Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,108 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,108

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Serena 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 La Serena and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,108 per month in La Serena vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

La Serena $1,108
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,829 per month in La Serena vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

La Serena $1,829
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,550 per month in La Serena vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

La Serena $2,550
Cape Town $3,306

La Serena is about 27% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

La Serena sits 18% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.52 CLP 7,353

$12.01 R 198

-37.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.63 CLP 46.6K

$42.92 R 707

10.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.30 CLP 8,110

$6.15 R 101

34.96%

Cappuccino

$2.93 CLP 2,862

$2.37 R 39.04

23.63%

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

$1.06 CLP 1,036

$1.27 R 20.96

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 CLP 634

$0.94 R 15.46

-30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 CLP 2,046

$2.96 R 48.77

-29.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 CLP 3,829

$3.69 R 60.8

6.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CLP 1,141

$1.32 R 21.73

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 CLP 2,257

$1.21 R 19.87

90.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 CLP 1,430

$2.20 R 36.26

-33.64%

Eggs

$3.87 CLP 3,782

$3.10 R 51.1

24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 CLP 12.1K

$8.73 R 144

42.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 CLP 5,841

$6.89 R 114

-13.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 CLP 12.5K

$9.26 R 153

37.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 CLP 1,830

$1.83 R 30.08

2.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,654

$1.95 R 32.12

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,230

$1.66 R 27.32

-24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 CLP 1,404

$2.14 R 35.19

-32.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,162

$1.58 R 26.01

-24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,223

$1.47 R 24.29

-14.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.35 R 22.18

-25.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CLP 875

$1.14 R 18.85

-21.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 CLP 5,048

$3.58 R 59.0

44.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 CLP 5,101

$6.05 R 99.7

-13.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 CLP 936

$1.39 R 22.95

-30.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 CLP 2,059

$2.18 R 35.90

-3.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 CLP 1,014

$1.40 R 23.02

-25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.17 CLP 34.4K

$60.8 R 1,001

-42.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 CLP 719

$0.93 R 15.26

-20.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 CLP 1,936

$0.90 R 14.83

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 CLP 12.0K

$4.96 R 81.7

147.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CLP 1,374

$1.54 R 25.37

-8.44%

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

$20.1K CLP 19.7M

$35.4K R 582.8K

-43.16%

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

$12.3K CLP 12.0M

$33.4K R 549.9K

-63.18%

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

$87.9 CLP 86.0K

$117 R 1,929

-24.90%

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

$10.80 CLP 10.6K

$25.71 R 424

-57.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.11 CLP 20.6K

$39.41 R 649

-46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.6 CLP 88.5K

$51.6 R 850

75.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 CLP 19.8K

$11.35 R 187

78.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 CLP 8,044

$8.89 R 146

-7.42%

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

$308 R 5,069

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.76 CLP 41.8K

$57.4 R 946

-25.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 CLP 59.2K

$31.75 R 523

90.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 CLP 88.2K

$116 R 1,911

-22.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CLP 101.4K

$101 R 1,660

2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 CLP 408.4K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-60.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 CLP 311.6K

$669 R 11.0K

-52.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 CLP 898.4K

$1,861 R 30.7K

-50.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 CLP 690.1K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-49.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 CLP 2.0M

$2,410 R 39.7K

-15.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 CLP 1.3M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-15.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 CLP 686.4K

$1,630 R 26.9K

-56.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

10.89

-40.31%

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

Last update for La Serena: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$319 28.8%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 110% $350

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$233 21.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 4.4% $10

Eating Out

La Serena

$145 13.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 19.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$134 12.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 2.9% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$120 10.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 52% $62

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$107 9.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 35.2% $38

Getting Around

La Serena

$50 4.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 43.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in La Serena 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 in Cape Town are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in La Serena versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

5 h ahead of La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

La Serena Cape Town 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
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

La Serena vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 38% more than La Serena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,662 per month in La Serena 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 La Serena, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,108 in La Serena and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes La Serena about 27% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in La Serena and $43 in Cape Town. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,108, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In La Serena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,108 in La Serena to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with La Serena. 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.