Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,173 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,173

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lexington, KY 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 Lexington, KY and in Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,173 in Lexington, KY versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Lexington, KY $2,173
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Lexington, KY versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Lexington, KY $3,265
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Lexington, KY versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Lexington, KY $4,356
Santiago $2,564

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 80% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lexington, KY is 62% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.14 $13.14

$10.19 CLP 9,931

28.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 $57.5

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$8.54 CLP 8,323

7.03%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$3.19 CLP 3,115

60.82%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.68 CLP 1,637

50.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.22 CLP 1,191

68.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.21 CLP 4,101

18.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.66 CLP 4,539

28.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-40.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.80 CLP 1,756

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.58 CLP 1,543

151.90%

Eggs

$3.68 $3.68

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-8.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$6.75 CLP 6,580

50.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 $14.52

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

36.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.04 CLP 1,991

169.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.53 CLP 1,497

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$1.59 CLP 1,549

245.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.75 CLP 1,708

152.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.08 CLP 1,051

283.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.51 CLP 1,476

103.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.17 CLP 1,145

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.07 CLP 1,041

197.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.44 $8.44

$5.14 CLP 5,015

64.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 $13.02

$5.88 CLP 5,732

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.55 CLP 1,513

73.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.27 CLP 2,218

89.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.85 CLP 829

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 $29.70

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

-28.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$0.39 CLP 383

1161.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 820

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-33.33%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

104.52%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

16.84%

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

$188 $188

$151 CLP 147.3K

24.53%

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

$106 $106

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

782.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

293.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 $39.07

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

15.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.41 $30.41

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

159.47%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 $15.25

$7.37 CLP 7,185

106.92%

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

$2,222 $2,222

$434 CLP 423.3K

411.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

126.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 $31.32

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

7.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

74.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

88.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$555 CLP 540.8K

106.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 $929

$372 CLP 363.2K

149.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 $2,058

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

103.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$779 CLP 759.1K

104.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,118 $2,118

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

-20.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,077 $2,077

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-20.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,029 $4,029

$791 CLP 771.7K

409.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.39

26.53%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 5, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$929 42.3%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 59.9% $557

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$386 17.5%

Santiago

$236 20% 38.8% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$369 16.8%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 50.7% $187

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$249 11.3%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 24.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7.2%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 35.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$70 3.2%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 30.2% $21

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 27.9% $11

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 $1,147 in Lexington, KY and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays 409% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57.0 in Lexington, KY vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

07:00 7:00 AM

1 h ahead of Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

CLP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Santiago 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Lexington, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 409% higher in Lexington, KY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,147 in Lexington, KY versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $57.0 in Lexington, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,173 per month in Lexington, KY versus $1,206 in Santiago – a 80% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,173 in Lexington, KY, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Lexington, KY. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago 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.

Safety-wise, Lexington, KY and Santiago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Lexington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.