Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $929 a month against $1,206 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $929 in Portsmouth versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Portsmouth $929
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,626 in Portsmouth versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Portsmouth $1,626
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,323 in Portsmouth versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Portsmouth $2,323
Santiago $2,564

Living in Portsmouth costs roughly 23% less than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Portsmouth 31% lower, Santiago 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 EC$14.84

$10.19 CLP 9,931

-46.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

7.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 EC$18.44

$8.54 CLP 8,323

-20.02%

Cappuccino

$2.67 EC$7.20

$3.19 CLP 3,115

-16.30%

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

$2.19 EC$5.91

$1.68 CLP 1,637

30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$1.22 CLP 1,191

53.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 EC$6.84

$4.21 CLP 4,101

-39.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 EC$10.07

$4.66 CLP 4,539

-19.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$1.32 CLP 1,283

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 EC$6.03

$1.80 CLP 1,756

23.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 EC$5.43

$1.58 CLP 1,543

27.22%

Eggs

$6.50 EC$17.55

$4.25 CLP 4,141

52.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.66 EC$7.17

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

-76.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 EC$14.80

$6.75 CLP 6,580

-18.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

Apples (1kg)

$7.21 EC$19.46

$2.04 CLP 1,991

253.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 EC$6.93

$1.53 CLP 1,497

67.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 EC$10.81

$1.59 CLP 1,549

151.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 EC$11.17

$1.75 CLP 1,708

136.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$1.08 CLP 1,051

168.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 EC$7.51

$1.51 CLP 1,476

84.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 EC$4.91

$1.17 CLP 1,145

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$1.07 CLP 1,041

77.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,015

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 EC$30.56

$5.88 CLP 5,732

92.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.06

$1.55 CLP 1,513

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 EC$7.20

$2.27 CLP 2,218

17.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 EC$2.03

$0.85 CLP 829

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 EC$9.90

$0.39 CLP 383

841.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 EC$9.93

$0.84 CLP 820

338.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,467

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

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

$151 CLP 147.3K

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

$40.78 EC$110

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

238.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 EC$172

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

237.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.97 EC$99.8

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 EC$30.01

$7.37 CLP 7,185

50.75%

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

$434 CLP 423.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 EC$151

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

9.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.90 EC$64.5

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

-18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 EC$151

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

-16.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 EC$178

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

-17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 EC$696

$555 CLP 540.8K

-53.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 EC$602

$372 CLP 363.2K

-40.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 EC$1,808

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

-33.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 EC$1,667

$779 CLP 759.1K

-20.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 EC$1,691

$791 CLP 771.7K

-20.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

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

Last update for Portsmouth: 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

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$236 20%

Eating Out

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Getting Around

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

–

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $258 in Portsmouth and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santiago pays 26% 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: $56.0 in Portsmouth vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,633

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Portsmouth Santiago 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portsmouth is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Santiago. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $258 in Portsmouth versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Santiago pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Portsmouth – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $929 in Portsmouth versus $1,206 in Santiago, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Portsmouth but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Portsmouth 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.

Safety-wise, Portsmouth and Santiago are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Portsmouth gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.