Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Montt and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Montt: $449 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Montt

🇨🇱 Chile

$449

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Montt and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Puerto Montt and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $449 per month in Puerto Montt vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Puerto Montt $449
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $751 per month in Puerto Montt vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Puerto Montt $751
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,054 per month in Puerto Montt vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Puerto Montt $1,054
Cape Town $3,306

Puerto Montt is about 71% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Puerto Montt sits 67% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.92 CLP 7,740

$12.01 R 198

-34.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.50 CLP 34.7K

$42.92 R 707

-17.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 CLP 7,033

$6.15 R 101

16.91%

Cappuccino

$2.70 CLP 2,642

$2.37 R 39.04

13.92%

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

$0.94 CLP 920

$1.27 R 20.96

-25.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 CLP 867

$0.94 R 15.46

-5.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,073

$1.32 R 21.73

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CLP 2,495

$1.21 R 19.87

110.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 CLP 1,396

$2.20 R 36.26

-35.00%

Eggs

$3.19 CLP 3,119

$3.10 R 51.1

2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 CLP 10.9K

$8.73 R 144

27.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 CLP 5,524

$6.89 R 114

-18.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 CLP 6,628

$9.26 R 153

-26.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 CLP 999

$1.83 R 30.08

-44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CLP 1,360

$1.95 R 32.12

-28.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 CLP 2,597

$1.66 R 27.32

60.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 CLP 1,719

$2.14 R 35.19

-17.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 CLP 1,523

$1.47 R 24.29

6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 CLP 1,245

$1.35 R 22.18

-5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CLP 1,469

$1.14 R 18.85

31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 CLP 4,404

$3.58 R 59.0

25.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 CLP 5,452

$6.05 R 99.7

-7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 CLP 1,364

$1.39 R 22.95

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,456

$2.18 R 35.90

-31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 CLP 845

$1.40 R 23.02

-38.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CLP 1,243

$1.54 R 25.37

-17.53%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

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

$61.3 CLP 60.0K

$117 R 1,929

-47.62%

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

$11.23 CLP 11.0K

$25.71 R 424

-56.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.68 CLP 30.0K

$39.41 R 649

-22.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

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

$142 CLP 138.5K

$308 R 5,069

-53.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 CLP 486.0K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-52.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Puerto Montt: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Eating Out

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$138 9%

Getting Around

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Montt

–

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $497 in Puerto Montt versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 $36 in Puerto Montt versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $223 – making Puerto Montt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Puerto Montt

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

5 h ahead of Puerto Montt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,736

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,093 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.15 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Montt Cape Town 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Montt
Cape Town

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

Puerto Montt vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 240% more than Puerto Montt, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $673 per month in Puerto Montt and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Montt, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $497 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $449 in Puerto Montt and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Puerto Montt about 71% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $142 per month in Puerto Montt and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Montt, where all-in costs run around $449, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Puerto Montt it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Montt – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.