Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, MA and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,672 in Lexington, MA, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, MA
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Lexington, MA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Lexington, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,672

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,672 in Lexington, MA versus $1,183 in Santiago.

Lexington, MA $2,672
Santiago $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,542 in Lexington, MA versus $1,882 in Santiago.

Lexington, MA $4,542
Santiago $1,882

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,412 in Lexington, MA versus $2,581 in Santiago.

Lexington, MA $6,412
Santiago $2,581

Living in Lexington, MA is roughly 126% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lexington, MA is 97% above, Santiago is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.23 $20.23

$10.15 CLP 9,995

99.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 $74.1

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

42.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.84 $15.84

$8.56 CLP 8,423

85.05%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$3.15 CLP 3,101

55.24%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.71 CLP 1,685

67.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.28 CLP 1,255

60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.18 CLP 4,118

62.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.98 $7.98

$4.46 CLP 4,390

78.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.29 CLP 1,269

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.76 CLP 1,737

123.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.66 CLP 1,630

184.34%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$4.21 CLP 4,140

-0.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

14.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$6.75 CLP 6,641

87.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.08 $17.08

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

58.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.96 CLP 1,927

120.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.54 CLP 1,518

18.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.58 CLP 1,560

186.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.74 CLP 1,713

197.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.09 CLP 1,075

119.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.53 CLP 1,509

91.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.18 CLP 1,163

68.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.08 CLP 1,060

104.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.55 $8.55

$5.18 CLP 5,101

65.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$6.17 CLP 6,070

171.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.53 CLP 1,511

18.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.36 CLP 2,325

44.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.84 CLP 824

161.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.42 CLP 416

550.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.88 CLP 869

97.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.81 $28.81

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

150.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-30.20%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

60.87%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

9.74%

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

$189 $189

$149 CLP 146.3K

27.30%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

389.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

268.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.12 $42.12

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

Cinema Ticket

$13.93 $13.93

$7.32 CLP 7,208

90.30%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$436 CLP 429.2K

221.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

115.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

19.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.47 $36.47

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

25.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 $88.4

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

34.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 $1,530

$554 CLP 545.8K

175.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$383 CLP 376.6K

260.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,878 $2,878

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

187.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,564 $3,564

$775 CLP 762.5K

360.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,775 $2,775

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

2.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 $2,356

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

-9.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$778 CLP 766.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.39

25.97%

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

Last update for Lexington, MA: 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

Lexington, MA

$1.4K 51.6%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 72.3% $997

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, MA

$413 15.4%

Santiago

$236 20% 42.8% $176

Eating Out

Lexington, MA

$338 12.6%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 44.8% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, MA

$319 11.9%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 43.6% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, MA

$133 5%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 24% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, MA

$70 2.6%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 31.5% $22

Getting Around

Lexington, MA

$20 * 0.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 146% $29

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 $1,530 in Lexington, MA and $554 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Lexington, MA vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, MA

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

1 h ahead of Lexington, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Lexington, MA Santiago 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Lexington, MA and Santiago differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($2,672 vs $1,183 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,007 in Lexington, MA and $1,775 in Santiago 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: $1,530 in Lexington, MA versus $554 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Lexington, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,672 per month in Lexington, MA versus $1,183 in Santiago – a 126% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,183 in Santiago versus $2,672 in Lexington, MA, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Lexington, MA. 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, MA 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 126% less than in Lexington, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.