Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index

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Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago and in Calama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Santiago versus $595 in Calama.

Santiago $1,190
Calama $595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,892 in Santiago versus $1,203 in Calama.

Santiago $1,892
Calama $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,595 in Santiago versus $1,812 in Calama.

Santiago $2,595
Calama $1,812

Living in Santiago is roughly 100% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago 12% lower, Calama 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

$6.95 CLP 6,841

49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

64.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CLP 8,805

Cappuccino

$3.26 CLP 3,211

$2.05 CLP 2,018

59.02%

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

$1.67 CLP 1,640

$0.93 CLP 916

79.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CLP 1,212

$0.94 CLP 929

30.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 CLP 3,914

$3.12 CLP 3,074

27.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 CLP 4,465

$5.23 CLP 5,149

-13.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 CLP 1,263

$1.10 CLP 1,087

16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 CLP 1,817

$0.84 CLP 825

120.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 CLP 1,567

$2.62 CLP 2,575

-39.31%

Eggs

$4.10 CLP 4,031

$4.95 CLP 4,876

-17.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

$9.36 CLP 9,217

21.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 CLP 6,586

$6.22 CLP 6,119

7.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

$7.53 CLP 7,413

43.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 CLP 1,905

$1.26 CLP 1,242

53.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,497

$1.05 CLP 1,029

44.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 CLP 1,577

$1.55 CLP 1,523

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,668

$1.10 CLP 1,081

53.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,084

$0.90 CLP 884

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 CLP 1,500

$0.93 CLP 916

63.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 CLP 1,164

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 CLP 1,061

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.07 CLP 4,995

$5.25 CLP 5,170

-3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 CLP 5,858

$4.19 CLP 4,128

42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CLP 1,470

$1.01 CLP 990

47.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 CLP 2,342

$1.25 CLP 1,235

90.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 CLP 821

$0.95 CLP 931

-12.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 CLP 393

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 CLP 897

$1.43 CLP 1,412

-36.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CLP 1,486

$1.44 CLP 1,415

4.86%

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

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

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

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

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

$151 CLP 149.0K

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

278.05%

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

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

41.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-34.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

-43.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 CLP 7,334

$4.69 CLP 4,617

58.85%

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

$430 CLP 423.7K

$306 CLP 301.6K

40.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

37.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

1.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

43.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

30.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 CLP 550.4K

$327 CLP 322.3K

70.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 CLP 377.8K

$102 CLP 100.6K

275.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

$807 CLP 794.0K

24.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 CLP 767.9K

$608 CLP 599.0K

28.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

88.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

107.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

-27.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

7.80%

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

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago

$384 32.3%

Calama

$102 17.2% 73.4% $282

Groceries & Markets

Santiago

$236 19.8%

Calama

$176 * 29.6% 25.3% $60

Eating Out

Santiago

$189 15.9%

Calama

$114 * 19.1% 40% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago

$182 15.3%

Calama

$53 * 9% 70.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago

$101 8.5%

Calama

$77 13% 23.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago

$49 4.1%

Calama

$61 10.3% 25.7% $12

Getting Around

Santiago

$48 4.1%

Calama

$11 * 1.8% 77.4% $37

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 $559 in Santiago and $327 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52.0 in Santiago vs $31.00 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $176 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Santiago

🇨🇱 Calama

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

Same time as Santiago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,139,087 Capital

157,575

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Santiago Calama 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Santiago
Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 100% lower than in Santiago. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Calama. 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: $559 in Santiago versus $327 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Santiago. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Santiago versus $595 in Calama – a 100% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Calama 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 Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.