Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passaic, NJ and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $2,737 in Passaic, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Passaic, NJ
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Passaic, NJ Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Passaic, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,737

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,737 in Passaic, NJ versus $1,183 in Santiago.

Passaic, NJ $2,737
Santiago $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,186 in Passaic, NJ versus $1,882 in Santiago.

Passaic, NJ $4,186
Santiago $1,882

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,634 in Passaic, NJ versus $2,581 in Santiago.

Passaic, NJ $5,634
Santiago $2,581

Living in Passaic, NJ is roughly 131% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Passaic, NJ is 102% above, Santiago is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.76 $18.76

$10.15 CLP 9,995

84.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

52.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 $13.18

$8.56 CLP 8,423

53.97%

Cappuccino

$6.27 $6.27

$3.15 CLP 3,101

99.05%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.71 CLP 1,685

47.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.28 CLP 1,255

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$4.18 CLP 4,118

88.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.46 CLP 4,390

60.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.29 CLP 1,269

2.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.76 CLP 1,737

147.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$1.66 CLP 1,630

274.70%

Eggs

$6.20 $6.20

$4.21 CLP 4,140

47.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.19 $19.19

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

73.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 $10.40

$6.75 CLP 6,641

54.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

75.00%

Apples (1kg)

$6.11 $6.11

$1.96 CLP 1,927

211.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.54 CLP 1,518

38.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.58 CLP 1,560

177.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.74 CLP 1,713

208.05%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.09 CLP 1,075

272.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.53 CLP 1,509

183.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.18 CLP 1,163

159.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.08 CLP 1,060

171.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.77 $14.77

$5.18 CLP 5,101

185.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$6.17 CLP 6,070

146.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.53 CLP 1,511

16.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.36 CLP 2,325

54.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.84 CLP 824

132.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 $120

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

190.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.42 CLP 416

607.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 $2.23

$0.88 CLP 869

153.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.30 $41.30

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

259.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.49 CLP 1,462

-23.49%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

61.94%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

1.73%

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

$174 $174

$149 CLP 146.3K

16.97%

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

$50.6 $50.6

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

318.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 $50.8

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

165.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.15 $41.15

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

23.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

Cinema Ticket

$20.62 $20.62

$7.32 CLP 7,208

181.69%

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

$1,988 $1,988

$436 CLP 429.2K

355.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

46.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

2.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.7 $51.7

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

77.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 $87.9

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

34.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

28.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 $1,816

$554 CLP 545.8K

227.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 $1,295

$383 CLP 376.6K

238.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

152.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,403 $2,403

$775 CLP 762.5K

210.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,576 $2,576

$2,708 CLP 2.7M

-4.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,362 $2,362

$2,613 CLP 2.6M

-9.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,739 $3,739

$778 CLP 766.3K

380.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

5.39

26.16%

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

Last update for Passaic, NJ: 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

Passaic, NJ

$1.3K 47.3%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 70.5% $913

Groceries & Markets

Passaic, NJ

$475 17.4%

Santiago

$236 20% 50.3% $239

Eating Out

Passaic, NJ

$335 12.2%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 44.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passaic, NJ

$275 10.1%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 34.7% $95

Getting Around

Passaic, NJ

$142 5.2%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 65.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Passaic, NJ

$132 4.8%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 23.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Passaic, NJ

$82 3%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 41.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,816 in Passaic, NJ and $554 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Passaic, NJ pays 380% 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: $79.0 in Passaic, NJ vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Passaic, NJ

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

01:58 1:58 AM

02:58 2:58 AM

1 h ahead of Passaic, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,974

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 →

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Passaic, NJ Santiago 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Passaic, NJ
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

Passaic, NJ vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 131% lower than in Passaic, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 380% higher in Passaic, NJ, 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: $1,816 in Passaic, NJ versus $554 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Passaic, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $79.0 in Passaic, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,183 in Santiago versus $2,737 in Passaic, NJ, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Passaic, NJ. 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 131% less than in Passaic, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.