Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Santiago $1,206
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Santiago versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Santiago $1,885
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,564 in Santiago versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Santiago $2,564
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Santiago costs roughly 55% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santiago is 10% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 CLP 9,954

$20.22 $20.22

-49.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

$85.0 $85.0

-38.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 CLP 8,342

$12.35 $12.35

-30.85%

Cappuccino

$3.19 CLP 3,122

$5.47 $5.47

-41.68%

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

$1.68 CLP 1,641

$3.82 $3.82

-56.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CLP 1,194

$2.50 $2.50

-51.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.21 CLP 4,110

$8.06 $8.06

-47.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 CLP 4,550

$8.99 $8.99

-48.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 CLP 1,286

$1.13 $1.13

16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 CLP 1,760

$3.78 $3.78

-52.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 CLP 1,547

$3.25 $3.25

-51.38%

Eggs

$4.25 CLP 4,151

$4.14 $4.14

2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

$13.08 $13.08

-14.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 CLP 6,596

$14.31 $14.31

-52.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

$15.96 $15.96

-33.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 CLP 1,995

$4.38 $4.38

-53.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 CLP 1,500

$1.45 $1.45

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,553

$4.54 $4.54

-64.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 CLP 1,712

$4.19 $4.19

-58.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CLP 1,054

$2.63 $2.63

-58.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,480

$2.36 $2.36

-36.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 CLP 1,148

$1.76 $1.76

-33.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 CLP 1,043

$2.16 $2.16

-50.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 CLP 5,027

$9.81 $9.81

-47.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 CLP 5,745

$14.72 $14.72

-60.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CLP 1,516

$2.78 $2.78

-44.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 CLP 2,223

$3.48 $3.48

-34.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 CLP 831

$1.49 $1.49

-42.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

$40.51 $40.51

2.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 CLP 383

$2.67 $2.67

-85.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 CLP 822

$1.58 $1.58

-46.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

$35.29 $35.29

-66.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 CLP 1,470

$0.99 $0.99

51.52%

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

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

$35.8K $35.8K

-49.44%

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

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

$27.2K $27.2K

-20.48%

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

$151 CLP 147.7K

$219 $219

-31.09%

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

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

$58.0 $58.0

-79.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

$68.4 $68.4

-72.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

$57.9 $57.9

-41.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

$14.82 $14.82

-20.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 CLP 7,202

$14.13 $14.13

-47.84%

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

$434 CLP 424.3K

$1,509 $1,509

-71.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

$21.5K $21.5K

-48.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

$51.7 $51.7

-1.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

$44.05 $44.05

-33.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

$85.1 $85.1

-20.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

$105 $105

-23.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 CLP 542.0K

$1,932 $1,932

-71.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 CLP 364.0K

$1,272 $1,272

-70.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

$3,670 $3,670

-72.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 CLP 760.9K

$2,525 $2,525

-69.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

$7,617 $7,617

-64.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

$3,199 $3,199

-18.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$791 CLP 773.5K

$5,105 $5,105

-84.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

6.79

-20.62%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$372 31.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 242% $900

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 20%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 70.6% $167

Eating Out

Santiago

$187 15.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 85.7% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.5%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 89.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$102 8.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 25.7% $26

Getting Around

Santiago

$50 4.2%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 15.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 77.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $555 in Santiago and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 545% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $403 per month, with Santiago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

20:19 8:19 PM

2 h behind Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

974,447

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago Austin, TX 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santiago wins on cost – living expenses run 124% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santiago the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 545% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $555 in Santiago versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,206 per month in Santiago versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 124% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santiago runs roughly 2% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,206 in Santiago versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santiago but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. 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 124% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.