Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquique and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $1,005 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,005

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iquique and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Iquique and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,005 per month in Iquique vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Iquique $1,005
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,595 per month in Iquique vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Iquique $1,595
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,184 per month in Iquique vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Iquique $2,184
Cape Town $3,306

Iquique is about 34% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Iquique sits 26% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 CLP 7,707

$12.01 R 199

-34.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.43 CLP 40.6K

$42.92 R 709

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 CLP 6,962

$6.15 R 102

15.61%

Cappuccino

$3.34 CLP 3,270

$2.37 R 39.16

40.93%

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

$1.23 CLP 1,204

$1.27 R 21.03

-3.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 CLP 1,009

$0.94 R 15.50

9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 CLP 3,175

$2.96 R 48.92

9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 CLP 3,573

$3.69 R 61.0

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 CLP 1,105

$1.32 R 21.80

-14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 CLP 1,110

$1.21 R 19.93

-6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 CLP 1,325

$2.20 R 36.37

-38.64%

Eggs

$3.00 CLP 2,934

$3.10 R 51.3

-3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 CLP 9,854

$8.73 R 144

15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 CLP 10.1K

$6.89 R 114

49.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 CLP 2,182

$1.83 R 30.17

21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 CLP 2,171

$1.95 R 32.22

13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,487

$1.66 R 27.40

-8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,033

$2.14 R 35.30

-50.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 CLP 762

$1.58 R 26.09

-50.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 CLP 579

$1.47 R 24.37

-59.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 CLP 1,025

$1.35 R 22.25

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 CLP 1,331

$1.14 R 18.91

19.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 CLP 7,104

$3.58 R 59.1

102.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.69 CLP 7,528

$6.05 R 100

27.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 CLP 775

$2.18 R 36.01

-63.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 CLP 659

$1.40 R 23.09

-52.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CLP 1,384

$1.54 R 25.45

-8.44%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

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

$86.5 CLP 84.7K

$117 R 1,935

-26.10%

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

$15.25 CLP 14.9K

$25.71 R 425

-40.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.65 CLP 23.2K

$39.41 R 651

-39.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 CLP 49.3K

$51.6 R 853

-2.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 CLP 6,809

$8.89 R 147

-21.82%

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

$260 CLP 254.3K

$308 R 5,085

-15.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.02 CLP 29.4K

$57.4 R 948

-47.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.90 CLP 22.4K

$31.75 R 525

-27.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.32 CLP 44.4K

$116 R 1,917

-60.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.6 CLP 56.4K

$101 R 1,665

-42.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 CLP 406.3K

$1,047 R 17.3K

-60.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 CLP 379.4K

$669 R 11.1K

-42.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$682 CLP 668.1K

$1,861 R 30.8K

-63.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 CLP 759.3K

$1,407 R 23.3K

-44.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,731 CLP 1.7M

$2,410 R 39.8K

-28.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,945 CLP 1.9M

$1,570 R 25.9K

23.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 CLP 918.4K

$1,630 R 26.9K

-42.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

10.89

-31.13%

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

Last update for Iquique: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iquique

$387 38.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 72.7% $282

Groceries & Markets

Iquique

$199 * 19.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 12.4% $25

Eating Out

Iquique

$157 15.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 10.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquique

$125 12.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 45.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Iquique

$70 7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 96.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Iquique

$64 6.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 8.1% $5.2

Getting Around

Iquique

$2.7 * 0.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 2568% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Iquique versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 74% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Iquique versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $223 – making Iquique the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Iquique

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

5 h ahead of Iquique

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,003

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iquique Cape Town 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquique
Cape Town

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

Iquique vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 52% more than Iquique, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,508 per month in Iquique and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iquique, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $415 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,005 in Iquique and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Iquique about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $260 per month in Iquique and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,005 in Iquique and $1,527 in Cape Town, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Iquique – 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 Iquique. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.