95.56%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.71 CLP 1,685

71.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.28 CLP 1,255

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.18 CLP 4,118

19.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$4.46 CLP 4,390

32.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.29 CLP 1,269

-29.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.76 CLP 1,737

72.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.66 CLP 1,630

103.61%

Eggs

$4.00 $4.00

$4.21 CLP 4,140

-4.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

-12.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$6.75 CLP 6,641

46.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

27.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.96 CLP 1,927

120.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.54 CLP 1,518

-1.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.58 CLP 1,560

187.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.74 CLP 1,713

111.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.09 CLP 1,075

181.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.53 CLP 1,509

39.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.18 CLP 1,163

101.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.08 CLP 1,060

102.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 $7.85

$5.18 CLP 5,101

51.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$6.17 CLP 6,070

139.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.53 CLP 1,511

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.36 CLP 2,325

30.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.84 CLP 824

105.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 $58.1

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

40.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.42 CLP 416

369.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.88 CLP 869

39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

71.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-37.58%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

57.59%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

-1.78%

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

$185 $185

$149 CLP 146.3K

24.23%

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

$53.6 $53.6

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

342.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

266.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 $63.8

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

91.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

74.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 $9.99

$7.32 CLP 7,208

36.48%

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

$1,187 $1,187

$436 CLP 429.2K

172.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K $12.0K

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

8.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

20.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.98 $42.98

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

47.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

54.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

81.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 $1,177

$554 CLP 545.8K

112.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$872 $872

$383 CLP 376.6K

128.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 $1,738

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

73.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 $1,394

$775 CLP 762.5K

79.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,320 $2,320

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

-14.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

-11.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,647 $3,647

$778 CLP 766.3K

368.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.39

21.71%

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

Last update for Des Moines, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Moines, IA

$872 40.2%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 56.2% $490

Groceries & Markets

Des Moines, IA

$349 16.1%

Santiago

$236 20% 32.5% $113

Eating Out

Des Moines, IA

$327 15.1%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 42.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Moines, IA

$308 14.2%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 41.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Des Moines, IA

$157 7.2%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 35.8% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Des Moines, IA

$84 3.9%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 42.7% $36

Getting Around

Des Moines, IA

$73 3.4%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 32.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,177 in Des Moines, IA and $554 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Moines, IA pays 368% 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: $81.0 in Des Moines, IA vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Moines, IA

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

12:05 12:05 PM

2 h ahead of Des Moines, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,133

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Des Moines, IA Santiago 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Moines, IA
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

Des Moines, IA vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 83% lower than in Des Moines, IA. 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 368% higher in Des Moines, IA, 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: $1,177 in Des Moines, IA versus $554 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $81.0 in Des Moines, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,171 per month in Des Moines, IA versus $1,183 in Santiago – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,183 in Santiago versus $2,171 in Des Moines, IA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Des Moines, IA. 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.

Safety-wise, Des Moines, IA and Santiago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Des Moines, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.