Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Curico

For one person, living is cheaper in Curico: $964 a month against $1,099 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in La Serena despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Curico
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Curico Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,099

/mo nomad

Curico

🇨🇱 Chile

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,099 in La Serena versus $964 in Curico.

La Serena $1,099
Curico $964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,829 in La Serena versus $1,416 in Curico.

La Serena $1,829
Curico $1,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,559 in La Serena versus $1,867 in Curico.

La Serena $2,559
Curico $1,867

Living in La Serena is roughly 14% more expensive than in Curico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: La Serena 19% lower, Curico 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 CLP 7,678

$5.50 CLP 5,417

41.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.89 CLP 47.1K

$46.01 CLP 45.3K

4.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 CLP 8,255

$8.65 CLP 8,510

-3.01%

Cappuccino

$2.78 CLP 2,733

$3.16 CLP 3,114

-12.03%

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

$1.05 CLP 1,037

$1.69 CLP 1,662

-37.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 CLP 638

$1.27 CLP 1,250

-48.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.08 CLP 2,047

$2.73 CLP 2,690

-23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CLP 3,844

$2.59 CLP 2,551

50.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 CLP 1,197

$1.20 CLP 1,180

1.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 CLP 2,326

$1.76 CLP 1,729

34.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,448

$1.66 CLP 1,639

-11.45%

Eggs

$3.85 CLP 3,793

$2.14 CLP 2,106

79.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.15 CLP 12.0K

$11.17 CLP 11.0K

8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.89 CLP 5,801

$7.03 CLP 6,916

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 CLP 12.2K

$10.80 CLP 10.6K

15.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 CLP 1,861

$1.94 CLP 1,914

-2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 CLP 1,733

$1.50 CLP 1,481

17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 CLP 1,257

$1.61 CLP 1,581

-20.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 CLP 1,431

$1.73 CLP 1,706

-16.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 CLP 1,128

$1.10 CLP 1,082

4.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 CLP 1,177

$1.46 CLP 1,437

-17.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 CLP 1,010

$1.22 CLP 1,198

-15.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 CLP 863

$0.96 CLP 950

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 CLP 5,138

$5.34 CLP 5,258

-2.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 CLP 5,100

$6.13 CLP 6,033

-15.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$1.49 CLP 1,468

-36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 CLP 1,992

$2.28 CLP 2,241

-11.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 CLP 1,028

$0.68 CLP 674

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.03 CLP 35.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 CLP 697

$0.40 CLP 389

77.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 CLP 2,041

$0.91 CLP 894

127.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 CLP 12.0K

$11.70 CLP 11.5K

4.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,394

$1.34 CLP 1,319

5.97%

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

$20.1K CLP 19.7M

$17.1K CLP 16.8M

17.15%

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

$12.3K CLP 12.1M

$25.4K CLP 25.0M

-51.53%

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

$85.8 CLP 84.5K

$150 CLP 148.1K

-42.96%

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

$10.93 CLP 10.8K

$10.36 CLP 10.2K

5.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.68 CLP 20.4K

$19.11 CLP 18.8K

8.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.9 CLP 82.6K

$20.45 CLP 20.1K

310.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.71 CLP 20.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 CLP 7,912

$7.61 CLP 7,488

5.65%

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

$401 CLP 394.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CLP 10.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.49 CLP 42.8K

$50.4 CLP 49.6K

-13.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 CLP 60.1K

$28.34 CLP 27.9K

115.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 CLP 90.9K

$35.67 CLP 35.1K

158.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CLP 103.7K

$45.43 CLP 44.7K

131.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 CLP 417.6K

$436 CLP 429.3K

-2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 CLP 311.1K

$304 CLP 299.3K

3.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$899 CLP 884.5K

$681 CLP 670.1K

32.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 CLP 711.7K

$406 CLP 399.3K

78.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 CLP 2.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,319 CLP 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$698 CLP 687.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.39

20.59%

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

Last update for La Serena: October 18, 2026

Last update for Curico: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$316 28.8%

Curico

$304 31.5% 3.8% $12

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$232 21.1%

Curico

$227 23.5% 2.4% $5.7

Eating Out

La Serena

$146 13.3%

Curico

$139 14.4% 5% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$136 12.4%

Curico

$72 7.5% 47.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$117 10.7%

Curico

$180 18.7% 53.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$100 9.1%

Curico

$36 3.7% 64.3% $64

Getting Around

La Serena

$51 4.7%

Curico

$7.7 * 0.8% 85% $44

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 $424 in La Serena and $436 in Curico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in La Serena vs $46.00 in Curico for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $232 vs $227 per month, with Curico cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇨🇱 Curico

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

125,275

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

La Serena Curico 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
Curico

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 Curico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curico is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,648 in La Serena and $1,447 in Curico to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $424 in La Serena versus $436 in Curico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in La Serena. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Curico – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $48.00 in La Serena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $964 in Curico versus $1,099 in La Serena, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Curico but tight or insufficient in La Serena. The gap between the two cities makes Curico 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 Curico gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in La Serena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.