Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
Santiago $2,564

Madison, WI costs about 148% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madison, WI sits 123% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$10.19 CLP 9,931

92.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

30.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$8.54 CLP 8,323

53.04%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.19 CLP 3,115

76.49%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.68 CLP 1,637

88.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.22 CLP 1,191

107.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$4.21 CLP 4,101

68.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.66 CLP 4,539

76.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.80 CLP 1,756

90.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.58 CLP 1,543

161.39%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-15.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$6.75 CLP 6,580

96.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

88.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.04 CLP 1,991

132.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.53 CLP 1,497

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.59 CLP 1,549

233.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.75 CLP 1,708

184.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.08 CLP 1,051

158.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.51 CLP 1,476

106.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.17 CLP 1,145

87.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.07 CLP 1,041

126.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$5.14 CLP 5,015

109.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$5.88 CLP 5,732

167.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.55 CLP 1,513

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.27 CLP 2,218

95.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.85 CLP 829

142.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

57.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$0.39 CLP 383

917.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.84 CLP 820

140.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

260.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-32.67%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

98.83%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

18.58%

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

$269 $269

$151 CLP 147.3K

78.13%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

336.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

342.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

72.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

-10.07%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$7.37 CLP 7,185

107.19%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$434 CLP 423.3K

292.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

109.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

23.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

71.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

59.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

51.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$555 CLP 540.8K

222.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$372 CLP 363.2K

322.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

214.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$779 CLP 759.1K

229.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

69.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-5.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$791 CLP 771.7K

453.82%

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 Madison, WI: 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

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 76.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

Santiago

$236 20% 45.4% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 55.1% $223

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 44.6% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 33.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 45.4% $40

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 43.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI versus $555 in Santiago. 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 454% higher in Madison, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madison, WI versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

2 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

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 →

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Between locations

Madison, WI Santiago 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in Madison, WI, $1,206 in Santiago – roughly 148% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI and $1,809 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.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,705 per month in Madison, WI and $434 in Santiago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madison, WI has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,206 in Santiago to $2,994 in Madison, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Madison, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.