Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,388 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,388

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,388 per month in Ottawa vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Ottawa $2,388
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Ottawa vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Ottawa $3,474
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $4,559 per month in Ottawa vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Ottawa $4,559
Santiago $2,564

Ottawa costs about 98% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ottawa sits 78% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.59 CA$26.44

$10.19 CLP 9,954

82.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 CA$110

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

47.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$15.08

$8.54 CLP 8,342

24.12%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.60

$3.19 CLP 3,122

23.51%

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

$2.01 CA$2.86

$1.68 CLP 1,641

19.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.53

$1.22 CLP 1,194

45.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.92

$4.21 CLP 4,110

32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.80

$4.66 CLP 4,550

32.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CA$3.26

$1.32 CLP 1,286

73.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CA$4.41

$1.80 CLP 1,760

72.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.56

$1.58 CLP 1,547

103.16%

Eggs

$3.47 CA$4.94

$4.25 CLP 4,151

-18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 CA$15.88

$6.75 CLP 6,596

65.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 CA$25.14

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

65.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.35

$2.04 CLP 1,995

84.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$1.53 CLP 1,500

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.36

$1.59 CLP 1,553

137.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.04

$1.75 CLP 1,712

102.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.77

$1.08 CLP 1,054

145.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.43

$1.51 CLP 1,480

59.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 CA$3.75

$1.17 CLP 1,148

124.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.27

$1.07 CLP 1,043

48.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.49 CA$20.61

$5.14 CLP 5,027

181.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 CA$16.78

$5.88 CLP 5,745

100.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.71

$1.55 CLP 1,516

68.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CA$4.68

$2.27 CLP 2,223

44.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.94

$0.85 CLP 831

225.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 CA$134

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

126.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.87

$0.39 CLP 383

597.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.15

$0.84 CLP 822

79.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.16 CA$27.26

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

60.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.71

$1.50 CLP 1,470

-20.00%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

53.71%

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

$21.1K CA$30.0K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

-2.52%

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

$136 CA$194

$151 CLP 147.7K

-9.91%

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

$36.63 CA$52.1

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

204.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 CA$71.7

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

166.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.79 CA$65.1

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

35.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.77 CA$39.51

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

136.95%

Cinema Ticket

$12.82 CA$18.24

$7.37 CLP 7,202

73.95%

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

$913 CA$1,298

$434 CLP 424.3K

110.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.9K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 CA$87.1

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

20.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.63 CA$55.0

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

32.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$151

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

57.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 CA$139

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 CA$2,119

$555 CLP 542.0K

168.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 CA$1,715

$372 CLP 364.0K

223.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 CA$3,135

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

118.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 CA$2,612

$779 CLP 760.9K

135.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,287 CA$6,098

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

60.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,457 CA$6,339

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

69.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,712 CA$5,280

$791 CLP 773.5K

369.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

5.39

-23.19%

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

Last update for Ottawa: 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

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.2%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 69.1% $833

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$366 15.3%

Santiago

$236 20% 35.5% $130

Eating Out

Ottawa

$283 11.8%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 33.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$223 9.3%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 18.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$137 5.7%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 25% $34

Getting Around

Ottawa

$115 4.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 57% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$71 3%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 32% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,490 in Ottawa 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 369% higher in Ottawa, 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 $77.0 in Ottawa versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

1 h ahead of Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ottawa Santiago 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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

Ottawa vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,388 in Ottawa, $1,206 in Santiago – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,582 per month in Ottawa 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,388 in Ottawa and $1,206 in Santiago. That's a gap of about 98%.

Public transport costs about 126% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Ottawa at $2,388. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ottawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,206 in Santiago to $2,388 in Ottawa. 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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.