Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Smith, AR and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,978

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Fort Smith, AR $1,978
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,030 in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Fort Smith, AR $3,030
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,081 in Fort Smith, AR versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Fort Smith, AR $4,081
Santiago $2,595

Living in Fort Smith, AR is roughly 66% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort Smith, AR is 47% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 $20.37

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

96.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 $65.0

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

25.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 $11.35

$8.94 CLP 8,805

26.96%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.26 CLP 3,211

64.11%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.67 CLP 1,640

38.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.23 CLP 1,212

67.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$3.98 CLP 3,914

54.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.09 $9.09

$4.54 CLP 4,465

100.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-20.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.85 CLP 1,817

85.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.59 CLP 1,567

130.82%

Eggs

$2.97 $2.97

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-27.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 $7.37

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-35.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$6.69 CLP 6,586

63.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.62 $19.62

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

81.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.94 CLP 1,905

155.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-6.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.60 CLP 1,577

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.69 CLP 1,668

24.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.10 CLP 1,084

72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.52 CLP 1,500

3.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.18 CLP 1,164

53.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.08 CLP 1,061

109.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$5.07 CLP 4,995

59.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.13 $14.13

$5.95 CLP 5,858

137.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.49 CLP 1,470

23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.38 CLP 2,342

5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.83 CLP 821

54.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.56 $35.56

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

-11.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.40 CLP 393

582.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 $1.28

$0.91 CLP 897

40.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.11 $30.11

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

158.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-47.68%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

45.27%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

17.52%

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

$274 $274

$151 CLP 149.0K

81.04%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

471.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

265.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.02 $27.02

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.73 $15.73

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

33.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 $13.27

$7.45 CLP 7,334

78.12%

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

$890 $890

$430 CLP 423.7K

106.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

121.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 $52.9

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

6.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.60 $41.60

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

43.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 $93.6

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

42.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.1 $77.1

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 $681

$559 CLP 550.4K

21.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 $668

$384 CLP 377.8K

74.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 $1,500

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

49.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 $1,328

$780 CLP 767.9K

70.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,547 $1,547

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-41.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,540 $1,540

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-39.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,041 $3,041

$804 CLP 791.0K

278.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.38

5.39

18.37%

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

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: 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

Fort Smith, AR

$668 33.8%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 42.5% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Smith, AR

$413 20.9%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 55.8% $231

Groceries & Markets

Fort Smith, AR

$347 17.5%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 31.9% $111

Eating Out

Fort Smith, AR

$328 16.6%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 42.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Smith, AR

$119 6%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.7%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 9.2% $5

Getting Around

Fort Smith, AR

$50 2.5%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 2.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $681 in Fort Smith, AR and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays 278% 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: $65.0 in Fort Smith, AR vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

2 h ahead of Fort Smith, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,142

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

Fort Smith, AR Santiago 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Smith, AR
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

Fort Smith, AR vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Fort Smith, AR. 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 278% higher in Fort Smith, AR, 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: $681 in Fort Smith, AR versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,978 per month in Fort Smith, AR versus $1,190 in Santiago – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 13% less than in Fort Smith, AR. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Fort Smith, AR. 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 66% less than in Fort Smith, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.