Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Antofagasta

For one person, living is cheaper in Antofagasta: $888 a month against $1,092 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in La Serena despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Antofagasta
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Antofagasta Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,092

/mo nomad

Antofagasta

🇨🇱 Chile

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Serena and in Antofagasta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,092 in La Serena versus $888 in Antofagasta.

La Serena $1,092
Antofagasta $888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,818 in La Serena versus $1,416 in Antofagasta.

La Serena $1,818
Antofagasta $1,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in La Serena versus $1,944 in Antofagasta.

La Serena $2,544
Antofagasta $1,944

Living in La Serena is roughly 23% more expensive than in Antofagasta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Serena 19% lower, Antofagasta 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 CLP 7,364

$7.05 CLP 6,935

6.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.67 CLP 46.9K

$35.93 CLP 35.4K

32.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 CLP 7,941

$7.29 CLP 7,179

10.70%

Cappuccino

$2.78 CLP 2,734

$2.57 CLP 2,528

8.17%

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

$1.05 CLP 1,032

$1.28 CLP 1,264

-17.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 CLP 665

$0.88 CLP 862

-22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CLP 1,955

$1.51 CLP 1,488

31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 CLP 3,662

$1.79 CLP 1,765

107.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 CLP 1,161

$1.07 CLP 1,054

10.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 CLP 2,364

$1.86 CLP 1,834

29.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,452

$1.22 CLP 1,199

20.49%

Eggs

$3.73 CLP 3,669

$2.59 CLP 2,553

44.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 CLP 12.3K

$9.02 CLP 8,878

38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 CLP 5,660

$3.31 CLP 3,260

73.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 CLP 12.3K

$7.72 CLP 7,599

61.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 CLP 1,851

$2.03 CLP 1,996

-7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,665

$2.26 CLP 2,223

-25.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 CLP 1,248

$2.85 CLP 2,809

-55.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,443

$1.10 CLP 1,081

33.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 CLP 1,130

$0.88 CLP 864

30.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 CLP 1,188

$0.78 CLP 772

55.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 CLP 1,052

$1.30 CLP 1,283

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 CLP 864

$1.12 CLP 1,102

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 CLP 5,176

$5.29 CLP 5,209

-0.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 CLP 5,167

$5.13 CLP 5,048

2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CLP 930

$1.35 CLP 1,328

-29.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CLP 2,017

$1.01 CLP 992

102.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 CLP 988

$0.62 CLP 613

61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.05 CLP 34.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 CLP 742

$2.63 CLP 2,584

-71.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 CLP 2,031

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.12 CLP 11.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,396

$1.34 CLP 1,318

5.97%

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

$19.6K CLP 19.3M

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

$12.4K CLP 12.2M

$17.5K CLP 17.2M

-29.24%

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

$88.2 CLP 86.8K

$46.23 CLP 45.5K

90.76%

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

$10.93 CLP 10.8K

$9.82 CLP 9,669

11.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 CLP 20.9K

$12.54 CLP 12.3K

68.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.7 CLP 82.3K

$41.34 CLP 40.7K

102.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 CLP 19.8K

$25.15 CLP 24.8K

-20.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 CLP 7,819

$5.17 CLP 5,086

53.58%

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

$255 CLP 250.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,160 CLP 3.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.29 CLP 42.6K

$39.01 CLP 38.4K

10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 CLP 60.0K

$15.18 CLP 14.9K

301.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 CLP 90.0K

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

56.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CLP 101.0K

$67.7 CLP 66.6K

51.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 CLP 423.4K

$437 CLP 430.0K

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 CLP 308.4K

$359 CLP 352.9K

-12.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 CLP 905.3K

$811 CLP 798.7K

13.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 CLP 711.7K

$659 CLP 648.9K

9.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,996 CLP 2.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,339 CLP 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$719 CLP 707.6K

$711 CLP 700.2K

1.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

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

Last update for La Serena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Antofagasta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$313 28.7%

Antofagasta

$359 40.4% 14.4% $45

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$232 21.3%

Antofagasta

$194 21.8% 16.6% $39

Eating Out

La Serena

$142 13%

Antofagasta

$129 14.5% 9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$134 12.3%

Antofagasta

$81 9.1% 39.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$120 11%

Antofagasta

$69 7.7% 43% $52

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$100 9.1%

Antofagasta

$52 5.8% 48.1% $48

Getting Around

La Serena

$50 4.6%

Antofagasta

$5.1 * 0.6% 89.8% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in La Serena and $437 in Antofagasta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

La Serena pays 1% 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: $48.00 in La Serena vs $36.00 in Antofagasta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $194 per month, with Antofagasta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇨🇱 Antofagasta

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

348,517

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

La Serena Antofagasta 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

La Serena vs Antofagasta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antofagasta wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in La Serena. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Antofagasta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1% higher in La Serena, 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: $430 in La Serena versus $437 in Antofagasta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,092 per month in La Serena versus $888 in Antofagasta – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in La Serena. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $888 in Antofagasta versus $1,092 in La Serena, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Antofagasta but tight or insufficient in La Serena. The gap between the two cities makes Antofagasta 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 Antofagasta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in La Serena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.