Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Bernardo and La Serena

For one person, living is cheaper in San Bernardo: $886 a month against $1,093 in La Serena, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardo
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San Bernardo Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index

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San Bernardo

🇨🇱 Chile

$886

/mo nomad

La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Bernardo and in La Serena

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

A single person spends $886 per month in San Bernardo vs $1,093 in La Serena, rent included.

San Bernardo $886
La Serena $1,093

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in San Bernardo vs $1,806 in La Serena, rent included.

San Bernardo $1,391
La Serena $1,806

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in San Bernardo vs $2,518 in La Serena, rent included.

San Bernardo $1,896
La Serena $2,518

San Bernardo is about 19% cheaper than La Serena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both San Bernardo and La Serena are more affordable than the global median – San Bernardo 35% lower, La Serena 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 CLP 7,615

$7.54 CLP 7,436

2.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.81 CLP 24.5K

$47.87 CLP 47.2K

-48.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.39 CLP 6,302

$8.24 CLP 8,126

-22.45%

Cappuccino

$2.52 CLP 2,482

$2.91 CLP 2,870

-13.40%

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

$0.90 CLP 886

$1.08 CLP 1,068

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 CLP 970

$0.63 CLP 620

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 CLP 3,999

$2.08 CLP 2,048

94.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 CLP 4,622

$3.90 CLP 3,847

20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 CLP 1,064

$1.16 CLP 1,142

-6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 CLP 1,228

$2.38 CLP 2,344

-47.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 CLP 1,597

$1.50 CLP 1,478

8.00%

Eggs

$3.87 CLP 3,813

$3.69 CLP 3,637

4.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 CLP 11.2K

$12.25 CLP 12.1K

-7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 CLP 4,335

$5.63 CLP 5,557

-22.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 CLP 10.3K

$12.68 CLP 12.5K

-17.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 CLP 1,780

$1.86 CLP 1,834

-3.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,455

$1.67 CLP 1,652

-11.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 CLP 1,360

$1.25 CLP 1,230

10.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 CLP 1,653

$1.42 CLP 1,404

18.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 CLP 772

$1.16 CLP 1,141

-32.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 CLP 820

$1.18 CLP 1,160

-29.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 CLP 1,188

$1.00 CLP 989

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$0.89 CLP 880

23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 CLP 3,236

$5.11 CLP 5,039

-35.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,805

$5.14 CLP 5,073

14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CLP 1,505

$0.97 CLP 962

57.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 CLP 2,211

$2.01 CLP 1,987

11.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 823

$0.99 CLP 977

-16.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.66 CLP 34.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 CLP 379

$0.70 CLP 688

-45.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 CLP 820

$2.00 CLP 1,968

-58.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.59 CLP 11.4K

$12.35 CLP 12.2K

-6.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CLP 1,346

$1.38 CLP 1,359

-1.45%

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

$17.0K CLP 16.8M

$19.2K CLP 19.0M

-11.58%

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

$25.0K CLP 24.6M

$12.1K CLP 11.9M

107.08%

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

$121 CLP 119.7K

$84.7 CLP 83.6K

43.28%

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

$11.94 CLP 11.8K

$10.79 CLP 10.6K

10.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.84 CLP 15.6K

$20.76 CLP 20.5K

-23.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.37 CLP 19.1K

$88.4 CLP 87.2K

-78.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.59 CLP 20.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 CLP 7,292

$7.97 CLP 7,857

-7.28%

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

$450 CLP 444.2K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.15 CLP 35.7K

$42.44 CLP 41.9K

-14.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.37 CLP 26.0K

$59.5 CLP 58.7K

-55.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 CLP 64.4K

$90.1 CLP 88.9K

-27.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 CLP 79.3K

$102 CLP 100.2K

-20.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 CLP 272.9K

$414 CLP 408.7K

-33.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 CLP 239.4K

$316 CLP 311.5K

-23.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 CLP 696.0K

$877 CLP 865.3K

-19.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 CLP 527.5K

$696 CLP 686.1K

-23.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,816 CLP 1.8M

$2,009 CLP 2.0M

-9.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,347 CLP 1.3M

$1,298 CLP 1.3M

3.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,362 CLP 1.3M

$710 CLP 700.3K

91.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.5

-17.08%

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

Last update for San Bernardo: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Serena: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Bernardo

$243 27.4%

La Serena

$316 28.9% 30.1% $73

Groceries & Markets

San Bernardo

$210 23.7%

La Serena

$230 21.1% 9.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Bernardo

$149 16.8%

La Serena

$116 10.6% 22% $33

Eating Out

San Bernardo

$148 16.7%

La Serena

$145 13.3% 2.2% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

San Bernardo

$94 10.6%

La Serena

$132 12.1% 41.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

San Bernardo

$34 3.9%

La Serena

$104 9.6% 205% $70

Getting Around

San Bernardo

$7.9 * 0.9%

La Serena

$49 4.5% 526% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in San Bernardo versus $414 in La Serena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 92% higher in San Bernardo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Bernardo versus $48 in La Serena. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $230 – making San Bernardo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 San Bernardo

🇨🇱 La Serena

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

Same time as San Bernardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,912

195,382

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.14 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.14 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

San Bernardo vs La Serena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – La Serena is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,329 per month in San Bernardo and $1,640 in La Serena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Bernardo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $277 there versus $414 in La Serena.

Groceries cost about 10% more in La Serena, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in San Bernardo and $48 in La Serena. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $886 in San Bernardo and $1,093 in La Serena. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.