Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,684 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in San Juan versus $1,190 in Santiago.

San Juan $1,684
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,772 in San Juan versus $1,892 in Santiago.

San Juan $2,772
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,861 in San Juan versus $2,595 in Santiago.

San Juan $3,861
Santiago $2,595

Living in San Juan is roughly 42% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan is 25% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,541

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

19.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

18.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,139

$8.94 CLP 8,805

28.19%

Cappuccino

$4.42 ₡1,982

$3.26 CLP 3,211

35.58%

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

$2.77 ₡1,240

$1.67 CLP 1,640

65.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡870

$1.23 CLP 1,212

57.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,483

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡1,996

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-1.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,052

$1.28 CLP 1,263

82.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,425

$1.85 CLP 1,817

71.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.59 CLP 1,567

57.86%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,551

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-15.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,782

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-6.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₡4,633

$6.69 CLP 6,586

54.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,233

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

28.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,230

$1.94 CLP 1,905

156.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$1.52 CLP 1,497

4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 ₡2,079

$1.60 CLP 1,577

190.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,771

$1.69 CLP 1,668

133.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,731

$1.10 CLP 1,084

250.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,684

$1.52 CLP 1,500

146.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡479

$1.18 CLP 1,164

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,379

$1.08 CLP 1,061

185.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,691

$5.07 CLP 4,995

18.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.72 ₡8,844

$5.95 CLP 5,858

231.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₡1,236

$1.49 CLP 1,470

85.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,654

$2.38 CLP 2,342

55.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡614

$0.83 CLP 821

65.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,079

$0.40 CLP 393

502.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$0.91 CLP 897

69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,849

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

-26.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.51 CLP 1,486

2.65%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

23.10%

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

$34.9K ₡15.6M

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

58.59%

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

$96.4 ₡43.2K

$151 CLP 149.0K

-36.35%

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

$35.06 ₡15.7K

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

184.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.3 ₡26.6K

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

216.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.0K

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

98.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$7.45 CLP 7,334

0.67%

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

$1,001 ₡449.1K

$430 CLP 423.7K

132.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

56.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ₡31.8K

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

42.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.8K

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

91.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.6K

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

92.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

66.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₡321.3K

$559 CLP 550.4K

28.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₡266.1K

$384 CLP 377.8K

54.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,850 ₡829.6K

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

84.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₡621.4K

$780 CLP 767.9K

77.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.39

59.93%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$593 35.2%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 35.3% $209

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$398 23.6%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 40.7% $162

Eating Out

San Juan

$231 13.7%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 17.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.3%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 4.4% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$174 10.3%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 41.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.9%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 40.6% $33

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 210% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $717 in San Juan and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in San Juan vs $52.0 in Santiago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $236 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

3 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Santiago 5,030 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan and Santiago differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,684 vs $1,190 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,526 in San Juan and $1,785 in Santiago to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $717 in San Juan versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Juan versus $430 in Santiago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santiago – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $61.0 in San Juan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,684 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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.

Safety-wise, San Juan 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 Santiago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in San Juan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.