Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $593 a month against $1,108 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,108

/mo nomad

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Calama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,108 in La Serena versus $593 in Calama.

La Serena $1,108
Calama $593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,829 in La Serena versus $1,202 in Calama.

La Serena $1,829
Calama $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,550 in La Serena versus $1,812 in Calama.

La Serena $2,550
Calama $1,812

Living in La Serena is roughly 87% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Serena 18% lower, Calama 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.52 CLP 7,353

$6.95 CLP 6,799

8.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.63 CLP 46.6K

$31.55 CLP 30.8K

50.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.30 CLP 8,110

Cappuccino

$2.93 CLP 2,862

$2.10 CLP 2,053

39.52%

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

$1.06 CLP 1,036

$0.96 CLP 935

10.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 CLP 634

$0.91 CLP 889

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 CLP 2,046

$3.03 CLP 2,958

-31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 CLP 3,829

$5.14 CLP 5,021

-23.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CLP 1,141

$1.09 CLP 1,064

7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 CLP 2,257

$0.78 CLP 764

196.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 CLP 1,430

$2.70 CLP 2,643

-45.93%

Eggs

$3.87 CLP 3,782

$4.85 CLP 4,738

-20.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 CLP 12.1K

$9.10 CLP 8,900

36.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 CLP 5,841

$6.14 CLP 6,000

-2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 CLP 12.5K

$7.73 CLP 7,554

64.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 CLP 1,830

$1.23 CLP 1,204

52.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,654

$1.04 CLP 1,018

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,230

$1.58 CLP 1,540

-20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 CLP 1,404

$1.10 CLP 1,079

30.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,162

$0.89 CLP 869

33.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,223

$0.93 CLP 913

34.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 CLP 990

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CLP 875

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 CLP 5,048

$5.15 CLP 5,036

0.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 CLP 5,101

$3.96 CLP 3,870

31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 CLP 936

$1.00 CLP 976

-4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 CLP 2,059

$1.25 CLP 1,219

68.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 CLP 1,014

$0.89 CLP 873

16.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.17 CLP 34.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 CLP 719

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 CLP 1,936

$1.43 CLP 1,403

38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 CLP 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CLP 1,374

$1.45 CLP 1,419

-2.76%

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

$20.1K CLP 19.7M

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

$12.3K CLP 12.0M

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

$87.9 CLP 86.0K

$41.47 CLP 40.5K

112.01%

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

$10.80 CLP 10.6K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.11 CLP 20.6K

$13.20 CLP 12.9K

59.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.6 CLP 88.5K

$50.4 CLP 49.3K

79.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 CLP 19.8K

$20.09 CLP 19.6K

0.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 CLP 8,044

$4.47 CLP 4,368

84.12%

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

$303 CLP 296.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.76 CLP 41.8K

$35.44 CLP 34.6K

20.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 CLP 59.2K

$28.01 CLP 27.4K

116.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 CLP 88.2K

$45.68 CLP 44.7K

97.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CLP 101.4K

$60.1 CLP 58.8K

72.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 CLP 408.4K

$336 CLP 328.1K

24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 CLP 311.6K

$104 CLP 101.6K

206.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 CLP 898.4K

$808 CLP 790.4K

13.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 CLP 690.1K

$619 CLP 604.9K

14.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 CLP 2.0M

$1,401 CLP 1.4M

45.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 CLP 1.3M

$1,217 CLP 1.2M

9.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 CLP 686.4K

$1,133 CLP 1.1M

-38.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

30.00%

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

Last update for La Serena: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calama: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$319 28.8%

Calama

$104 17.5% 67.4% $215

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$233 21.1%

Calama

$174 * 29.4% 25.4% $59

Eating Out

La Serena

$145 13.1%

Calama

$114 * 19.2% 21.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$134 12.1%

Calama

$76 12.9% 43.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$120 10.8%

Calama

$55 * 9.2% 54.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$107 9.7%

Calama

$59 10% 44.6% $48

Getting Around

La Serena

$50 4.5%

Calama

$11 * 1.8% 78.5% $39

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 $418 in La Serena and $336 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in La Serena vs $32 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $174 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇨🇱 Calama

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

Same time as La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

157,575

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

La Serena Calama 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in La Serena. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in La Serena. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $418 in La Serena versus $336 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,108 per month in La Serena versus $593 in Calama – Calama is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in La Serena. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $593 in Calama versus $1,108 in La Serena, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in La Serena. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.