Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Vina del Mar

For one person, living costs are similar in La Serena and in Vina del Mar: $1,092 and $1,062 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Vina del Mar
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Vina del Mar Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,092

/mo nomad

Vina del Mar

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Serena and in Vina del Mar

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 Vina del Mar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,092 per month in La Serena vs $1,062 in Vina del Mar, rent included.

La Serena $1,092
Vina del Mar $1,062

A couple spends around $1,818 per month in La Serena vs $1,710 in Vina del Mar, rent included.

La Serena $1,818
Vina del Mar $1,710

A family of three spends $2,544 per month in La Serena vs $2,357 in Vina del Mar, rent included.

La Serena $2,544
Vina del Mar $2,357

La Serena costs about 3% more than Vina del Mar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both La Serena and Vina del Mar are more affordable than the global median – La Serena 19% lower, Vina del Mar 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 CLP 7,364

$8.36 CLP 8,230

-10.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.67 CLP 46.9K

$58.4 CLP 57.5K

-18.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 CLP 7,941

$7.82 CLP 7,699

3.20%

Cappuccino

$2.78 CLP 2,734

$3.50 CLP 3,442

-20.57%

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

$1.05 CLP 1,032

$1.42 CLP 1,394

-26.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 CLP 665

$1.09 CLP 1,073

-37.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CLP 1,955

$3.56 CLP 3,508

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 CLP 3,662

$3.41 CLP 3,356

9.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 CLP 1,161

$1.31 CLP 1,292

-9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 CLP 2,364

$1.18 CLP 1,166

103.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,452

$1.64 CLP 1,618

-10.37%

Eggs

$3.73 CLP 3,669

$3.51 CLP 3,454

6.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 CLP 12.3K

$9.66 CLP 9,505

29.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 CLP 5,660

$5.13 CLP 5,053

12.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 CLP 12.3K

$12.02 CLP 11.8K

3.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 CLP 1,851

$1.51 CLP 1,490

24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,665

$1.79 CLP 1,763

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 CLP 1,248

$1.29 CLP 1,270

-1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,443

$1.11 CLP 1,091

32.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 CLP 1,130

$1.55 CLP 1,525

-25.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 CLP 1,188

$1.26 CLP 1,241

-3.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 CLP 1,052

$0.98 CLP 966

9.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 CLP 864

$1.24 CLP 1,223

-29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 CLP 5,176

$4.88 CLP 4,801

7.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 CLP 5,167

$7.28 CLP 7,171

-27.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CLP 930

$1.75 CLP 1,727

-45.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CLP 2,017

$2.15 CLP 2,121

-4.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 CLP 988

$0.52 CLP 514

92.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.05 CLP 34.5K

$38.66 CLP 38.1K

-9.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 CLP 742

$1.49 CLP 1,469

-49.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 CLP 2,031

$1.25 CLP 1,228

64.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.12 CLP 11.9K

$12.33 CLP 12.1K

-1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,396

$1.36 CLP 1,338

4.41%

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

$19.6K CLP 19.3M

$18.3K CLP 18.0M

7.19%

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

$12.4K CLP 12.2M

$17.4K CLP 17.2M

-29.02%

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

$88.2 CLP 86.8K

$108 CLP 106.3K

-18.33%

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

$10.93 CLP 10.8K

$14.92 CLP 14.7K

-26.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 CLP 20.9K

$17.68 CLP 17.4K

19.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.7 CLP 82.3K

$44.29 CLP 43.6K

88.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 CLP 19.8K

$23.63 CLP 23.3K

-15.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 CLP 7,819

$6.06 CLP 5,965

31.02%

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

$497 CLP 489.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,087 CLP 5.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.29 CLP 42.6K

$43.11 CLP 42.4K

0.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 CLP 60.0K

$33.47 CLP 32.9K

82.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 CLP 90.0K

$55.2 CLP 54.3K

65.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CLP 101.0K

$85.8 CLP 84.5K

19.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 CLP 423.4K

$468 CLP 460.8K

-8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 CLP 308.4K

$333 CLP 328.0K

-5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 CLP 905.3K

$836 CLP 823.0K

10.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 CLP 711.7K

$619 CLP 609.3K

16.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,996 CLP 2.0M

$2,379 CLP 2.3M

-16.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,339 CLP 1.3M

$1,525 CLP 1.5M

-12.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$719 CLP 707.6K

$1,075 CLP 1.1M

-33.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.83

34.58%

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

Last update for La Serena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vina del Mar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$313 28.7%

Vina del Mar

$333 31.4% 6.3% $20

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$232 21.3%

Vina del Mar

$219 20.6% 5.8% $13

Eating Out

La Serena

$142 13%

Vina del Mar

$167 15.7% 17.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$134 12.3%

Vina del Mar

$98 9.2% 27.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$120 11%

Vina del Mar

$141 13.2% 16.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$100 9.1%

Vina del Mar

$56 5.3% 43.3% $43

Getting Around

La Serena

$50 4.6%

Vina del Mar

$48 4.6% 3.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $430 in La Serena versus $468 in Vina del Mar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 50% higher in Vina del Mar, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in La Serena versus $58.0 in Vina del Mar. Groceries tell a different story – $232 in La Serena vs $219 in Vina del Mar – so Vina del Mar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇨🇱 Vina del Mar

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

332,875

💱 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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La Serena Vina del Mar 350 km

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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 Vina del Mar: 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 $1,637 per month in La Serena and $1,594 in Vina del Mar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vina del Mar, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,092 in La Serena and $1,062 in Vina del Mar. That's a gap of about 3%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in La Serena and $58.0 in Vina del Mar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vina del Mar, where all-in costs run around $1,062, than in La Serena at $1,092. In Vina del Mar it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Serena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vina del Mar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Vina del Mar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Serena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.