Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $593 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Calama, Chile
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Calama
🇨🇱 Chile
$593
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Calama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $593 in Calama.

  • London $4,048
  • Calama $593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,202 in Calama.

  • London $5,903
  • Calama $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $1,812 in Calama.

  • London $7,758
  • Calama $1,812

Living in London is roughly 583% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Calama is 56% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Calama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$6.95 CLP 6,799
279.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$31.55 CLP 30.8K
244.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
-
-
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$2.10 CLP 2,053
166.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$0.96 CLP 935
212.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.91 CLP 889
143.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$3.03 CLP 2,958
218.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$5.14 CLP 5,021
60.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Calama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.09 CLP 1,064
80.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$0.78 CLP 764
167.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$2.70 CLP 2,643
-4.07%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$4.85 CLP 4,738
10.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$9.10 CLP 8,900
44.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$6.14 CLP 6,000
79.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$7.73 CLP 7,554
129.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$1.23 CLP 1,204
157.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.04 CLP 1,018
32.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$1.58 CLP 1,540
78.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.10 CLP 1,079
205.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$0.89 CLP 869
91.01%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$0.93 CLP 913
91.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$5.15 CLP 5,036
363.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$3.96 CLP 3,870
239.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$1.00 CLP 976
211.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$1.25 CLP 1,219
259.20%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Calama
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$0.89 CLP 873
364.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$1.43 CLP 1,403
137.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$1.45 CLP 1,419
52.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Calama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$41.47 CLP 40.5K
797.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$13.20 CLP 12.9K
207.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Calama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$50.4 CLP 49.3K
11.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$20.09 CLP 19.6K
-14.88%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$4.47 CLP 4,368
301.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Calama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$303 CLP 296.3K
872.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Calama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$35.44 CLP 34.6K
227.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$28.01 CLP 27.4K
103.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$45.68 CLP 44.7K
180.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$60.1 CLP 58.8K
155.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Calama
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$336 CLP 328.1K
774.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$104 CLP 101.6K
2073.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$808 CLP 790.4K
549.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$619 CLP 604.9K
523.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,401 CLP 1.4M
1126.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$1,217 CLP 1.2M
580.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Calama
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$1,133 CLP 1.1M
396.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
5
-4.40%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calama: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Calama
$104 95.4% $2.2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Calama
$55 * 87.3% $377
Eating Out
London
$396
Calama
$114 * 71.3% $282
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Calama
$174 * 51.6% $186
Getting Around
London
$305
Calama
$11 * 96.5% $295
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Calama
$76 62.8% $129
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Calama
$59 35.4% $33

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 $2,935 in London and $336 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 5 times 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: $109 in London vs $32 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $174 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇨🇱 Calama
🕒 Local time
02:57 2:57 AM
23:57 11:57 PM
3 h behind London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
157,575
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Calama 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Calama

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
London vs Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, London or Calama?
Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in London or in Calama?
Average pay in London is about 5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in London compared to Calama?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,935 in London versus $336 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in London or in Calama?
Supermarket bills run roughly 107% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in London compared to Calama?
All in, you’ll spend $4,048 per month in London versus $593 in Calama – Calama is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in London or in Calama?
At $593 in Calama versus $4,048 in London, a $800 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: London or Calama?
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.
Should I move to London or to Calama?
It comes down to priorities – Calama wins on affordability, London on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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