Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,183 a month against $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Perez Zeledon despite lower rent and utilities.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $1,183 in Santiago, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,328
Santiago $1,183

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $1,882 in Santiago, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,371
Santiago $1,882

A family of three spends $3,414 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,581 in Santiago, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,414
Santiago $2,581

Perez Zeledon costs about 12% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Perez Zeledon and Santiago are more affordable than the global median – Perez Zeledon 2% lower, Santiago 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 ₡4,188

$10.15 CLP 9,995

-7.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 ₡16.4K

$51.9 CLP 51.1K

-29.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 ₡3,689

$8.56 CLP 8,423

-3.86%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,210

$3.15 CLP 3,101

-14.29%

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

$1.96 ₡880

$1.71 CLP 1,685

14.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₡766

$1.28 CLP 1,255

33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₡804

$4.18 CLP 4,118

-57.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$4.46 CLP 4,390

-30.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.29 CLP 1,269

27.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,357

$1.76 CLP 1,737

72.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ₡1,109

$1.66 CLP 1,630

48.80%

Eggs

$2.48 ₡1,113

$4.21 CLP 4,140

-41.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,763

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

-4.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$6.75 CLP 6,641

53.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 ₡6,196

$10.76 CLP 10.6K

28.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,238

$1.96 CLP 1,927

154.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡483

$1.54 CLP 1,518

-29.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,174

$1.58 CLP 1,560

206.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,777

$1.74 CLP 1,713

127.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$1.09 CLP 1,075

254.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 ₡1,693

$1.53 CLP 1,509

147.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₡205

$1.18 CLP 1,163

-61.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,441

$1.08 CLP 1,060

197.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,582

$5.18 CLP 5,101

11.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.78 ₡8,870

$6.17 CLP 6,070

220.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,240

$1.53 CLP 1,511

81.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₡1,572

$2.36 CLP 2,325

48.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡344

$0.84 CLP 824

-8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.44 CLP 40.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.42 CLP 416

497.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.88 CLP 869

82.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ₡3,952

$11.49 CLP 11.3K

-23.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$1.49 CLP 1,462

3.36%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$17.2K CLP 17.0M

29.38%

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

$34.8K ₡15.6M

$25.6K CLP 25.2M

35.77%

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

$92.9 ₡41.7K

$149 CLP 146.3K

-37.49%

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

$23.91 ₡10.7K

$12.11 CLP 11.9K

97.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 ₡26.3K

$19.13 CLP 18.8K

206.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 ₡32.5K

$33.30 CLP 32.8K

117.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.51 CLP 11.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₡3,346

$7.32 CLP 7,208

1.91%

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

$508 ₡227.7K

$436 CLP 429.2K

16.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$11.0K CLP 10.8M

54.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.9 ₡32.7K

$49.17 CLP 48.4K

48.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$29.11 CLP 28.7K

95.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$65.5 CLP 64.5K

97.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.1K

$80.1 CLP 78.9K

61.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₡180.0K

$554 CLP 545.8K

-27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₡149.4K

$383 CLP 376.6K

-12.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 ₡851.1K

$1,002 CLP 986.5K

89.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 ₡564.0K

$775 CLP 762.5K

62.36%

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)

$778 CLP 766.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.39

59.93%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8%

Santiago

$236 20% 38.2% $146

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1%

Santiago

$383 32.3% 14.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2%

Santiago

$180 15.2% 2.5% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 42.4% $74

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2%

Santiago

$186 15.8% 15.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 45.1% $39

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 265% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Perez Zeledon 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Perez Zeledon versus $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Perez Zeledon vs $236 in Santiago – so Santiago wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

3 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon Santiago 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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

Perez Zeledon vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Perez Zeledon is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,992 per month in Perez Zeledon 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,328 in Perez Zeledon and $1,183 in Santiago. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Perez Zeledon and $436 in Santiago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Perez Zeledon at $1,328. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perez Zeledon 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, Perez Zeledon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.