Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Ajijic

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $1,267 in Ajijic, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajijic outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Ajijic

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Santiago vs $1,267 in Ajijic, rent included.

Santiago $1,190
Ajijic $1,267

A couple spends around $1,892 per month in Santiago vs $2,020 in Ajijic, rent included.

Santiago $1,892
Ajijic $2,020

A family of three spends $2,595 per month in Santiago vs $2,773 in Ajijic, rent included.

Santiago $2,595
Ajijic $2,773

Santiago is about 6% cheaper than Ajijic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santiago and Ajijic are more affordable than the global median – Santiago 12% lower, Ajijic 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$9.81 MX$181

5.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$43.69 MX$807

18.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

$7.22 MX$133

23.82%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$3.47 MX$64.1

-6.05%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$1.60 MX$29.62

4.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$1.24 MX$22.92

-0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$2.24 MX$41.31

77.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$3.32 MX$61.4

36.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.49 MX$27.52

-14.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$2.24 MX$41.31

-17.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$1.07 MX$19.78

48.60%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$2.19 MX$40.54

87.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$7.84 MX$145

45.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$8.56 MX$158

-21.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$7.21 MX$133

49.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$2.30 MX$42.42

-15.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.32 MX$24.42

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$1.48 MX$27.42

8.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$1.71 MX$31.66

-1.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$1.60 MX$29.60

-31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$1.38 MX$25.57

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

$1.03 MX$19.03

14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

$0.84 MX$15.55

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$4.47 MX$82.7

13.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$8.92 MX$165

-33.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$1.55 MX$28.60

-3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$1.39 MX$25.61

71.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$0.64 MX$11.84

29.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

$1.25 MX$23.18

-68.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$4.40 MX$81.3

-79.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

$11.00 MX$203

5.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.49 MX$27.50

1.34%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$20.9K MX$386.5K

-15.98%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$24.2K MX$447.2K

-9.16%

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$55.9 MX$1,033

170.86%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$14.30 MX$264

-13.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$24.07 MX$445

-22.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$24.24 MX$448

39.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$5.42 MX$100

117.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$4.78 MX$88.3

55.86%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$212 MX$3,922

102.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$2,953 MX$54.6K

265.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$44.03 MX$814

12.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$16.71 MX$309

73.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$68.7 MX$1,270

-4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$69.6 MX$1,286

15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$841 MX$15.5K

-33.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$630 MX$11.6K

-39.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$1,506 MX$27.8K

-33.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$1,267 MX$23.4K

-38.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$3,332 MX$61.6K

-20.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$1,734 MX$32.0K

46.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$562 MX$10.4K

43.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

11.2

-51.88%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ajijic: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Ajijic

$630 49.7% 64.1% $246

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Ajijic

$222 17.6% 5.8% $14

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Ajijic

$171 13.5% 9.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Ajijic

$94 7.4% 48.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Ajijic

$90 7.1% 11.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Ajijic

$34 2.7% 30.5% $15

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Ajijic

$26 * 2% 46.7% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $559 in Santiago versus $841 in Ajijic. 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 43% higher in Santiago, 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 $52.0 in Santiago versus $44.00 in Ajijic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $222 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

3 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

11,439

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santiago Ajijic 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Ajijic

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

Santiago vs Ajijic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajijic is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Santiago and $1,900 in Ajijic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santiago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Santiago and $1,267 in Ajijic. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $430 per month in Santiago and $212 in Ajijic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Ajijic at $1,267. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajijic it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Santiago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajijic makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.