Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,566 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
Learn more

Knoxville, TN Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,566

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,566 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Knoxville, TN $2,566
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,815 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Knoxville, TN $3,815
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,064 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Knoxville, TN $5,064
Santiago $2,564

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 113% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Knoxville, TN is 92% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 $17.48

$10.19 CLP 9,931

71.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

46.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$8.54 CLP 8,323

18.74%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.19 CLP 3,115

67.71%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$1.68 CLP 1,637

60.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.22 CLP 1,191

123.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 $6.31

$4.21 CLP 4,101

49.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.65 $6.65

$4.66 CLP 4,539

42.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.80 CLP 1,756

93.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.58 CLP 1,543

201.27%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$4.25 CLP 4,141

0.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 $9.93

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-11.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$6.75 CLP 6,580

38.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.20 $15.20

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

42.46%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$2.04 CLP 1,991

231.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.53 CLP 1,497

-2.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.59 CLP 1,549

71.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$1.75 CLP 1,708

212.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.08 CLP 1,051

105.56%

Onion (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.51 CLP 1,476

174.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.17 CLP 1,145

99.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.07 CLP 1,041

104.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.14 CLP 5,015

91.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$5.88 CLP 5,732

150.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.55 CLP 1,513

24.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$2.27 CLP 2,218

37.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.85 CLP 829

18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.07 $30.07

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

-27.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 $4.96

$0.39 CLP 383

1171.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.84 CLP 820

88.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.43 $30.43

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

154.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-37.33%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

108.09%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

26.45%

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

$219 $219

$151 CLP 147.3K

44.77%

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

$73.9 $73.9

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

513.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 $53.3

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

181.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.46 $29.46

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

-12.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.85 $21.85

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

86.43%

Cinema Ticket

$15.40 $15.40

$7.37 CLP 7,185

108.96%

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

$1,230 $1,230

$434 CLP 423.3K

183.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

118.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.76 $49.76

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

-2.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.35 $45.35

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

55.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

61.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,767 $1,767

$555 CLP 540.8K

218.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 $1,264

$372 CLP 363.2K

239.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,902 $2,902

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

187.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 $2,166

$779 CLP 759.1K

178.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,689 $4,689

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

75.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,267 $2,267

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-13.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,623 $3,623

$791 CLP 771.7K

357.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.39

23.19%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.7%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 70.5% $892

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$381 15%

Santiago

$236 20% 38% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$346 13.6%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 47.4% $164

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$301 11.8%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 37.8% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$147 5.8%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 30.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.4%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 19.4% $12

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$47 1.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 5.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,767 in Knoxville, TN and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 358% 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: $76.0 in Knoxville, TN vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $381 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

1 h ahead of Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Knoxville, TN Santiago 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, TN
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

Knoxville, TN vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 113% lower than in Knoxville, TN. 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 358% higher in Knoxville, TN, 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: $1,767 in Knoxville, TN versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $76.0 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,566 in Knoxville, TN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santiago delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,206 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santiago hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 113% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.