Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milwaukee, WI and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,502 in Milwaukee, WI, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

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

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Milwaukee, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,502

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,502 in Milwaukee, WI versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Milwaukee, WI $2,502
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,628 in Milwaukee, WI versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Milwaukee, WI $3,628
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,754 in Milwaukee, WI versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Milwaukee, WI $4,754
Santiago $2,564

Living in Milwaukee, WI is roughly 107% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Milwaukee, WI is 87% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.33 $20.33

$10.19 CLP 9,931

99.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 $73.7

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

41.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$8.54 CLP 8,323

15.34%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.19 CLP 3,115

61.13%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.68 CLP 1,637

70.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.22 CLP 1,191

66.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$4.21 CLP 4,101

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$4.66 CLP 4,539

63.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-40.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.80 CLP 1,756

97.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$1.58 CLP 1,543

231.01%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$4.25 CLP 4,141

4.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-10.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 $13.72

$6.75 CLP 6,580

103.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

54.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.04 CLP 1,991

160.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.53 CLP 1,497

-1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.59 CLP 1,549

184.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.75 CLP 1,708

195.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.08 CLP 1,051

138.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.51 CLP 1,476

72.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.17 CLP 1,145

99.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.07 CLP 1,041

124.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.88 $10.88

$5.14 CLP 5,015

111.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.90 $15.90

$5.88 CLP 5,732

170.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.55 CLP 1,513

27.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.27 CLP 2,218

51.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.85 CLP 829

155.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 $71.0

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

71.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 $2.84

$0.39 CLP 383

628.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.84 CLP 820

86.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.67 $20.67

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

73.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-34.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

97.62%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

18.56%

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

$198 $198

$151 CLP 147.3K

31.13%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

469.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

278.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.29 $43.29

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

28.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.72 $18.72

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

59.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 $14.19

$7.37 CLP 7,185

92.54%

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

$1,803 $1,803

$434 CLP 423.3K

315.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

122.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

7.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 $40.46

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

38.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 $91.7

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

45.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 $1,757

$555 CLP 540.8K

216.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 $1,189

$372 CLP 363.2K

219.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 $2,804

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

177.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 $1,837

$779 CLP 759.1K

135.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 $2,741

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

2.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,683 $1,683

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-35.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,747 $3,747

$791 CLP 771.7K

373.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.39

23.38%

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

Last update for Milwaukee, WI: October 3, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milwaukee, WI

$1.2K 46.5%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 68.7% $817

Groceries & Markets

Milwaukee, WI

$409 16%

Santiago

$236 20% 42.3% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milwaukee, WI

$338 13.2%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 46.2% $156

Eating Out

Milwaukee, WI

$319 12.5%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 41.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Milwaukee, WI

$137 5.4%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 25.2% $34

Getting Around

Milwaukee, WI

$90 3.5%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 45.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Milwaukee, WI

$72 2.8%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 32.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,757 in Milwaukee, WI and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milwaukee, WI pays 373% 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: $74.0 in Milwaukee, WI vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Milwaukee, WI

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

2 h ahead of Milwaukee, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

605,013

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

Milwaukee, WI Santiago 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Milwaukee, 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

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

Milwaukee, WI and Santiago differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($2,502 vs $1,206 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 373% higher in Milwaukee, WI, 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: $1,757 in Milwaukee, WI versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,502 per month in Milwaukee, WI versus $1,206 in Santiago – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 71% less than in Milwaukee, WI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,502 in Milwaukee, WI, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Milwaukee, WI. 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.

Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Milwaukee, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.