Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MS and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,677 in Laurel, MS, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MS
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Laurel, MS Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Laurel, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Laurel, MS and in Santiago

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Laurel, MS and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,183 in Santiago, rent included.

Laurel, MS $2,677
Santiago $1,183

A couple spends around $3,828 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,882 in Santiago, rent included.

Laurel, MS $3,828
Santiago $1,882

A family of three spends $4,978 per month in Laurel, MS vs $2,581 in Santiago, rent included.

Laurel, MS $4,978
Santiago $2,581

Laurel, MS costs about 126% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Laurel, MS sits 98% above the global median, while Santiago is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 $17.65

$10.15 CLP 9,995

73.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 $60.1

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

15.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$8.56 CLP 8,423

7.94%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$3.15 CLP 3,101

85.71%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$1.71 CLP 1,685

29.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.28 CLP 1,255

86.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$4.18 CLP 4,118

17.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.46 CLP 4,390

35.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.29 CLP 1,269

-20.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.76 CLP 1,737

72.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.66 CLP 1,630

186.14%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$4.21 CLP 4,140

-7.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

-14.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 $10.90

$6.75 CLP 6,641

61.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 $16.02

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

48.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.96 CLP 1,927

101.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.54 CLP 1,518

-12.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$1.58 CLP 1,560

404.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.74 CLP 1,713

74.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.09 CLP 1,075

2.75%

Onion (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$1.53 CLP 1,509

243.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.18 CLP 1,163

130.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.08 CLP 1,060

152.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$5.18 CLP 5,101

65.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$6.17 CLP 6,070

98.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.53 CLP 1,511

58.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.36 CLP 2,325

50.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.84 CLP 824

130.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.42 CLP 416

630.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.88 CLP 869

76.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.52 $29.52

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

156.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-40.27%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

56.66%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

-0.46%

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

$289 $289

$149 CLP 146.3K

94.60%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

531.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

260.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 $42.27

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

26.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 $16.23

$7.32 CLP 7,208

121.72%

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

$1,346 $1,346

$436 CLP 429.2K

208.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

67.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

17.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

33.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

64.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

71.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 $1,623

$554 CLP 545.8K

192.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$383 CLP 376.6K

244.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 $2,465

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

145.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 $2,163

$775 CLP 762.5K

179.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,328 $2,328

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

-14.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,534 $2,534

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

-3.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 CLP 766.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.39

24.12%

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

Last update for Laurel, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MS

$1.3K 49.3%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 71% $936

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MS

$435 16.2%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 58.6% $255

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MS

$382 14.3%

Santiago

$236 20% 38.2% $146

Eating Out

Laurel, MS

$294 11%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 36.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MS

$154 5.7%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 34.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MS

$75 2.8%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 35.8% $27

Getting Around

Laurel, MS

$19 * 0.7%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 167% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in Laurel, MS versus $554 in Santiago. 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 $60.0 in Laurel, MS versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MS

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

2 h ahead of Laurel, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Laurel, MS Santiago 7,500 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MS
Santiago

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

Laurel, MS vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,677 in Laurel, MS, $1,183 in Santiago – roughly 126% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,016 per month in Laurel, MS and $1,775 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS and $52.0 in Santiago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Laurel, MS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Laurel, MS at $2,677. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laurel, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Laurel, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.