Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,331 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Oshawa
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,331
/mo nomad
Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,206
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,331 in Oshawa versus $1,206 in Santiago.

  • Oshawa $2,331
  • Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,293 in Oshawa versus $1,885 in Santiago.

  • Oshawa $3,293
  • Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,255 in Oshawa versus $2,564 in Santiago.

  • Oshawa $4,255
  • Santiago $2,564

Living in Oshawa is roughly 93% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Oshawa is 74% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.89 CA$19.81
$10.19 CLP 9,931
36.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.6 CA$86.3
$52.2 CLP 50.9K
16.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.41 CA$11.98
$8.54 CLP 8,323
-1.52%
Cappuccino
$3.36 CA$4.79
$3.19 CLP 3,115
5.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 CA$2.49
$1.68 CLP 1,637
3.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 CA$1.99
$1.22 CLP 1,191
13.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.83 CA$6.89
$4.21 CLP 4,101
14.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.83 CA$8.31
$4.66 CLP 4,539
25.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.88 CA$4.11
$1.32 CLP 1,283
118.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.86 CA$4.07
$1.80 CLP 1,756
58.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.05 CA$5.78
$1.58 CLP 1,543
156.33%
Eggs
$2.93 CA$4.18
$4.25 CLP 4,141
-31.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.59 CA$13.67
$11.19 CLP 10.9K
-14.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.92 CA$19.84
$6.75 CLP 6,580
106.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.33 CA$23.28
$10.67 CLP 10.4K
53.05%
Apples (1kg)
$4.31 CA$6.14
$2.04 CLP 1,991
111.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 CA$1.74
$1.53 CLP 1,497
-20.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.79 CA$3.98
$1.59 CLP 1,549
75.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.74 CA$5.33
$1.75 CLP 1,708
113.71%
Potato (1kg)
$3.33 CA$4.75
$1.08 CLP 1,051
208.33%
Onion (1kg)
$2.60 CA$3.70
$1.51 CLP 1,476
72.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 CA$3.18
$1.17 CLP 1,145
90.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 CA$2.45
$1.07 CLP 1,041
60.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.14 CA$20.15
$5.14 CLP 5,015
175.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.27 CA$17.49
$5.88 CLP 5,732
108.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.54 CA$5.05
$1.55 CLP 1,513
128.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 CA$5.07
$2.27 CLP 2,218
56.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.48 CA$3.53
$0.85 CLP 829
191.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.7 CA$99.4
$41.50 CLP 40.5K
67.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.56 CA$5.07
$0.39 CLP 383
812.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.68 CA$0.96
$0.84 CLP 820
-19.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.25 CA$24.59
$11.94 CLP 11.6K
44.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 CA$1.55
$1.50 CLP 1,467
-27.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$40.2K
$18.1K CLP 17.7M
55.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.7K CA$28.1K
$21.6K CLP 21.1M
-8.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 CA$196
$151 CLP 147.3K
-9.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.26 CA$53.1
$12.04 CLP 11.7K
209.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.8 CA$73.9
$18.93 CLP 18.5K
173.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.53 CA$40.66
$33.81 CLP 33.0K
-15.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.76 CA$41.00
$11.72 CLP 11.4K
145.39%
Cinema Ticket
$10.43 CA$14.87
$7.37 CLP 7,185
41.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,199 CA$1,709
$434 CLP 423.3K
176.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.0K CLP 10.7M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.5 CA$79.1
$50.9 CLP 49.6K
9.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.2 CA$78.6
$29.16 CLP 28.4K
89.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 CA$146
$67.4 CLP 65.7K
51.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 CA$182
$80.3 CLP 78.2K
59.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,375 CA$1,959
$555 CLP 540.8K
147.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 CA$1,682
$372 CLP 363.2K
216.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,945 CA$2,772
$1,009 CLP 984.3K
92.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,794 CA$2,558
$779 CLP 759.1K
130.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,188 CA$7,394
$2,671 CLP 2.6M
94.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.2K CA$14.5K
$2,622 CLP 2.6M
288.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Oshawa
Santiago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,881 CA$4,107
$791 CLP 771.7K
264.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.53
5.39
-15.96%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Oshawa
$1.2K
Santiago
$372 68.4% $808
Groceries & Markets
Oshawa
$386
Santiago
$236 38.7% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Oshawa
$226
Santiago
$182 19.6% $44
Eating Out
Oshawa
$225
Santiago
$187 16.8% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Oshawa
$153
Santiago
$102 33.2% $51
Getting Around
Oshawa
$87
Santiago
$50 42.8% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Oshawa
$49
Santiago
$49 1.7% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,375 in Oshawa and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oshawa pays 264% 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: $61.0 in Oshawa vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Oshawa
🇨🇱 Santiago
🕒 Local time
23:32 11:32 PM
00:32 12:32 AM
1 h ahead of Oshawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
159,458
6,139,087 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 975 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Oshawa Santiago 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Oshawa
  • 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
Oshawa vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Oshawa or Santiago?
Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Oshawa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Oshawa or in Santiago?
Average pay runs 264% higher in Oshawa, 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 Oshawa compared to Santiago?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,375 in Oshawa versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Oshawa and in Santiago?
Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $61.0 in Oshawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Oshawa compared to Santiago?
All in, you'll spend $2,331 per month in Oshawa versus $1,206 in Santiago – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Oshawa or in Santiago?
At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,331 in Oshawa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Oshawa. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Oshawa or Santiago?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Oshawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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