Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

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

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,190 in Santiago.

San Juan de Pasto $1,371
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in San Juan de Pasto versus $1,892 in Santiago.

San Juan de Pasto $2,031
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,691 in San Juan de Pasto versus $2,595 in Santiago.

San Juan de Pasto $2,691
Santiago $2,595

Living in San Juan de Pasto is roughly 15% more expensive than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan de Pasto is 2% above, Santiago is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.63 COP 21.0K

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

-36.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.64 COP 144.7K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-11.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 COP 31.6K

$8.94 CLP 8,805

11.41%

Cappuccino

$2.57 COP 8,146

$3.26 CLP 3,211

-21.17%

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

$1.56 COP 4,948

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,715

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-30.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 COP 9,733

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-22.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 COP 12.9K

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-10.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$1.28 CLP 1,263

11.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,629

$1.85 CLP 1,817

30.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,795

$1.59 CLP 1,567

15.09%

Eggs

$3.33 COP 10.6K

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-18.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.27 COP 23.1K

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-36.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 COP 35.1K

$6.69 CLP 6,586

65.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 COP 42.5K

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

24.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.3K

$1.94 CLP 1,905

84.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,426

$1.52 CLP 1,497

-7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 COP 6,359

$1.60 CLP 1,577

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,640

$1.69 CLP 1,668

5.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,481

$1.10 CLP 1,084

28.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 COP 4,041

$1.52 CLP 1,500

-16.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 COP 3,566

$1.18 CLP 1,164

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 COP 3,555

$1.08 CLP 1,061

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 COP 11.6K

$5.07 CLP 4,995

-28.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 COP 42.6K

$5.95 CLP 5,858

125.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,635

$1.49 CLP 1,470

-2.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 COP 8,670

$2.38 CLP 2,342

14.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,390

$0.83 CLP 821

28.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 COP 5,102

$0.40 CLP 393

302.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 COP 7,590

$0.91 CLP 897

162.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 COP 28.7K

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

-22.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 COP 3,770

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-21.19%

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

$22.6K COP 71.7M

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

28.63%

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

$32.0K COP 101.4M

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

45.44%

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

$124 COP 392.5K

$151 CLP 149.0K

-18.24%

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

$13.01 COP 41.2K

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

5.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.19 COP 92.5K

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

55.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 COP 135.3K

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

26.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 COP 19.6K

$7.45 CLP 7,334

-16.91%

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

$682 COP 2.2M

$430 CLP 423.7K

58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,774 COP 21.5M

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

-37.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 COP 288.5K

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

83.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 COP 193.8K

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

111.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 COP 486.6K

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

133.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.0K

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 COP 2.2M

$559 CLP 550.4K

26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 COP 1.6M

$384 CLP 377.8K

35.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 COP 3.4M

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

7.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 COP 2.5M

$780 CLP 767.9K

1.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-23.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,580 COP 5.0M

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-37.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

5.39

114.84%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 11, 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 de Pasto

$518 37.8%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 26% $135

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$284 20.7%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 16.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$183 13.4%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 44.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$166 12.1%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 9.9% $17

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$147 10.7%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 29% $43

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$55 4%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 11.7% $6.4

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$18 * 1.3%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 171% $31

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 $706 in San Juan de Pasto and $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto vs $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $284 vs $236, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

2 h ahead of San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 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 COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Santiago 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in San Juan de Pasto. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,057 in San Juan de Pasto 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: $706 in San Juan de Pasto versus $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $682 in San Juan de Pasto 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 $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in San Juan de Pasto. 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 de Pasto 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 15% less than in San Juan de Pasto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.