Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Idaho Falls, ID and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,339 in Idaho Falls, ID, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Idaho Falls, ID
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Idaho Falls, ID Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Idaho Falls, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,339

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,339 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $1,190 in Santiago, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $2,339
Santiago $1,190

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $1,892 in Santiago, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $3,358
Santiago $1,892

A family of three spends $4,376 per month in Idaho Falls, ID vs $2,595 in Santiago, rent included.

Idaho Falls, ID $4,376
Santiago $2,595

Idaho Falls, ID costs about 97% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Idaho Falls, ID sits 73% above the global median, while Santiago is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 $17.68

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

70.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

0.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$8.94 CLP 8,805

13.20%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.26 CLP 3,211

52.45%

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

$2.20 $2.20

$1.67 CLP 1,640

31.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.23 CLP 1,212

25.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-1.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$4.54 CLP 4,465

52.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.28 CLP 1,263

-44.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.85 CLP 1,817

104.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.59 CLP 1,567

85.53%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$4.10 CLP 4,031

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

5.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$6.69 CLP 6,586

1.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 $9.69

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

-10.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.94 CLP 1,905

13.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.60 CLP 1,577

32.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.69 CLP 1,668

20.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.10 CLP 1,084

47.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.52 CLP 1,500

66.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.18 CLP 1,164

55.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.08 CLP 1,061

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.02 $10.02

$5.07 CLP 4,995

97.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$5.95 CLP 5,858

27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.49 CLP 1,470

16.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.38 CLP 2,342

-38.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.83 CLP 821

269.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 $2.49

$0.40 CLP 393

522.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.91 CLP 897

153.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.08 $25.08

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

115.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-27.15%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

106.22%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

16.80%

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

$166 $166

$151 CLP 149.0K

9.95%

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

$49.89 $49.89

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

304.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 $65.0

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

246.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 $38.32

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

13.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 $11.27

$7.45 CLP 7,334

51.28%

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

$969 $969

$430 CLP 423.7K

125.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

93.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.50 $42.50

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

-14.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.50 $45.50

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

57.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 $69.1

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

5.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 $96.0

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

18.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 $1,341

$559 CLP 550.4K

139.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$384 CLP 377.8K

238.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 $2,028

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

102.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 $2,150

$780 CLP 767.9K

175.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,826 $1,826

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-30.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,895 $1,895

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-25.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,390 $3,390

$804 CLP 791.0K

321.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.12

5.39

13.54%

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

Last update for Idaho Falls, ID: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Idaho Falls, ID

$1.3K 55.6%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 70.5% $916

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Idaho Falls, ID

$281 12%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 35.1% $99

Eating Out

Idaho Falls, ID

$280 12%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 32.3% $90

Groceries & Markets

Idaho Falls, ID

$277 11.8%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 14.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Idaho Falls, ID

$114 4.9%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 11.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Idaho Falls, ID

$61 2.6%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 20.1% $12

Getting Around

Idaho Falls, ID

$26 * 1.1%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 83.8% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $559 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 322% higher in Idaho Falls, ID, 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 $52.0 in Idaho Falls, ID versus $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries tell a different story – $277 in Idaho Falls, ID vs $236 in Santiago – so Santiago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Idaho Falls, ID

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

3 h ahead of Idaho Falls, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,459

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Idaho Falls, ID Santiago 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Idaho Falls, ID
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

Idaho Falls, ID vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Idaho Falls, ID is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,509 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $1,785 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,339 in Idaho Falls, ID and $1,190 in Santiago. That's a gap of about 97%.

Kindergarten costs $969 per month in Idaho Falls, ID and $430 in Santiago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Idaho Falls, ID at $2,339. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Idaho Falls, ID it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Idaho Falls, ID makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.