Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
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New Bedford, MA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,753

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,753 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,183 in Santiago, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $2,753
Santiago $1,183

A couple spends around $3,820 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,882 in Santiago, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $3,820
Santiago $1,882

A family of three spends $4,887 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,581 in Santiago, rent included.

New Bedford, MA $4,887
Santiago $2,581

New Bedford, MA costs about 133% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New Bedford, MA sits 103% above the global median, while Santiago is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 $19.68

$10.15 CLP 9,995

93.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

13.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 $5.95

$8.56 CLP 8,423

-30.49%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$3.15 CLP 3,101

30.48%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.71 CLP 1,685

35.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.28 CLP 1,255

-3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$4.18 CLP 4,118

44.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$4.46 CLP 4,390

-8.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.29 CLP 1,269

-21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.76 CLP 1,737

160.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$1.66 CLP 1,630

879.52%

Eggs

$6.42 $6.42

$4.21 CLP 4,140

52.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

-4.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$6.75 CLP 6,641

59.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

78.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$1.96 CLP 1,927

174.49%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.54 CLP 1,518

190.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.58 CLP 1,560

113.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.74 CLP 1,713

72.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.09 CLP 1,075

103.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.53 CLP 1,509

57.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.18 CLP 1,163

133.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.08 CLP 1,060

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.07 $13.07

$5.18 CLP 5,101

152.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 $16.85

$6.17 CLP 6,070

173.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.53 CLP 1,511

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.36 CLP 2,325

20.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 CLP 824

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$0.42 CLP 416

1357.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.88 CLP 869

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-26.85%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

63.39%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

3.82%

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

$181 $181

$149 CLP 146.3K

21.95%

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

$36.85 $36.85

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

204.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 $58.6

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

206.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 $28.95

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

-13.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$7.32 CLP 7,208

69.81%

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

$2,133 $2,133

$436 CLP 429.2K

389.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.67 $38.67

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

-21.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.01 $16.01

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

-45.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

51.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 $1,869

$554 CLP 545.8K

237.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$383 CLP 376.6K

313.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

160.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$775 CLP 762.5K

202.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,641 $4,641

$778 CLP 766.3K

496.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

5.39

0.56%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 75.8% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$478 17.4%

Santiago

$236 20% 50.6% $242

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 32.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 35% $97

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 45.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 2%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 10.9% $5.9

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 190% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $554 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 496% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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 $59.0 in New Bedford, MA versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $478 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

1 h ahead of New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

New Bedford, MA Santiago 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, $1,183 in Santiago – roughly 133% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in New Bedford, MA and $1,775 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in New Bedford, MA and $52.0 in Santiago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in New Bedford, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,753. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.