Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,144 a month against $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Santiago, Chile
Saint John, New Brunswick
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,977
/mo nomad
Santiago
🇨🇱 Chile
$1,144
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,144 in Santiago.

  • Saint John, New Brunswick $1,977
  • Santiago $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,872 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,851 in Santiago.

  • Saint John, New Brunswick $2,872
  • Santiago $1,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,767 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $2,558 in Santiago.

  • Saint John, New Brunswick $3,767
  • Santiago $2,558

Living in Saint John, New Brunswick is roughly 73% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint John, New Brunswick is 46% above, Santiago is 15% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.03 CA$26.77
$10.15 CLP 9,938
87.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.8 CA$85.5
$51.7 CLP 50.6K
17.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.65 CA$14.98
$8.93 CLP 8,744
19.26%
Cappuccino
$3.05 CA$4.29
$3.19 CLP 3,128
-4.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 CA$2.44
$1.66 CLP 1,625
4.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 CA$1.58
$1.27 CLP 1,242
-11.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.55 CA$6.40
$3.98 CLP 3,901
14.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.13 CA$7.21
$4.69 CLP 4,597
9.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.53 CA$3.55
$1.27 CLP 1,243
99.21%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 CA$3.82
$1.85 CLP 1,815
47.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.16 CA$4.45
$1.66 CLP 1,625
90.36%
Eggs
$3.63 CA$5.11
$4.19 CLP 4,103
-13.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.41 CA$18.86
$11.13 CLP 10.9K
20.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.16 CA$12.88
$6.96 CLP 6,819
31.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.97 CA$18.24
$10.68 CLP 10.5K
21.44%
Apples (1kg)
$4.92 CA$6.92
$2.00 CLP 1,961
146.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 CA$2.20
$1.56 CLP 1,525
-
Oranges (1kg)
$4.13 CA$5.81
$1.63 CLP 1,600
153.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.12 CA$5.80
$1.76 CLP 1,720
134.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.01 CA$2.83
$1.13 CLP 1,108
77.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.14 CA$3.01
$1.55 CLP 1,518
38.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 CA$3.66
$1.26 CLP 1,237
106.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 CA$1.95
$1.08 CLP 1,059
28.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.19 CA$19.95
$5.22 CLP 5,113
171.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.19 CA$14.33
$5.87 CLP 5,745
73.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 CA$2.45
$1.48 CLP 1,453
17.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.04
$2.36 CLP 2,313
-8.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.18 CA$3.07
$0.81 CLP 793
169.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.2 CA$81.9
$41.61 CLP 40.7K
39.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.82 CA$3.97
$0.39 CLP 383
623.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 CA$1.69
$0.87 CLP 848
37.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.49 CA$30.23
$11.52 CLP 11.3K
86.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 CA$1.73
$1.50 CLP 1,470
-18.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K CA$37.3K
$16.7K CLP 16.4M
58.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K CA$30.3K
$25.5K CLP 24.9M
-15.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 CA$171
$148 CLP 145.0K
-17.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.38 CA$58.2
$12.00 CLP 11.8K
244.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.7 CA$92.4
$18.81 CLP 18.4K
249.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.77 CA$51.7
$32.43 CLP 31.8K
13.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.38 CA$51.2
$11.82 CLP 11.6K
207.78%
Cinema Ticket
$12.49 CA$17.57
$7.80 CLP 7,636
60.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$386 CA$543
$449 CLP 439.3K
-13.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K CA$15.9K
$13.3K CLP 13.1M
-15.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.43 CA$69.5
$50.7 CLP 49.6K
-2.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.24 CA$51.0
$28.88 CLP 28.3K
25.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 CA$143
$65.5 CLP 64.2K
55.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 CA$150
$79.8 CLP 78.2K
33.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 CA$1,481
$522 CLP 511.3K
101.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$867 CA$1,219
$341 CLP 334.0K
154.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,514 CA$2,129
$1,036 CLP 1.0M
46.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,236 CA$1,738
$745 CLP 729.9K
65.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,290 CA$3,220
$2,890 CLP 2.8M
-20.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,746 CA$2,455
$2,597 CLP 2.5M
-32.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint John, New Brunswick
Santiago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,608 CA$3,668
$826 CLP 809.1K
215.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.69
5.31
-11.68%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santiago: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saint John, New Brunswick
$867
Santiago
$341 60.6% $525
Groceries & Markets
Saint John, New Brunswick
$346
Santiago
$238 31.3% $108
Eating Out
Saint John, New Brunswick
$265
Santiago
$187 29.4% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint John, New Brunswick
$229
Santiago
$179 21.8% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Saint John, New Brunswick
$132
Santiago
$101 23.6% $31
Getting Around
Saint John, New Brunswick
$76
Santiago
$50 34.6% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Saint John, New Brunswick
$62
Santiago
$48 22.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,053 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $522 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint John, New Brunswick pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $52 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $238 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick
🇨🇱 Santiago
🕒 Local time
19:18 7:18 PM
20:18 8:18 PM
1 h ahead of Saint John, New Brunswick
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,063
6,139,087 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint John, New Brunswick Santiago 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 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
Saint John, New Brunswick vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Saint John, New Brunswick or Santiago?
Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Saint John, New Brunswick or in Santiago?
Average pay in Saint John, New Brunswick is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Saint John, New Brunswick compared to Santiago?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,053 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $522 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Saint John, New Brunswick and in Santiago?
Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52 versus $61 in Saint John, New Brunswick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Saint John, New Brunswick compared to Santiago?
All in, you’ll spend $1,977 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $1,144 in Santiago – Santiago is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Saint John, New Brunswick or in Santiago?
At $1,144 in Santiago versus $1,977 in Saint John, New Brunswick, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Saint John, New Brunswick. The gap between the two cities makes Santiago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Saint John, New Brunswick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Saint John, New Brunswick vs other spots: cost of living compared

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