Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $47,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Santiago $2,564

New York, NY costs about 326% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

New York, NY sits 284% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$10.19 CLP 9,931

159.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

127.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$8.54 CLP 8,323

68.97%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$3.19 CLP 3,115

105.33%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.68 CLP 1,637

128.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.22 CLP 1,191

145.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$4.21 CLP 4,101

96.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$4.66 CLP 4,539

115.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.80 CLP 1,756

172.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.58 CLP 1,543

353.16%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$4.25 CLP 4,141

39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

70.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$6.75 CLP 6,580

157.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

77.51%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.04 CLP 1,991

241.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.53 CLP 1,497

35.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.59 CLP 1,549

283.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$1.75 CLP 1,708

297.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.08 CLP 1,051

268.52%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.51 CLP 1,476

194.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.17 CLP 1,145

140.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.07 CLP 1,041

134.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$5.14 CLP 5,015

274.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$5.88 CLP 5,732

234.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.55 CLP 1,513

98.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.27 CLP 2,218

62.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.85 CLP 829

255.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

236.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.39 CLP 383

687.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.84 CLP 820

153.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

245.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-26.00%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

93.30%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

17.53%

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

$217 $217

$151 CLP 147.3K

43.95%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

514.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

282.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

256.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

470.73%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$7.37 CLP 7,185

202.85%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$434 CLP 423.3K

688.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

456.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

49.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

90.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

76.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

62.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$555 CLP 540.8K

712.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$372 CLP 363.2K

747.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

773.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$779 CLP 759.1K

610.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

625.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

157.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$791 CLP 771.7K

568.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.39

26.53%

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

Last update for New York, NY: 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

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 88.2% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Santiago

$236 20% 56.7% $310

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 55.6% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 50% $182

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 40.3% $69

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 70.1% $116

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 70.6% $117

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY 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 568% higher in New York, NY, 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

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

New York, NY Santiago 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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 York, NY vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 326% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,714 per month in New York, NY 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.

Kindergarten costs $3,425 per month in New York, NY and $434 in Santiago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 131% more in New York, NY, 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 $1,206, than in New York, NY at $5,142. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santiago costs $1,206 versus $5,142 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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