Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edison, NJ and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $3,191 in Edison, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Edison, NJ
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Edison, NJ Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Edison, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,191

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,191 in Edison, NJ versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Edison, NJ $3,191
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,474 in Edison, NJ versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Edison, NJ $4,474
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,758 in Edison, NJ versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Edison, NJ $5,758
Santiago $2,595

Living in Edison, NJ is roughly 168% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Edison, NJ is 136% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.28 $18.28

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

76.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 $60.0

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

16.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 $9.11

$8.94 CLP 8,805

1.90%

Cappuccino

$4.10 $4.10

$3.26 CLP 3,211

25.77%

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

$1.02 $1.02

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-38.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-20.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$4.54 CLP 4,465

53.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-22.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.85 CLP 1,817

74.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$1.59 CLP 1,567

269.81%

Eggs

$2.57 $2.57

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-37.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

17.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.69 CLP 6,586

52.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.57 $19.57

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

81.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$1.94 CLP 1,905

220.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 CLP 1,497

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.60 CLP 1,577

163.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$1.69 CLP 1,668

220.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.10 CLP 1,084

170.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.52 CLP 1,500

100.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.18 CLP 1,164

157.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.08 CLP 1,061

87.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 $9.94

$5.07 CLP 4,995

96.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 $14.85

$5.95 CLP 5,858

149.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.49 CLP 1,470

20.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.38 CLP 2,342

47.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.02 $6.02

$0.83 CLP 821

625.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$203 $203

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

405.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$0.40 CLP 393

672.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.91 CLP 897

4.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.80 $41.80

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

259.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-36.42%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

105.04%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

15.52%

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

$172 $172

$151 CLP 149.0K

13.71%

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

$51.4 $51.4

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

316.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.68 $49.68

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

165.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.66 $21.66

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-35.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$7.45 CLP 7,334

102.82%

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

$2,005 $2,005

$430 CLP 423.7K

365.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

48.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 $51.0

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

2.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.7 $79.7

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

175.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 $59.5

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

-9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 $89.2

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 $2,096

$559 CLP 550.4K

274.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 $1,835

$384 CLP 377.8K

378.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 $3,113

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

210.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,796 $2,796

$780 CLP 767.9K

258.43%

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)

$6,924 $6,924

$804 CLP 791.0K

761.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

5.39

19.11%

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

Last update for Edison, NJ: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edison, NJ

$1.8K 57.5%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 79.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Edison, NJ

$408 12.8%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 42.1% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edison, NJ

$273 8.6%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 33.2% $91

Eating Out

Edison, NJ

$262 8.2%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 27.8% $73

Getting Around

Edison, NJ

$235 7.4%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 79.4% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Edison, NJ

$126 3.9%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 19.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Edison, NJ

$52 1.6%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 6.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,096 in Edison, NJ and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Edison, NJ pays 762% 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: $60.0 in Edison, NJ vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $408 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edison, NJ

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Edison, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,588

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

Edison, NJ Santiago 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Edison, NJ
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

Edison, NJ vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edison, NJ and Santiago differ by about 168% in total monthly costs ($3,191 vs $1,190 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 762% higher in Edison, NJ, 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: $2,096 in Edison, NJ 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 406% less than in Edison, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,005 in Edison, NJ 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 $3,191 in Edison, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Edison, NJ. 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 168% less than in Edison, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.