Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Arviat

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,190 a month against $2,212 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
Learn more

Arviat Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Arviat

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 Arviat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,212 in Arviat.

Santiago $1,190
Arviat $2,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $3,119 in Arviat.

Santiago $1,892
Arviat $3,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $4,025 in Arviat.

Santiago $2,595
Arviat $4,025

Living in Santiago costs roughly 46% less than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 12% below, Arviat is 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$17.31 CA$24.61

-40.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.8K

$64.8 CA$92.2

-20.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,795

$11.21 CA$15.94

-20.25%

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,207

$3.65 CA$5.19

-10.68%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,638

$1.95 CA$2.77

-14.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,211

$1.54 CA$2.18

-20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,909

$5.27 CA$7.49

-24.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,459

$5.58 CA$7.93

-18.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,261

$2.08 CA$2.96

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,815

$2.51 CA$3.58

-26.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,565

$3.27 CA$4.65

-51.38%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,026

$3.34 CA$4.74

22.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$9.60 CA$13.64

18.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,578

$10.27 CA$14.60

-34.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$14.59 CA$20.75

-25.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,903

$3.24 CA$4.60

-40.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,495

$1.18 CA$1.68

28.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,575

$4.18 CA$5.95

-61.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,666

$3.21 CA$4.57

-47.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,083

$2.36 CA$3.36

-53.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,498

$2.11 CA$3.00

-27.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,163

$2.49 CA$3.54

-52.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,060

$1.63 CA$2.31

-33.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,989

$13.77 CA$19.58

-63.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,851

$13.06 CA$18.57

-54.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,469

$2.37 CA$3.37

-37.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,339

$2.64 CA$3.75

-9.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 820

$2.20 CA$3.13

-62.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

$62.5 CA$88.9

-35.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 392

$2.88 CA$4.10

-86.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 895

$1.59 CA$2.27

-42.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.4K

$25.35 CA$36.05

-54.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,484

$1.30 CA$1.85

16.15%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

$27.2K CA$38.6K

-35.32%

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

$16.4K CA$23.3K

33.98%

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

$151 CLP 148.9K

$147 CA$209

2.76%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

$34.05 CA$48.41

-63.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$50.0 CA$71.1

-62.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.1K

$42.33 CA$60.2

-20.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$16.95 CA$24.10

-30.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,325

$12.62 CA$17.94

-40.97%

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

$430 CLP 423.2K

$707 CA$1,005

-39.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

$12.9K CA$18.3K

-16.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.8K

$46.01 CA$65.4

7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$33.72 CA$47.95

-14.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$93.9 CA$133

-30.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.3K

$98.8 CA$141

-18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 549.7K

$1,306 CA$1,856

-57.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.3K

$1,105 CA$1,570

-65.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 987.2K

$2,051 CA$2,917

-51.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 766.9K

$1,534 CA$2,181

-49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$4,007 CA$5,697

-34.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$3,716 CA$5,284

-31.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 790.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.66

15.67%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arviat: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Arviat

$1.1K 50% 188% $721

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Arviat

$336 15.2% 42.6% $100

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Arviat

$267 12.1% 41.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Arviat

$231 10.5% 26.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Arviat

$123 5.5% 21.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Arviat

$68 3.1% 39% $19

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Arviat

$82 3.7% 69.6% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Santiago and $1,306 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $65.0 in Arviat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $336 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

2 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

2,800

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 983 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,101 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Arviat 10,730 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Arviat

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 Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago and Arviat differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $2,212 including rent). Santiago is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,785 in Santiago and $3,318 in Arviat 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: $559 in Santiago versus $1,306 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $430 in Santiago versus $707 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Arviat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Santiago versus $2,212 in Arviat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Arviat. 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 86% less than in Arviat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.