Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and San Pedro de Atacama

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro de Atacama: $1,078 a month against $1,108 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $360 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
51

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro de Atacama
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San Pedro de Atacama Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,108

/mo nomad

San Pedro de Atacama

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Serena and in San Pedro de Atacama

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 San Pedro de Atacama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,108 per month in La Serena vs $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

La Serena $1,108
San Pedro de Atacama $1,078

A couple spends around $1,829 per month in La Serena vs $1,628 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

La Serena $1,829
San Pedro de Atacama $1,628

A family of three spends $2,550 per month in La Serena vs $2,178 in San Pedro de Atacama, rent included.

La Serena $2,550
San Pedro de Atacama $2,178

La Serena costs about 3% more than San Pedro de Atacama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both La Serena and San Pedro de Atacama are more affordable than the global median – La Serena 18% lower, San Pedro de Atacama 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.52 CLP 7,364

$7.15 CLP 7,000

5.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.63 CLP 46.6K

$44.87 CLP 43.9K

6.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.30 CLP 8,122

$8.20 CLP 8,030

1.22%

Cappuccino

$2.93 CLP 2,867

$2.80 CLP 2,742

4.64%

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

$1.06 CLP 1,038

$1.58 CLP 1,546

-32.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 CLP 635

$1.17 CLP 1,149

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 CLP 2,049

$3.46 CLP 3,387

-39.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 CLP 3,835

$3.89 CLP 3,812

0.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 CLP 1,143

$1.18 CLP 1,155

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 CLP 2,261

$1.47 CLP 1,444

57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 CLP 1,432

$1.64 CLP 1,604

-10.98%

Eggs

$3.87 CLP 3,788

$3.70 CLP 3,627

4.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 CLP 12.2K

$10.32 CLP 10.1K

20.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.97 CLP 5,850

$6.68 CLP 6,543

-10.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.75 CLP 12.5K

$11.69 CLP 11.4K

9.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 CLP 1,833

$1.99 CLP 1,946

-6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,656

$1.57 CLP 1,534

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,232

$1.77 CLP 1,732

-28.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 CLP 1,406

$1.73 CLP 1,698

-16.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 CLP 1,164

$1.66 CLP 1,626

-28.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,225

$1.54 CLP 1,512

-18.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 CLP 992

$1.36 CLP 1,327

-25.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 CLP 876

$1.23 CLP 1,200

-27.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 CLP 5,055

$5.18 CLP 5,076

-0.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 CLP 5,109

$5.22 CLP 5,114

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 CLP 937

$1.62 CLP 1,583

-40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 CLP 2,062

$2.17 CLP 2,121

-2.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 CLP 1,015

$0.62 CLP 612

67.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.17 CLP 34.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 CLP 720

$0.70 CLP 681

5.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 CLP 1,939

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 CLP 12.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CLP 1,376

$1.38 CLP 1,348

2.17%

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

$20.1K CLP 19.7M

$17.9K CLP 17.5M

12.39%

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

$12.3K CLP 12.0M

$19.3K CLP 18.9M

-36.28%

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

$87.9 CLP 86.1K

$134 CLP 131.5K

-34.53%

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

$10.80 CLP 10.6K

$13.70 CLP 13.4K

-21.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.11 CLP 20.7K

$21.72 CLP 21.3K

-2.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.6 CLP 88.7K

$38.10 CLP 37.3K

137.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 CLP 19.8K

$23.29 CLP 22.8K

-13.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 CLP 8,056

$5.32 CLP 5,212

54.70%

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

$386 CLP 377.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,304 CLP 8.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.76 CLP 41.9K

$47.49 CLP 46.5K

-9.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 CLP 59.3K

$25.06 CLP 24.5K

141.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 CLP 88.3K

$60.7 CLP 59.4K

48.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CLP 101.5K

$81.5 CLP 79.8K

27.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 CLP 409.0K

$484 CLP 473.8K

-13.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 CLP 312.0K

$375 CLP 366.9K

-14.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 CLP 899.8K

$889 CLP 870.9K

3.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 CLP 691.2K

$584 CLP 572.2K

20.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,036 CLP 2.0M

$2,309 CLP 2.3M

-11.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 CLP 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 CLP 687.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.01

29.74%

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

Last update for La Serena: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Pedro de Atacama: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$319 28.8%

San Pedro de Atacama

$375 34.8% 17.6% $56

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$233 21.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$234 21.7% 0% $0

Eating Out

La Serena

$145 13.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$152 14.1% 4.3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$134 12.1%

San Pedro de Atacama

$97 9% 27.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$120 10.8%

San Pedro de Atacama

$170 15.7% 41.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$107 9.7%

San Pedro de Atacama

$49 4.5% 54.4% $58

Getting Around

La Serena

$50 4.5%

San Pedro de Atacama

$3.2 * 0.3% 93.6% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in La Serena versus $484 in San Pedro de Atacama. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in La Serena versus $45 in San Pedro de Atacama. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in La Serena vs $234 in San Pedro de Atacama – so La Serena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇨🇱 San Pedro de Atacama

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

Same time as La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

5,347

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

La Serena San Pedro de Atacama 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
San Pedro de Atacama

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 San Pedro de Atacama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – La Serena is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,662 per month in La Serena and $1,617 in San Pedro de Atacama. 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 $484 in San Pedro de Atacama.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,108 in La Serena and $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama. That makes San Pedro de Atacama about 3% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in La Serena and $45 in San Pedro de Atacama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,108 in La Serena and $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Pedro de Atacama has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,078 in San Pedro de Atacama to $1,108 in La Serena. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.