Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hay River, NT and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,228 in Hay River, NT, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hay River, NT
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,228
/mo nomad
Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,183
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $1,183 in Santiago, rent included.

  • Hay River, NT $2,228
  • Santiago $1,183

A couple spends around $3,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $1,882 in Santiago, rent included.

  • Hay River, NT $3,228
  • Santiago $1,882

A family of three spends $4,227 per month in Hay River, NT vs $2,581 in Santiago, rent included.

  • Hay River, NT $4,227
  • Santiago $2,581

Hay River, NT costs about 88% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hay River, NT sits 64% above the global median, while Santiago is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.76 CA$25.11
$10.15 CLP 9,995
74.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.5 CA$91.1
$51.9 CLP 51.1K
24.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.38 CA$14.67
$8.56 CLP 8,423
21.26%
Cappuccino
$3.54 CA$5.01
$3.15 CLP 3,101
12.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 CA$2.87
$1.71 CLP 1,685
18.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.27
$1.28 CLP 1,255
25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.28 CA$7.46
$4.18 CLP 4,118
26.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.67 CA$8.01
$4.46 CLP 4,390
27.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.00 CA$2.82
$1.29 CLP 1,269
55.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.50 CA$3.53
$1.76 CLP 1,737
42.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.28 CA$4.63
$1.66 CLP 1,630
97.59%
Eggs
$3.44 CA$4.86
$4.21 CLP 4,140
-18.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.04 CA$14.19
$11.08 CLP 10.9K
-9.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.38 CA$16.09
$6.75 CLP 6,641
68.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.79 CA$20.91
$10.76 CLP 10.6K
37.45%
Apples (1kg)
$3.71 CA$5.24
$1.96 CLP 1,927
89.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 CA$1.87
$1.54 CLP 1,518
-14.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.74 CA$5.29
$1.58 CLP 1,560
136.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.79 CA$5.35
$1.74 CLP 1,713
117.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 CA$3.46
$1.09 CLP 1,075
124.77%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 CA$3.17
$1.53 CLP 1,509
47.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.42 CA$3.42
$1.18 CLP 1,163
105.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 CA$2.29
$1.08 CLP 1,060
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.17 CA$20.03
$5.18 CLP 5,101
173.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.77 CA$18.05
$6.17 CLP 6,070
106.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 CA$3.72
$1.53 CLP 1,511
71.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 CA$4.38
$2.36 CLP 2,325
31.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 CA$3.20
$0.84 CLP 824
169.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$62.1 CA$87.7
$41.44 CLP 40.8K
49.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.79 CA$3.95
$0.42 CLP 416
564.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 CA$2.07
$0.88 CLP 869
65.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.52 CA$31.83
$11.49 CLP 11.3K
96.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 CA$1.62
$1.49 CLP 1,462
-22.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K CA$39.6K
$17.2K CLP 17.0M
62.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K CA$27.1K
$25.6K CLP 25.2M
-25.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 CA$186
$149 CLP 146.3K
-11.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.62 CA$53.2
$12.11 CLP 11.9K
210.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.7 CA$74.4
$19.13 CLP 18.8K
175.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.43 CA$57.2
$33.30 CLP 32.8K
21.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.00 CA$25.45
$11.51 CLP 11.3K
56.39%
Cinema Ticket
$10.86 CA$15.35
$7.32 CLP 7,208
48.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$760 CA$1,074
$436 CLP 429.2K
74.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.1K CA$18.5K
$11.0K CLP 10.8M
19.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.6 CA$74.4
$49.17 CLP 48.4K
7.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.34 CA$54.2
$29.11 CLP 28.7K
31.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.9 CA$119
$65.5 CLP 64.5K
28.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 CA$147
$80.1 CLP 78.9K
29.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 CA$1,597
$554 CLP 545.8K
103.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 CA$1,584
$383 CLP 376.6K
192.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,928 CA$2,725
$1,002 CLP 986.5K
92.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,716 CA$2,426
$775 CLP 762.5K
121.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,164 CA$5,887
$2,708 CLP 2.7M
53.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,582 CA$5,065
$2,613 CLP 2.6M
37.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hay River, NT
Santiago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,273 CA$6,041
$778 CLP 766.3K
448.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.66
5.39
-13.54%

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

Last update for Hay River, NT: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hay River, NT
$1.1K
Santiago
$383 65.8% $738
Groceries & Markets
Hay River, NT
$349
Santiago
$236 32.5% $113
Eating Out
Hay River, NT
$268
Santiago
$186 30.4% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hay River, NT
$222
Santiago
$180 18.9% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Hay River, NT
$125
Santiago
$101 19.7% $25
Getting Around
Hay River, NT
$81
Santiago
$50 38.9% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Hay River, NT
$62
Santiago
$48 22.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Hay River, NT versus $554 in Santiago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 449% higher in Hay River, NT, 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 $64.0 in Hay River, NT versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Hay River, NT
🇨🇱 Santiago
🕒 Local time
03:52 3:52 AM
06:52 6:52 AM
3 h ahead of Hay River, NT
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,600
6,139,087 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hay River, NT Santiago 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hay River, NT
  • 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
Hay River, NT vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hay River, NT or Santiago?
Hay River, NT costs about 88% more than Santiago, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Hay River, NT and in Santiago?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,342 per month in Hay River, NT and $1,775 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Hay River, NT or Santiago?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Hay River, NT compared to Santiago?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,228 in Hay River, NT and $1,183 in Santiago. That's a gap of about 88%.
How expensive is transport in Hay River, NT compared to Santiago?
Public transport costs about 50% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Hay River, NT or in Santiago?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Hay River, NT at $2,228. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hay River, NT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Santiago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Hay River, NT or to Santiago?
If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hay River, NT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Hay River, NT vs other spots: cost of living compared

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