Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Louis, MO and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,440 in Saint Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Louis, MO
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Saint Louis, MO Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,440

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,440 in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,206 in Santiago.

Saint Louis, MO $2,440
Santiago $1,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,667 in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,885 in Santiago.

Saint Louis, MO $3,667
Santiago $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,895 in Saint Louis, MO versus $2,564 in Santiago.

Saint Louis, MO $4,895
Santiago $2,564

Living in Saint Louis, MO is roughly 102% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saint Louis, MO is 82% above, Santiago is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$10.19 CLP 9,931

78.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 $77.8

$52.2 CLP 50.9K

49.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 $11.76

$8.54 CLP 8,323

37.70%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.19 CLP 3,115

63.01%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$1.68 CLP 1,637

43.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.22 CLP 1,191

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 $5.71

$4.21 CLP 4,101

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.66 CLP 4,539

53.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.32 CLP 1,283

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.80 CLP 1,756

116.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.58 CLP 1,543

275.32%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$4.25 CLP 4,141

-5.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

15.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$6.75 CLP 6,580

134.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.86 $20.86

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

95.50%

Apples (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$2.04 CLP 1,991

322.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.53 CLP 1,497

56.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$1.59 CLP 1,549

260.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$1.75 CLP 1,708

201.14%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.08 CLP 1,051

303.70%

Onion (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.51 CLP 1,476

225.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.17 CLP 1,145

150.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.07 CLP 1,041

163.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$5.14 CLP 5,015

57.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$5.88 CLP 5,732

151.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.55 CLP 1,513

88.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.27 CLP 2,218

48.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.85 CLP 829

198.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.0 $78.0

$41.50 CLP 40.5K

88.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.39 CLP 383

815.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.84 CLP 820

86.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.91 $39.91

$11.94 CLP 11.6K

234.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 CLP 1,467

-32.67%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

97.03%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

15.52%

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

$246 $246

$151 CLP 147.3K

62.80%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$12.04 CLP 11.7K

470.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

299.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.38 $32.38

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

-4.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.91 $19.91

$11.72 CLP 11.4K

69.88%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$7.37 CLP 7,185

87.11%

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

$1,422 $1,422

$434 CLP 423.3K

227.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

115.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$50.9 CLP 49.6K

15.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 $39.39

$29.16 CLP 28.4K

35.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 $86.6

$67.4 CLP 65.7K

28.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$80.3 CLP 78.2K

49.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$555 CLP 540.8K

174.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 $919

$372 CLP 363.2K

146.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,009 CLP 984.3K

110.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 $1,702

$779 CLP 759.1K

118.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,391 $1,391

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

-47.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,857 $1,857

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

-29.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,116 $4,116

$791 CLP 771.7K

420.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

5.39

24.68%

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

Last update for Saint Louis, MO: October 3, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Louis, MO

$919 38.2%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 59.5% $546

Groceries & Markets

Saint Louis, MO

$498 20.7%

Santiago

$236 20% 52.6% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Louis, MO

$390 16.2%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 53.4% $208

Eating Out

Saint Louis, MO

$302 12.6%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 38% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Louis, MO

$137 5.7%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 25.4% $35

Getting Around

Saint Louis, MO

$100 4.1%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 50.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Louis, MO

$60 2.5%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 19% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,522 in Saint Louis, MO and $555 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Louis, MO pays 420% 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: $78.0 in Saint Louis, MO vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $498 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Louis, MO

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

2 h ahead of Saint Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.26 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.15 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

CLP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Saint Louis, MO Santiago 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Louis, MO
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 Louis, MO vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 420% higher in Saint Louis, MO, 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: $1,522 in Saint Louis, MO versus $555 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,422 in Saint Louis, MO versus $434 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 111% higher in Saint Louis, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,440 in Saint Louis, MO, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Saint Louis, MO. 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 102% less than in Saint Louis, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.